Goodwill Message of the Chairman of the Midwest Bar Forum -Chief G. C. Igbokwe SAN, FCIArb UK , Heralding the Commencement of the 2022-2023 New Legal

Good day our Noble Leaders , learned Senior advocates and my Learned Friends. Happy new legal year to you all.

As we have come back from our various vacation trips within and outside the country, I thank God almighty for His journey mercies, grace upon us and pray that He fortifies us with the strength and wisdom to face the challenges of the new legal year.

Last year was a mixture of sorrow and joy , but in all things we give glory to God. We congratulate our great ambassadors to the National Bar, in the persons of Olumide Akpata , Aipokpo-Martins and Kunle Edun who performed their duties creditably as President, 1st Vice President and Welfare Secretary respectively and for their smooth transition to a new National Executive Council (hereinafter called “Exco”). Despite a few distractions at the twilight of their tenure, posterity will remember as one of the best National Excos in the recent past and we remain ever proud of them.

We also congratulate our own Habeeb Lawal who won the National Publicity Secretary election and has resumed office with the new Exco. We also congratulate the new National Exco and pray that God almighty gives them the wisdom to improve upon the legacies of their predecessors .

On a sad note , we mourn the sudden death of the then Publicity Secretary of Benin branch of the Nigerian Bar Association – the Lion Bar , Ogaga Emonghware Esq. and send our sincere sympathies and condolences to his parents, young wife, children and siblings and pray God to give them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. His demise should awaken our senses to the need to take our health issues seriously and rest whenever our bodies give us the signs to do so. It also teaches us the vainness of life which is not just vanity but vanity upon vanity.

I pray that we muster the courage to put all the personal and collective misgivings of the past behind us and forge ahead with matters that should unite, rather than divide us in our pursuit for the greater happiness and improved welfare for our members.

I thank you for your support and understanding with the Midwest Bar Forum Exco and assure you of our continued sincere peace and reconciliation efforts to bring back all members of Midwest Bar under this single forum.

Once again I wish you a happy and prosperous new legal year .

Chief G. C. Igbokwe SAN, FCIArb UK
Chairman,
Midwest Bar Forum (MWBF),
17/9/2022.