It Is A Victory Well Deserved- Lagos Lawyer, Ehiwe O. Sam, Congratulates Olumide Akpata On His Emergence As NBA President

First, let me congratulate Mr Olumide Akpata on his well-deserved victory at the polls. He won with a landslide, first in the history of the Nigerian Bar Association. Olumide Akpata won the election with a total of 9,891 votes of the total 18,256 ballots cast, while his closest rival, Babatunde Ajibade (SAN) polled 4,328 votes and Dele Adesina (SAN) polled 3,982 votes.

This also, is the first time a non-silk will be the NBA President in years. This show the unanimous support Nigerian lawyers have for him. His track records were too glaring to ignore. His passion for the Bar resonated every time he spoke. We believed in him and we elected him to be President over the largest Bar in Africa. Akpata has been an inspiration to many of us. We see him as a perfect example of a quintessential bar man. We assure everyone that supported us in this cause that Akpata will deliver on all his promises. I will set out again, the four foundations on which his manifesto was built so we can follow up the achievements as they come.

As one of those who so strongly campaigned for Akpata, I can tell that the road to victory was not an easy one. There were huddles, challenges, obstacles and setbacks, but in all, Akpata was able to navigate and coast to victory. This certainly would not have been possible without the full, near unanimous support of Nigerian lawyers. It will go down in the history of our legal profession that there was a time when Nigerian lawyers rose up with one voice to choose their leader. It was indeed a landslide. A combination of the votes of the two other respectable, very distinguished contestants could not match Akpata’s votes. Akpata from 11pm of July 29, 2020 to 11pm of July 30, 2020 maintained an intimidating lead over the other contestants who are both Senior Advocates of Nigeria. The ‘social distance’ in the numbers seemed to recognize the existence of the global pandemic-COVID-19. It was wide! Very wide!

It is also important to congratulate the other contestants who are very amiable, well respected and distinguished senior members of the Bar for their sportsmanship. They have indeed taught us-the younger ones- how to maintain candor and put up a spirit of healthy competition for the overall good of the profession. They are all senior lawyers that we all look up to and aspire to be like someday. I really appreciate them for the pace they have set. I am optimistic that they will join hands together with Olumide Akpata to build the Bar of our dreams.

The President-Elect’s Manifesto was hinged on these four prongs;

The Bar and its Members

Akpata’s focus on the Bar and its Members intends to address those issues that directly impact lawyers, their welfare, their practice and their income. Key focal areas here for Olumide Akpata include (i) Remuneration of Lawyers; (ii) Standardisation of Fees and Charges; (iii) Expanding and Deepening the Legal Services Market; (iv) Protecting the Business of Lawyers from encroachment; (v) Digitisation of Stamp and Seal; (vi) Health Insurance for Lawyers; Abuse of Lawyers by Security Agencies; (vii) Sexual Harassment; (viii) Access to Finance; (ix) an inclusive Bar for all lawyers no matter their chosen career path; (x) an Education Fund to support post-graduate studies by lawyers; (xi) Capacity Development; (xii) a three-tiered approach to mentoring; (xiii) a Career Development Centre; (xiv) Young Lawyer’s specific issues; and (xv) catering to the needs of aged lawyers and lawyers with disability.

Bar and Society

Here, Akpata seems to be focused on those aspects where the Bar can participate actively on societal matter. His focus here are (i) Administration of Justice; (ii) Defending the Integrity and Independence of the Judiciary (iii) Promotion and Protection of the Rule of Law and Human Rights; (iv) Appointment and Remuneration of Judges; (v) Law Reform Initiatives; (v) Public Interest Litigation & Advocacy; and (vi) Criminal Justice Reform Projects.

The Bar as an Institution

On the third approach, Akpata is concerned that without a Bar that is structured as a proper institution, it would be difficult to deliver on most of the other plans that any candidate might have for the NBA. As such, information available to us shows that, with respect to the Bar as an institution, Akpata plans to (i) put in place mechanisms for digitization of the NBA’s processes; (ii) proper record keeping and institutional memory; (iii) streamlining of the administrative structure of the NBA; (iv) carrying out institutional regulatory and governance reforms; (v) ensuring synergy with NBA branches and strengthening the various NBA Sections and Fora; and (vi) introducing a anonymous whistleblowing system for sundry complaints like lawyers whose entitlements are deducted but not remitted by their as required by law, sexual harassment issues, and malpractices and corruption by lawyers and the NBA.

The Future of the Bar

On the final approach, which touches on the Future of the Bar, we understand that Akpata is looking at (i) laying the foundation for globalized law practice; (ii) infusing technology into law practice; (iii) encouraging law firms to operate as sustainable businesses; (vi) amending the RPC and LPA to be wholly in line with modern legal practice; and (vi) providing enlightenment on new practice areas while expanding and deepening the market for legal services; and (vii) building strong international collaborations and relationships that will not only strengthen the Bar but also support the legal profession in Nigeria.

I assure all Nigerian lawyers, particularly my fellow young lawyers that we will work closely with Akpata to ensure and assist him in fulfilling all the promises made during the electioneering period.

Ehisamuel43@gmail.com