HELP DESK

  • EMEKA NWADIOKE
  • Jun 03, 2021
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CAC ACCREDITATION: NBA MAKES U-TURN, ASKS LAWYERS TO COMPLY

  • SETS UP JOINT HELP DESK FOR CAC COMPLAINTS

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has reversed its hard stance on the ongoing re-accreditation exercise by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), asking lawyers to comply with the directive. It has also set up a joint help desk with the CAC to address lawyers’ complaints.

In a press statement signed by NBA President, Mr. Olumide Akpata, the association stated that “The CAC and the NBA have agreed that rather than require lawyers and accredited agents to pay the accreditation fee on an annual basis, the payment will be a one-off fee.”

The statement added that “The CAC and the NBA have also agreed that the payment and reaccreditation will not apply to lawyers who paid or were accredited by the CAC between 1st January 2020 and the date of the initial reaccreditation notice from the CAC in March 2021. The portion of the reminder notice from the CAC dated 1st June 2021 which exempted only those who procured their accreditation after 31st December 2020 was an error which will be withdrawn or clarified by the CAC.”

This is a sharp departure from the position of the lawyers’ body which had in a press statement on March 12, 2021 chided the corporate registry agency for the revalidation exercise, saying that “it is both insensitive and smacks of utter bad faith on the part of the CAC to proceed with this policy without due consultation with the NBA whose members make up over 80% of the customer base of the CAC.”

The NBA had also reasoned that “it is possible to achieve a clean database of accredited agents by requiring those who had been previously accredited by the CAC to simply update and revalidate their records on the CAC portal (at no cost) or lose their accreditation by the new deadline,” adding that “The obligatory charge imposed by the CAC should not apply to existing users but only to those customers who have never been accredited by the CAC and who now seek to be part of the system.”

The lawyers’ body had also based its opposition to the payment of the N10,000 revalidation fee on the harsh economic climate, saying: “The NBA strongly urges the CAC to reconsider its position with respect to the payment of the revalidation fee by existing users, and more importantly to continue to work assiduously towards improving customer experience by resolving the several complaints by users of the system and enhancing efficiency.” 

It was unclear at press time whether the NBA has secured any major shift from the CAC prior to altering its position on the issue, moreso as the CAC had since March 12, 2021 clarified in a tweet that the payment is a one-off. It had stated thus: “Dear esteemed Customers, please be informed that payment for re-validation of accreditation is one-off. And accreditation is not renewable annually. Furthermore, the timeline for re-validation of accreditation has been extended to June, 10 2021.”

Aside from merely stating that “The CAC maintains that the revalidation exercise is important to it for a proper administration of the CAC database especially as the CAC migrates to a process where most or all activities at, or dealings with, the CAC will be concluded on its online portal,” the NBA leadership has not provided any justification for its new stance on the revalidation fee.  

Below is the full text of the NBA statement.

3rd June 2021

To all Lawyers in Nigeria

CAC DIRECTIVE ON RE-VALIDATION OF ACCREDITED AGENTS: UPDATE FROM THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION

Members of the Nigerian Bar Association (“NBA”) would have seen a notice dated 1st June 2021 from the Corporate Affairs Commission (“CAC”) reminding accredited agents of the CAC to revalidate their status as agents with the CAC. Accredited agents are required to pay for such revalidation on or before 10th June 2021 or risk a suspension of their accounts.

Kindly recall that when the news of this revalidation first broke out in March 2021, the NBA had issued a statement dated 12th March 2021 informing Nigerian lawyers that the NBA was engaging with the CAC on this process. Following the engagements, we wish to provide the update below:

1. The CAC maintains that the revalidation exercise is important to it for a proper administration of the CAC database especially as the CAC migrates to a process where most or all activities at, or dealings with, the CAC will be concluded on its online portal.

2. The CAC and the NBA have agreed that rather than require lawyers and accredited agents to pay the accreditation fee on an annual basis, the payment will be a one-off fee.

3. The CAC and the NBA have also agreed that the payment and reaccreditation will not apply to lawyers who paid or were accredited by the CAC between 1st January 2020 and the date of the initial reaccreditation notice from the CAC in March 2021. The portion of the reminder notice from the CAC dated 1st June 2021 which exempted only those who procured their accreditation after 31st December 2020 was an error which will be withdrawn or clarified by the CAC.

4. The CAC and the NBA have agreed that in order to enhance efficiency at the CAC and deal with service level complaints from lawyers who use the services of the CAC, an NBA help/support desk (manned by the NBA-CAC Task Force) will be set up at the CAC. Lawyers who have applications at the CAC that are not attended to within the designated timelines may escalate their complaints to the NBA support team which will liaise with the CAC with a view to resolving the issues. Such complaints should be sent to nbacac@nigerianbar.org.ng. Kindly note that only correspondence relating to delays and service inefficiency at the CAC will be entertained by this help/support desk.

5. The NBA is not oblivious of the challenges that lawyers have had to face with their clients on account of delayed processing of applications, and other service-related issues at the CAC. Accordingly, the NBA will continue to work with the CAC towards enhancing efficiency at the CAC and generally improving on the experience of our members when dealing with the CAC.

Yours sincerely,

OLUMIDE AKPATA
NBA President

NBA_CAC

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29,635 VOTERS TO ELECT NEXT NBA PRESIDENT

BY EMEKA NWADIOKE

  • ECNBA PURGES 1604 NAMES FROM VOTERS’ LIST

  • BARS FURTHER CAMPAIGNS

  • WARNS AGAINST PARALLEL ‘HELP DESKS’

The Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) has finally released the full list of verified voters for the NBA Elections commencing at 11 pm today.

In its Statement No. 018, the Electoral Committee has barred further campaigns as well as Help Desks except the one set up by the committee. 

Below is the full text of the statement:

Further to the publication of the full list of legal practitioners qualified to vote, the ECNBA now presents a total of 29,635 verified and duly accredited members who have fulfilled all requirements for voting in the NBA National Officers elections 2020. This figure excludes 1604 names with duplicated phone numbers and/or email addresses.

As the voting commences by 11:00 PM today, 29th July, 2020, we urge all members to conduct themselves in the respectable manner for which the legal profession is known. All Candidates and their supporters are also advised to desist from any form of campaigns forthwith.

The ECNBA reiterates that private helpdesks for the purpose of this election by Candidates, their supporters and NBA Branches are not allowed.

The ECNBA Support helpline for purpose of the election is: 0700 5555 2020. The helpdesk will be open from 10.00PM on the 29th of July 2020.

Voters who desire to observe this election real time from the comfort of their locations can do so using the unique link provided for the voting.

Happy Voting!

Dated this 29th day of July, 2020

TAWO E. TAWO, SAN                    CORDELIA U. EKE

CHAIRMAN, ECNBA                            SECRETARY

Click to the link below for the accredited list

https://nigerianbar.org.ng/sites/default/files/inline-files/ACCREDITED%20LIST.pdf

AKPATA SETS UP ELECTION VERIFICATION HELP DESK

One of the leading aspirants for the forthcoming Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) election, Mr. Olumide Akpata has set up a Help Desk for the ongoing verification exercise to enable eligible voters participate in the election.

In an email sent early today, Akpata restated the publication of the final voters list by the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (“ECNBA”) for the elections scheduled for 29th and 30th July, 2020.

Outlining the verification procedure, he urged eligible voters who may have challenges with the verification process to “contact the NBA support team using support@nigerianbar.org.ng” or call the ECNBA verification hotlines.

“Feel free to contact my help desk via helpmeverifynow@gmail.com or on 08122778151, 07055115282, 08025875099, and 08037003654 to assist you in following up with the ECNBA,” he added.

The full text of the email is below:

Dear (surname)

I hope that this meets you well.

I am writing to notify you that the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (“ECNBA”) has now published the final voters list that would be used in the forthcoming elections into national offices of the NBA scheduled to hold on 29th and 30th July 2020 (the “Final Voters List”).

With the Final Voters List now in circulation, I encourage you to kindly do the following:

1.Go through the Final Voters List to confirm that you name is on it. You can view a copy of the Final Voters List by clicking on the ‘View Register’ button at the end of this email;

2.If your name is on the Final Voters List, do take steps to ensure that you “Verify” on the NBA website in order to be eligible to vote. This “verification” entails creating or updating your individual portal on the NBA website. The verification process is set out under the heading “How to Verify” below; and

3.If your name has been omitted from the Final Voters List, or if you have any other complaints about the Final Voters List, the verification process or any related issue, use the information under the heading “NBA Eligibility Complaints” below.

How to Verify
A. If you have never been verified:
I. click on the’Visit Portal’ button at the end of this email to create your own portal on the NBA website;
II. while there, click on the “Get Verified Option” and complete the simple verification form;
III. upload a copy of your call to bar certificate;
IV. afterwards, a confirmation email (containing a
temporary password and other details) will be sent to the email
address that you provided. In some cases, the email might be in your junk or spam folder or might take some time to deliver to
you;
V. follow the instructions in the confirmation email and go back to
the NBA membership portal;
VI. while on the NBA membership portal, enter your Supreme
Court Number (without any space between the alphabet and the numbers) and input the temporary password provided in your
confirmation email; and
VII. once you log in, update your profile by correcting any errors
in your details or supplying any missing information. That would be the end of the verification process.

B. If you had been verified but no longer remember the password
with which to access your portal
then:
I. click on the ‘Visit Portal’ button at the end of this email;
II. while on the portal, click Forgot Password; and
III. enter your Supreme Court Number (without any space
between the alphabet and the numbers) and follow the
instructions.

NBA Eligibility Complaints
If you have any complaints about the process or the Final Voters List, please contact the NBA support team using support@nigerianbar.org.ng or call 08165037594; 08168011579; 08165374194; 08167181605.

Feel free to contact my help desk via helpmeverifynow@gmail.com or on 08122778151, 07055115282, 08025875099, and 08037003654 to assist you in following up with the ECNBA.

Participating in the electoral process is key to achieving our collective objective of making the Bar work for all and creating a profession that we all will be proud of and happy to identify with.

I thank you for your attention and look forward to staying in touch.

Best Regards,
OLUMIDE AKPATA

Please send emails to citylawyermag@gmail.com. Copyright 2020 CITY LAWYER. All materials available on this Website are protected by copyright, trade mark and other proprietary and intellectual property laws. You may not use any of our intellectual property rights without our express written consent or attribution to www.citylawyermag.com. However, you are permitted to print or save to your individual PC, tablet or storage extracts from this Website for your own personal non-commercial use.

NBA ELECTIONS: VERIFICATION ‘HOT LINES’ GO COLD

BY EMEKA NWADIOKE

Doubts were yesterday cast on the functionality of the Help Desk set up by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to facilitate the verification exercise for the forthcoming NBA Elections, as the hot lines were unavailable. The elections are scheduled to hold on July 29 and 30, 2020 to elect new national officers for the association.

The NBA had in an online post by its Assistant National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Akorede Habeeb Lawal titled “NBA VERIFICATION SUPPORT” unveiled some telephone numbers to assist lawyers having challenges with the verification exercise.

The statement read: “In order to afford support for our members going through the verification process or having issues with accessing their personal portals on the NBA website, the NBA has introduced the following support lines which shall be available from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm every day of the week.” He also added that “Complaints may also be sent to support@nigerianbar.org.ng.”

However, when CITY LAWYER dialed all the four numbers between 7:33 pm and 7:35 pm yesterday, none of the numbers connected. Instead, each telephone number returned the message that “The MTN number you are trying to call is currently switched off. Please try again later.” The numbers are 08168011579, 08165374194, 08165037594 and 08167181605. It was unclear at press time how this will impact the verification exercise.

It is recalled that the Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA) had in its ECNBA STATEMENT NO 009 at the weekend announced the same numbers as help lines for the verification exercise.

In the statement signed by its Chairman, Mr. Tawo Eja Tawo SAN, the electoral committee stated that “Members who are yet to undertake the verification of their particulars on the NBA website are advised to do so without further delay. Members are required to activate their personal portal on the website upon verification not later than the 15th day of July 2020.

“A support system which will become operational from Monday the 29th day of June 2020 is being set up with the following dedicated lines 08168011579, 08165374194, 08165037594 and 08167181605 email: support@nigerianbar.org.ng.”

In an earlier statement dated June 21, 2020 the electoral committee announced commencement of the verification exercise, a critical part of the electioneering process, saying: “The ECNBA hereby request all eligible voters to immediately verify their details on the NBA Website to be able to vote in the elections.

VERIFICATION PROCESS
To be verified means that all the member’s necessary and relevant data (particularly phone numbers, email address, postal and home address) are with the Nigerian Bar Association. For you to vote, you are required to maintain an active portal on the NBA website:

(a) For members who have not previously been verified:
1. Visit https://nigerianbar.org.ng/membership-portal
2. Click on the Get Verified Option and do the following:

Enter your email address correctly and complete the verification form;
Upload a soft copy of your call to bar certificate;
Patiently wait for a confirmation email from the NBA, which will contain your Supreme Court enrolment number and a temporary password (that you can always change at your convenience).

3. Upon receiving a confirmation email from the NBA indicating that you have been successfully verified, do the following:

Go back to the NBA Membership Portal page;
Copy your enrolment number and password from the confirmation email and enter same on the portal as login details to avoid errors;
Ensure you type both the alphabets and figures of your Supreme Court Number together without space (E.G.: SCN111111).

(b) For members who have previously been verified but unable to login:

1. Visit https://nigerianbar.org.ng/membership-portal

2. Click Forgot Password

3. Enter Your Supreme Court Number and follow the instructions.”

Please send emails to citylawyermag@gmail.com. Copyright 2020 CITY LAWYER. All materials available on this Website are protected by copyright, trade mark and other proprietary and intellectual property laws. You may not use any of our intellectual property rights without our express written consent or attribution to www.citylawyermag.com. However, you are permitted to print or save to your individual PC, tablet or storage extracts from this Website for your own personal non-commercial use.