Manifesto of Desmond Yamah, LLM. An Aspirant for The Office of the General Secretary Nigerian Bar Association

MANIFESTO OF DESMOND YAMAH, LLM.
AN ASPIRANT FOR THE OFFICE OF THE GENERAL SECRETARY
NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION
IN THE JULY 3OTH AND 31ST NATIONAL ELECTION OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION

I, Desmond Yamah, Past Publicity Secretary and Past Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Abuja Branch, do hereby solicit for your support in my quest to be elected the General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association in the forth-coming election. I have, over the years, accumulated extensive experience in my service to the Bar as both Publicity Secretary, Chairman and immediate past NEC Representative of my Branch with verifiable track record of achievements, one of which is the establishment of a befitting Secretariat for the Unity Bar after years of operating from the premises of the FCT High Court.

I began my early education with UKU Primary School in Edo State and thereafter, I proceeded to Federal Government College Kano and then had my University education in the prestigious Faculty of Law, University of Jos, where I obtained both my LLB (Hons.) and LLM. I was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1999.

If elected as the next General Secretary of our great Association, I shall with your support take the National Secretariat to a greater height with the following programmes:

– Create a web platform that will ensure a real time interface between the members of the Bar across the nation, the entire world and the national Secretariat of the NBA in the delivery of critical Bar Services such as letters of Good Standing and other important services that presently take too long as a result of the use of courier services.

– Ensure that Bar Practicing Fee become fully payable online with an e-receipt of payment promptly sent to members who opt for online payment as this will ease the stress of having to visit banks and queue up for too long thus wasting scarce resources of time.

– Ensure prompt and timely delivery of stamps by cutting down the processing/delivery period to a maximum of seven (7) working days.

– Ensuring a 24-hour service delivery in the National Secretariat with the web members interface platform. This platform will be used to disseminate the minutes and resolutions of NEC to all members of the Bar. The platform will also afford the Bar the opportunity to get real time complaints, reports, effective suggestions and feedbacks from members regarding any issue that will be of interest to the Nigerian Bar Association or its members. Also, Secretariat reports will be sent to members of NEC one week ahead of the scheduled meeting to ensure that issues are well debated and decisions taken without undue delays.

– Ensuring that the NBA insurance policy is effectively managed to encompass all qualified members of the Association by effectively making use of existing Branch Welfare Committees in the streamlining of qualified individual members in order to bridge the delays presently occasioned in accessing the premium. The insurance policy will not only be paid to beneficiaries of our deceased members, but also to members who have chosen the medical coverage and permanent injury.

– Ensuring that the Institute of Continuing Legal Education lives up to its responsibility in the promotion of qualitative, relevant and contemporary legal education to members of the Bar through a sustained quarterly training and symposiums in partnership with relevant national and international institutions of learning to enhance the competitiveness of the Nigerian lawyer.

– To give life to the ideas from the President of the Nigerian Bar Association by ensuring prompt, effective and efficient implementation of such ideas and directives for the overall good of the Nigerian Bar Association.

– To provide the President with adequate and up to date records of all branches to ensure even distribution of opportunities such as committee membership and professional trainings.

– To create and add value to our practice by declaring an ICT REVOLUTION to broaden the scope of opportunities locally and internationally.

– Efficient administration of the secretariat, particularly with regard to ensuring compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements and ensuring that decisions of NEC and the AGC are implemented.

– Our Annual General Conference must be improved upon to ensure that conference bags are loaded with all needed materials and papers that will be presented in all the sessions. As General Secretary, I will ensure that all conference papers are available from the planning committee, at least 3 weeks before the date set down for the AGC and a soft copy is made available online to all registered conferees and conference materials delivered to all conferees in record time through the branches before the commencement of the opening ceremony.

– To ensure that our new National Secretariat – the NBA House, is put forward as a symbol of our national pride that will also generate reasonable income for the Association through effective management that will see a robust maintenance culture put in place to preserve its status as the NBA HOUSE.

– To do every other thing reasonably relevant and important to take the Nigerian Bar Association to a greater height through effective coordination of the National Secretariat being the engine house of the Association.

I undertake to deliver on the above pledge without undue delays or procrastinations. I intend to create a standard that will easily be sustained by whoever succeeds me in office and by the grace of the Almighty God and your unflinching support, together we will take the Nigerian Bar Association to an enviable greater height.

I thank you for your patience in going through this manifesto and humbly ask for your votes in the forthcoming election as the General Secretary in order to bring these ideas to fruition.

Thank you very much.

Desmond Yamah, LLM
Big, strong, reliable and above all, very efficient.