BY MONDAY UBANI

This is a dinner Speech delivered by Dr. Monday Ubani SAN at the dinner of just concluded Eastern Bar Forum Quarterly Meeting held in Umuahia, the State Capital of Abia State between 23rd and 25th of January, 2026.

When lawyers gather for dinner, governance is never far from the table. We may be eating pepper soup or swallowing pounded yam with fresh egusi soup, but our minds are usually dissecting constitutions and even non Law Materials. And so, when members of the Eastern Bar Forum are converged here in Umuahia, the capital of Abia State, it is inevitable that Abia, the centre of gravity itself would be called to the Bar of history.

If Abia were a litigant, it would be fair to say that for many years, it stood perpetually in the dock, charged with gross offences like misgovernance, abuse of public trust, and reckless disregard for the welfare of its citizens.
The evidence was overwhelming. And for a long time, there was no good defence counsel in sight.

The facts, as lawyers like to say, spoke for themselves.
For years workers were owed salaries and pensions, sometimes stretching into double-digit months, turning civil servants into involuntary creditors of the state. The
road infrastructure collapsed so badly that potholes developed their own local government status. It is of note that public hospitals resembled crime scenes, where patients entered alive and prayed to come out with life intact. In our eyes, judicial funding was treated as a favour, not as a constitutional obligation. Shockingly,
budgeting became a ritual without performance, more ceremonial than consequential.

Abia’s finances were opaque, its institutions were deliberately weakened, and its people conditioned to expect little or nothing. In legal terms, governance became an ex parte affair where decisions were taken without the people, without transparency, and certainly without accountability.

One could rightly say that Abia was governed not by policy, but by motions without any written address in compliance with the rules.

Then came Alex Otti, outstanding defence counsel. He did not come with political drama, but with spreadsheets. Yes, he did not come with slogans, but with systems. Otti came with no excuses, but with execution.

As Abia’s governance was on trial, Otti did not seek any unnecessary adjournment, he announced his readiness to proceed with trial. Within two years plus, the case file changed dramatically and Abians got favourable judgement for the first time in their political and economic history.

Under Governor Otti, governance became evidential as Abia began to experience what lawyers appreciate most: predictability. Salaries are now paid as and when due, a revolutionary act in a polity once addicted to arrears.
Pension backlogs, once treated as inherited liabilities to be ignored, are now systematically addressed.
For the first time, Abia’s public finance is governed by priorities, not by patronage. In courtroom terms, the era of “my Lord, we are not ready” became a taboo.

On infrastructure roads that were long abandoned became rehabilitated across Aba, Umuahia, and major arteries of the state. These are not cosmetic overlays but durable projects that are tied to economic productivity. Of note is that urban renewal did restore something that can be considered priceless: confidence! Confidence that taxes are working, confidence that government is present and confidence that Abia is now open for serious business.

For us as lawyers, the issue of judiciary and rule of law are personal. Otti’s administration understands that the judiciary is not a department and that it is a co-equal arm of government. Today in Abia court orders are respected and judicial funding has improved tremendously.
The rule of law is treated not as legal theory but as governance infrastructure.

In Abia today, civil servants are no longer spectators in governance. Merit, structure, and accountability now define the civil service. Files in public offices now move. Decisions are traceable. Systems now outlive personalities. In legal terms, Abia has shifted from government by affidavit to government by proof (evidence).

Of great significance is that Abia’s transformation has quietly redefined governance expectations across the old Eastern Region if not the entire country. It has reminded us that: Good governance is not mystical leadership, and competence is not elitist and most importantly, integrity is not anti-politics.

Abia has become living evidence that Nigeria’s governance crisis is not incurable, it merely requires the right diagnosis and disciplined treatment with focused leadership in place.

As lawyers what is our role? For us as members of the Eastern Bar Forum being hosted by the Attorney-General of Abia State, Ikenna Uwanna, SAN, we must resist the temptation to clap without conscience.

Our duty is clear:
To defend institutions and to insist on accountability. But most importantly to protect reforms gained so far from political relapse. We should know that bad governance, like a recalcitrant defendant, is always seeking a loophole through adjournment.

The summary of my speech gentlemen is that Abia that was once a classic case of governance failure has been redeemed. Today leadership that is grounded in competence has changed the narrative. Within two years plus, governance has become humane, institutional, and measurable The lesson is simple: when leadership submits itself to accountability, society is discharged and acquitted. As lawyers, we know that justice delayed is justice denied. Abia delayed justice for too long. Thankfully, the court of governance is finally sitting, and for once, the favourable judgment is speaking for itself.

But here lies the real issue. Good governance, like a good judgment, can be overturned if not protected. As lawyers from Abia, we must move beyond applause. We must become custodians of this reform, defending institutions, insisting on accountability, and resisting any attempt to return Abia to the era of governance by affidavit rather than proof. We can’t afford to go back to Egypt. It is suicidal!

Let me remind lawyers from other states that we must stop complaining in chambers and start acting in constituencies. If your state is not working, don’t just file cases endlessly in court, go back to your ward and change the narratives or file for office. If bad governance persists, don’t merely lament, enter the ring. Democracy, like litigation, favours those who show up with courage but prepared.

The Otti example proves that technocrats can govern, that integrity is electable, and that competence is not anti-politics. Lawyers, trained in logic and public reasoning, have no excuse for political apathy.

Abia has won its case, at least at this trial level. The rest of Nigeria is watching the appeal. Trust us, we will also win at that level.

The question for lawyers is simple:
Will we remain spectators in a failing system, or will we finally rise as advocates for governance that works? 2027 is too close for comfort. We must not sleep with two eyes closed. It is too dangerous for such indulgence. We must defend our GAINS! As lawyers will say, the court is now in session. All eyes must be on the file(ball)

Gentlemen I will stop here because you don’t need much persuasion for things already known by the learned minds. The food is already getting cold.
Bona apite!

* Ubani is a former 2nd Vice President of Nigerian Bar Association and former Chairman of NBA-SPIDEL.

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