• ANZE-BISHOP: I NEVER USED THE WORDS ‘ÓVER MY DEAD BODY’

The outgoing President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Yakubu Maikyau SAN, has unveiled the electronic stamp and seal for lawyers in line with the vision of his administration to push for full digitisation of the legal system.

Meanwhile, Maikyau had debunked reports that he said “over his dead body” would he approve funding for embattled NBA Treasurer Caroline Anze-Bishop to attend this year’s Annual General Conference (AGC) which opens in Lagos tomorrow.

According to Maikyau, the virtual stamp would not only help to check activities of fake lawyers, but would also ensure seamless preparation and filing of legal processes.

He noted that the association recently conducted an online-based election that allowed its members to participate from various parts of the country.

His words: “That election has been adjudged to be free, fair and the most credible. What we did during the election is a template that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, should copy.

“I invite INEC to come and understudy what we did to make the election seamless, with the electorates casting their ballot from the comfort of their homes.

“To a large extent, it reduces the cost of conducting an election and I suggest that INEC should really be thinking in that line. Maybe, we need to write to the National Assembly to make a legislation that will mandate the Commission to go this route.”

Maikyau hailed the positive impact of technology in the conduct of affairs of the legal body, saying: “For the first time in the history of the association, the registration of lawyers for its forthcoming Annual General Conference, AGC, was effectively done electronically without awarding the contract to a third party. Registration for the 2024 AGC was done on the platform of the NBA.

“This is about pressing forward. It is a posture we must take in building our nation. By making our profession better, we are also moving the nation forward.”

Similarly, the NBA General Secretary, Mr. Adesina Adegbite, said that the association on June 18 signed the contract that ensured the deployment of the virtual stamp and seal. He stated that lawyers could apply and get the stamp and seal within minutes.

He added that necessary safeguards were put in place to guarantee the authenticity and protection of the system that would operate through blockchain technology.

Responding to questions during the post-launch press conference, Maikyau said he did not use the words “over my dead body” in his refusal to approve funding for Anze-Bishop as extended to other National Officers.

Though a source at the National Executive Committee meeting had told CITY LAWYER that the NBA President vowed not to approve the funding, Maikyau explained that he never used the phrase, ‘over my dead body.’

CITY LAWYER gathered that a visibly angry NBA President poured invectives on all those connected with the report, adding however that while he was resolute that he would not approve the funding due to alleged infractions by the Treasurer, he did not deploy those words to convey his stance.

It was gathered that Maikyau was peeved that Anze-Bishop took NBA and its Trustees to court over her disqualification in the run-up to the just concluded NBA Elections. She had sought to become the association’s next General Secretary.