Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, SAN, OFR, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Nigerian Law Society, has said the ongoing crisis within the Nigerian Bar Association has strengthened the argument for freedom of association among lawyers in Nigeria.

Ayorinde, in a statement titled “NBA Crisis: The Imperative Of Freedom Of Association,” said the current dispute in what he described as the “almighty one body of lawyers” shows why lawyers should be free to belong to different professional associations in a country with a large and growing lawyer population.

According to him, the crisis reflects deeper issues within the NBA’s electoral system and the struggle for control of the Association.

He alleged that a tendency within the Bar had taken control of the electoral process and was bent on continuously determining the outcome of NBA elections.

Ayorinde said the “traditional Bar” would not accept such control, adding that this has led to what he described as a battle for the soul of the NBA.

“The chicken has come home to roost, as they say. The current crisis in the almighty one body of lawyers underscores the justification of having several associations of lawyers in a massively lawyer population such as Nigeria,” he said.

He argued that the situation would have been unnecessary if lawyers were allowed to freely associate outside what he called the “shackles” of the NBA.

Ayorinde said the NBA adequately served lawyers when the number of legal practitioners in the country was still manageable, but maintained that those numbers can no longer be effectively managed by one association.

According to him, the consequences of insisting on one dominant lawyers’ association are now obvious from the current crisis.

“All this is unnecessary if lawyers can freely associate outside the shackles of the NBA, which adequately catered for all lawyers when the numbers were manageable. Those numbers cannot be managed anymore by one association, and the consequences are now obvious,” he said.

The senior lawyer said the Nigerian Law Society represents the “fresh air” needed in the legal profession.

He added that he would make his fuller thoughts on the issue public soon.

Follow Our WhatsApp Channel _______________________________________________________________________ LAWBREED NEW WIG SPECIAL OFFER — Give a newly called lawyer a lasting professional gift. Get up to 20% off selected LAWBREED Supreme Court Reports, plus access to My S.C Extra, featuring Supreme Court judgments from 1972 to date. Call/WhatsApp: 08077011741 | 08077011755 | 08077011730 | 08023269613 Email: orders@lawbreed.com | mails@lawbreed.com LAWBREED — Equipping You For Greater Success! _______________________________________________________________________

“Order Justice Omolaye-Ajileye’s Electronic Evidence Books Now” — Essential Guides On Evidence Act, Case Law And Digital Proof

Two leading books on electronic evidence by Hon. Justice Professor Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye, Rtd., PhD, FICMC, are now available for purchase. The publications, Electronic Evidence (Second Edition), With The Evidence Act, 2011 and Compendium Of Cases On Electronic Evidence, Volume II, 2020–2025, provide practical guidance, legal analysis and recent judicial authorities on electronic evidence in Nigeria.Order directly from the author here: https://velvety-cendol-7387ed.netlify.app/ _______________________________________________________________________

[A MUST HAVE] Evidence Act Demystified With Recent And Contemporary Cases And Materials

“Evidence Act: Complete Annotation” by renowned legal experts Sanni & Etti.

Available now for NGN 40,000 at ASC Publications, 10, Boyle Street, Onikan, Lagos. Beside High Court, TBS. Email publications@ayindesanni.com or WhatsApp +2347056667384. Purchase Link: https://paystack.com/buy/evidence-act-complete-annotation

______________________________________________________________________ “Enhance Legal Practice With Authoritative Reports” — Alexander Payne Offers Comprehensive Law Reports, Spanning Over A Century Of Nigerian Jurisprudence

Interested buyers are encouraged to place their orders and enquiries via: 0704 444 4777, 0704 444 4999, 0818 199 9888 Website: www.alexandernigeria.com

______________________________________________________________________ Groundbreaking Guide For Lawyers: Adigwe Publishes ‘Artificial Intelligence For Lawyers’ With Free Research eBook As an added bonus, every purchase comes with a FREE ebook titled: “How to use the AI in Legalpedia and Law Pavilion.” Ohio Books Ltd praises the publication, stating: "....this is the only Nigerian book I know of on the topic." How to Order: 📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 08034917063 | 07055285878 📧 Email: benadigwe1@gmail.com 🌎 Website: www.benadigwe.com Ebook Version: Access it directly online at https://selar.com/prv626 Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACiarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.