NBA President, Paul Usoro, SAN, Dissolves All Committees Except Prosecution Team

*Sets To Overhaul Disciplinary Procedure Of LPDC The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Paul Usoro, SAN, has reiterated his earlier promise of dissolving all existing committees of the Bar, except the NBA Prosecution Team. He also stated that because of the importance of discipline in the profession the prosecution team will not be dissolved alongside with other committees. He made this known in a press statement released on the 8th day of September 2018. He stressed that the team remains standing pending when the review and reconstitution of same will be made. He further promised to overhaul the Legal practitioner Disciplinary Procedure in order to improve the disciplinary process of the Bar. Below read his press statement  In my Inaugural Address, I had dissolved “forthwith the membership of all the existing Committees of the NBA excluding the Sections and such other Committees as I may expressly indicate”. Considering the foundational importance of discipline in our profession, I had earlier in the week discussed with some members of the NBA Prosecution Team, notably, the Chief Prosecutor, Charles Ajuyah, SAN and informed them of the exemption of their Team from the general dissolution of NBA Committees, in the terms of my Inaugural Address, pending the imminent review and reconstitution of the Team. The planned review and reconstitution of the Team will focus, amongst others, on the modus operandi and efficiency of the Team, in an all-encompassing manner, covering, amongst others, cost-efficiency, efficiency in terms of the number and quality of Team members taking into account, amongst others, the number of petitions that are pending before the LPDC and the number of petitions that are received averagely each month and may need to be processed by the various NBA Disciplinary Panel prior to being forwarded to the LPDC for hearing and determination. Necessarily, the planned review would extend to the NBA Disciplinary Panels as well. In point of fact, I had promised, in my Inaugural Address, a complete overhaul of the Legal Practitioners disciplinary process in a manner that would “make our disciplinary procedures far more responsive and time-sensitive”. This we intend to effect, right from the processes at the NBA Secretariat and up to the prosecution of the matters. We would also, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders and agencies, review the disciplinary provisions that are contained in our various legislation and bye-laws in order to upgrade and update them in step with present-day realities and requirements. Our members would be periodically updated on these further steps, as they come to fruition. Paul Usoro, SAN FCIArb President Nigerian Bar Association]]>