NBA NEC MEETING SET TO DEBATE N300M AGC RIVERS REFUND

The Nigerian Bar Association National Executive Council (NBA-NEC) meeting scheduled to hold in Ilorin tomorrow may take a definitive position on the request by Rivers State Sole Administrator for refund of the N300 million fund for aborted hosting of the NBA Annual General Conference (AGC) in Port Harcourt. The conference has since been moved to Enugu.

The issue has been one of the most controversial and hotly debated topics within the legal industry, with lawyers taking sharply differing views on the matter.

Another issue that may take the front-burner at the NBA-NEC meeting is NBA’s eagerly awaited response to the query issued to NBA Port Harcourt Chairman Cordelia Eke by the Rivers State Ministry of Justice at the prompting of the Sole Administrator.

While some argue that the NBA Leadership has a moral burden to refund the money as it was reportedly given in anticipation of the AGC holding in Port Harcourt, others argue that state governments and MDAs routinely support NBA with donations to carry out its activities.

Some also question the locus standi of the Rivers State Sole Administrator, retired Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas to demand the refund, arguing that his status is “unconstitutional” and that even if NBA decides to refund the money, such refund should await a duly elected government in Rivers State.

Fiery human rights activist, Mr. Ebun Olu-Adegboruwa SAN had disagreed sharply with those who argue that NBA should retain the money, saying: “We have no basis retaining the ‘gift’ from Rivers State, so NBA should refund the money immediately. We should not hide under any semantics or bureaucracy to retain the money.

“It should be paid into an escrow account with the Central Bank of Nigeria pending the restoration of democracy in Rivers state. NBA is not a bank.”

He went a step further to suggest that if the money has been spent, senior lawyers should “contribute N1 million each in order to raise the money,” warning however that “Going forward, NBA should thread cautiously in raising funds from all manner of persons and institutions. Lawyers in Nigeria are well endowed to fund any programme for the NBA.” But irked by the debate, leading rights advocate, Mr. Femi Falana SAN argued that the controversy over the N300 million fund was “diversionary,” lampooning lawyers for allowing themselves to be distracted from focusing on the legality of the status of the sole administrator.

In a communication endorsed to CITY LAWYER, the fiery senior lawyer instead bemoaned the delay in adjudication of cases in Nigeria, saying that “cases challenging the executive order of President Bola Tinubu on emergency rule in Rivers State will not be decided by any Nigerian court until after the expiration of the 6-month tenure of the Sole Administrator.”

According to Falana, “For the past two days, Nigerian lawyers have engaged in a diversionary debate about the priority of retaining the N300 million gift from the Rivers State Government to host a conference in Port Harcourt.

“As if Nigerian lawyers have lost their sense of shame, they have dared the administrator to go to court. Are we not aware that the case would not be decided before the end of the tenure of the administrator by any Nigerian court?

“Because of the irrelevant debate, Nigerian lawyers have not had time to challenge the Bola Tinubu administration over the reckless massacre of scores of unarmed people in Benue, Plateau, and Borno States.”

The association had taken a principled stand against the controversial appointment of a Sole Administrator to superintend Rivers State affairs, leading to the suspension of its elected Governor, Deputy Governor and members of the State House of Assembly following a lingering face-off between the Governor and the lawmakers.

CITY LAWYER recalls that while Ibas had demanded refund of the money, NBA had countered that the fund it received was a “gift” and not payment for the conference’s hosting rights.

While the query issued to the NBA Port Harcourt Branch Chairman has raised a lot of dust among lawyers, the NBA is yet to respond to the controversial query which arose from a joint statement by Chairmen of NBA branches in Rivers State. Some analysts believe that Eke was singled out given that she is a Director in the ministry, warning that this may set a dangerous precedent for participation of public service lawyers in NBA activities.

A notice for the NBA-NEC meeting seen by CITY LAWYER reads:

Notice: Nigerian Bar Association NEC Meeting to Hold in Ilorin

DATE: 28TH March, 2025

FROM: THE GENERAL SECRETARY

TO: ALL NEC MEMBERS

SUBJECT: NOTICE OF MEETING OF THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION.

Distinguished NEC Members,

Notice is hereby given of the meeting of the National Executive Council of the Nigerian Bar Association on the date, time and venue specified hereunder.

DATE: Thursday 15th May, 2025

TIME: 9:00 am Prompt

VENUE: Banquet Hall, Ahmadu Bello Way, Ilorin, Kwara State

AGENDA:
1. NEC Prayer
2. Review of the Minutes of the last NEC Meeting of Thursday, 6th February, 2025
3. Matters Arising from the Minutes
4. President’s Speech
5. National Secretariat Report
6. Reports from Sections, Fora and Committees
7. State of the Nation
8. Any other Business

Attendance is limited only to the underlisted NEC Members:
1. National Officers
2. Past Presidents
3. Past General Secretaries
4. Branch Chairmen
5. Branch Secretaries
6. Chairmen and Secretaries of Sections, Fora and Committees
7. Co-Opted NEC Members
8. Pre-registered Observers

Note that the meeting shall be held hybrid. Therefore, link to attend virtually, and documents for the meeting (NEC Bundles and Secretariat Reports) would be circulated to the NEC Members ahead of the meeting.

For further enquiries, contact the Office of General Secretary or call the Bar Services Department on +234-803-345-2825. For booking and reservation of hotel accommodation, contact the Welfare Secretary on +234-816-262-5324.

DR. MOBOLAJI OJIBARA
General Secretary

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