By S. Long Williams Esq. Governor, EBF

Events are happening in quick succession in the life and times of the foremost and largest body of Legal Practitioners in Africa, the Nigerian Bar Association.

The last two weeks has witnessed desperate and despicable events which if not contained quickly, decisively, boldly and with determined gusto will put a death knell to the lawyers body.

During the inaugural address presented by the 30th President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Olumide Akpata on 28th August, 2020, he identified and appreciated the issues surrounding the agitations over the past elections (including the recent 2020 elections) of the Association since the advent of the e-voting platform in 2016. Sequel to which a 12 member Elections Audit & Reforms Committee headed by Ayo Akintunde SAN was promptly set up to audit the 2016, 2018 & 2020 elections of the Association.

Lawyers all over the federation were elated with this development and were busy collating and putting finishing touches to various memorandum to be uploaded to the August Committee when suddenly from the blues, news filtered in that the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) has also set up a parallel committee of five members named Elections Audit Committee with Chief Joe Kyari Gadzama SAN as Chairman. Other members of the BOSAN Committee are:

a. Mr. Osaro Eghobamien, SAN;
b. Chief Yomi Aliyu, SAN;
c. Prof Offornze Amucheazi, SAN;
d. Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa SAN.

Immediately the news came in of the existence of the Committee, Prof Ernest Ojukwu SAN, the longest and most respected former Chairman of the Eastern Bar Forum declared the BOSAN Committee as “dead on arrival”.

Three days thereafter, the prophecy of learned Prof. Ernest Ojukwu SAN commenced its manifestation in ernest just like the name of the prophet. On 8th September, 2020, Osaro Eghobamien SAN resigned his membership of the BOSAN Committee citing lack of consultation on his readiness and willingness to be a member of the committee before his appointment and the absence of a Terms of Reference for the Committee. The same day, another member of the Committee Offornze Amucheazi SAN jettisoned his membership of the Committee and precisely on 9th September, 2020 what can be termed as the last straw landed on the soft porous backs of the Committee when its appointed Chairman, Joe Kyari Gadzama SAN resigned his membership and chairmanship of the Committee. One may ask, is there anything left of that Committee of five members when three of its members including its revered chairman has jumped ship? The answer is definitely in the negative and anyone who has a contrary opinion must be an Alice in wonderland.

Various writers have made publications on the propriety of the BOSAN Committee outlining cogent, verifiable and pungent reasons and postulation on the lack of tact of the originators of the Committee and source of its powers at this time in the life of the Nigerian Bar Association coupled with the fact that it took five whole weeks after the NBA 2020 elections for BOSAN to congratulate the winners of the said elections. Could it not be rightly argued that this message of congratulations is coming at a time when the sinister plans of BOSAN to undermine the Nigerian Bar Association under the able leadership of President Olumide Akpata has collapsed like a pack of cards.

The reasons for the death knell on the BOSAN Committee are legion and any attempt by anyone to procure a ventilator for the Committee by the appointment of other members to replace the ones who have resigned will amount to leading the association to the highway to perdition.

While we were still basking and uncorking our champaign in the euphoria of the death of the BOSAN Committee, another thunderbolt pounded on the rooftops of the Nigeria Bar Association. The Hon. Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Malami SAN on 3rd September, 2020 purportedly deriving his powers under Section 12(4) of the Legal Practitioners Act, Cap L11 2004 amended the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners by deleting Sections 9(2), 10, 11,12 & 13 of the Rules.

In as much as it can be rightly canvassed that the Hon. Attorney General has no such powers to suo moto amend the Rules as Section 12(4) which he relied on does not cloth him with such powers to do so, the purpose of this treatise is principally to question why and what is the purpose of the purported amendment at this time in the life of the Nigerian Bar Association?

This is a time the Nigerian Bar Association is struggling to stand tall, strong and relevant under the new administration of President Olumide Akpata. The President immediately upon assumption of office towed the right and courageous path by setting up the Election Audit & Reforms Committee as already elucidated above, had a meeting with almost all the NBA branches in the North and they unanimously pledged their unflinching and undiluted loyalty, commitment and dedication to the Nigerian Bar Association to the exclusion of other other association however so called. Again I ask what is the purport of this amendment? Without mincing words, I state equivocally that this is a declaration of war on the Nigerian Bar Association. This is not a case of the hands of Esau but the voice of Jacob, this is Esau himself speaking. The only purpose of this amendment is to whittle the powers, membership, finance, scope, influence and relevance of the Nigerian Bar Association to create room for schism within the association and to add filip to the camp of the rebellious.

Some are working tirelessly to hit the gavel on the demise of the Nigerian Bar Association as a strong, united and virile association of Lawyers in the country on the able, soothing and moistures palm of President Olumide Akpata, whether they will succeed is not the business of the President alone, it is our business and we must all come together as a unit to match the brakes on this highway to perdition.

Written by S. Long Williams Esq. Governor, EBF

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