There is palpable anxiety in the air as Egbe Amofin O’odua holds an Extra-ordinary General Meeting (EGM) in Ibadan today.

A notice seen by CITY LAWYER shows that the meeting was scheduled to commence at 10 am.

Though no agenda was included in the notice, there are strong indications that the recently concluded Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Elections will dominate deliberations at the meeting.

CITY LAWYER recalls that the influential body of lawyers of Yoruba extraction had waged a fierce battle with the NBA leadership in an attempt to ensure that its consensus candidate, Mr. Olumuyiwa Akinboro SAN emerged as the next NBA President. The Egbe had warned of dire consequences if Akinboro did not emerge as NBA President-elect.

As it turned out, one of its members, Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya SAN was declared winner of the presidential election.

Immediately after the election, Bar Leaders affiliated to Egbe established a “Movement for the amendment of the Legal Practitioners Act to recognise other associations + NBA” on the WhatsApp platform. As at the last count, the group has garnered 500 members, though some of the members had expressed reservations over the move.

The objectives of the movement was set out as follows:

URGENT CALL ON THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY TO AMEND THE LEGAL PRACTITIONERS ACT TO BREAK THE MONOPOLY OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION

1. The Institute of the Chartered Accountants of Nigeria( ICAN) used to be only body or association regulating the practice of Accounting profession in Nigeria until the Association of National Accountancy of Nigeria ( ANAN) was also registered and recognised by Statute.
2. ⁠West African Examinations Council ( WAEC) was ,until the creation of the National Examination Council (NECO) , the only examination body established for the conduct of the Secondary School Certificate Examinations , etc in Nigeria.
3. ⁠Until the Trade Union Congress was birthed, the Nigerian Labour Congress was the only trade union in Nigeria.
4. ⁠We only had Public Universities owned by the Federal and State Governments in Nigeria until the country allowed the Private Universities to operate in Nigeria and they are doing very well.
5. ⁠Academic Staff Union of Nigeria Universities too also has a rival body known as Congress of University Academics ( CONUA)
6. ⁠Until the present government being led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the provisions of Electricity and Railway used to be in the Exclusive list in our Constitution, but under the present dispensation, the provision of those two critical utilities have been moved to the Concurrent list to allow both the National and Sub- National Governments to undertake them.
7. ⁠Very soon , Nigeria shall witness the creation of the State Police to complement the Federal Police
8. ⁠Time is therefore also ripe for the Legal Practitioners Act to be amended to allow the recognition of multiple Law Societies as we have in advanced democratic countries globally. Nigeria is too big to have a mono- legal Association and it would even been in furtherance of the freedom of Association enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to have multiple Law Societies and Associations in Nigeria.
9. ⁠Afterall , the Nigerian Bar Association too is a vocal critic of one party system in Nigeria, by the same token we should not have a single Bar Association in Nigeria. The monopoly status that NBA is presently enjoying in Nigeria is promoting and encouraging its inefficiency and autocratic tendencies
10. ⁠The recognition and existence of alternative law societies and associations to NBA will certainly promote healthy rivalries and efficiencies of those bodies and associations
11. ⁠Finally, Nigerian Legal Practitioners will have options of making choices of the Associations and Societies they want to join and can even belong to more than one Association and Society .
12. ⁠ The monopoly status Nigerian Bar Association should also be done away with the amendment of the Nigeria Constitution

It was however unclear at the time of this report whether the Egbe will resolve to back Badejo-Okusanya as the new NBA President.

NOTICE OF EXTRA ORDINARY GENERAL MEETING OF EGBE AMOFIN OODUA

Notice is hereby given that an Extraordinary General Meeting of Egbe Amofin Oodua will hold as follows:

Date: Saturday, 8th August, 2026
Venue: Chief Magistrate Court 1, Iyanganku, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Time: 10:00 a.m.

All members are kindly requested to be punctual and ensure their attendance, as important decisions affecting the Association will be considered.

Your presence and active participation will be highly appreciated.

Ẹ jẹ́ ká péjọ, ká gbìmọ̀ pọ̀ fún ìlera àti ìlọsíwájú Egbe wa.

Signed
AARE ISIAKA ABIOLA OLAGUNJU, SAN
Chairman

OMOBA ADETUNJI OSO, SAN
Secretary
Egbe Amofin Oodua

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