2026 NBA ANNUAL GENERAL CONFERENCE & THE FACE OF PORT HARCOURT

By Soseipiriye Long Williams

The Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference (AGC) for 2026 holds in Port Harcourt, Rivers State from 21st August, 2026-28th August, 2026. The 2025 NBA AGC was originally billed to hold in Port Harcourt but for the political crises that engulfed the state and the subsequent declaration of a State of Emergency and the appointment of a Sole Administrator to manage the affairs of the state for the period. The NBA by a resolution at its National Executive Meeting moved the conference to Enugu, Enugu State citing a breach of the constitution by the suspension of a democratically elected government.

The NBA in fulfilment of its promise to the Bar and the people of Rivers State, resolved again that Port Harcourt should host the 2026 conference. As the NBA prepares for this most important conference that attracts over 20,000 guests to Port Harcourt, the question agitating the minds of most residents of Rivers State is what has the State got to showcase immediately before, during and after the period of the conference, what fascination is on ground for the August visitors to serve as memories for the period they sojourn in Rivers State?

This conference is an opportunity for the state to showcase it’s pride as the Garden City of Nigeria. It’s an opportunity to showcase our natural Rivers hospitality, culture, cuisine, civilised dispositions, environment, infrastructure and our respect for decorum, inter-relationship and our love for the promotion of the rule of law, good governance and respect for constitutional order.

However, sitting back, one begins to wonder if any of these really exist for us to showcase. This is a state that has been bedeviled with protracted political attrition for almost three years, truncated democratic order, almost lack of the presence of governance and general decay in infrastructure and behaviour of institutional personal and the response of the residents to constitutional order.

The traffic situation in the state is chaotic, traffic rules and regulations are obeyed more in breach than in observance. Motorist and other road users flout and disobey traffic rules, laws and regulations at will and at random. This is gleefully assisted by the Police who are more interested in extorting money from commercial drivers and motorists than in enforcing traffic laws and regulations. The Police turn blind eye to violations all in the hope of extorting money. Infact in Rivers State, motorist and road users are encouraged to flout traffic rules with the mind of exchange in financial settlement instead of prevention of traffic offences. At every point and in front of every Police Station, there is a Police road block, set up randomly by rogue Policemen encouraged by their superiors to extort money from motorists without considering the negative public impact this is having on the reputation of the Police and the state. There is a lack of civility in the enforcement of traffic regulations, a visitor to the state who misses his/her way in a civilised environment is supposed to be assisted to find the right route and not to be harangued and extorted. This is what is obtainable in Rivers State.

If we look at the environment, is this the Garden City that is heard and dreamt of and for which many who are visiting Rivers State for the first time are coming to behold? Coming from the Oyigbo corridor into Port Harcourt, Rivers State, what welcomes you is filth and toxic smell. The entrance to Rivers State from that axis is an eyesore. The environment is littered with waste and the roads welcome you with the presence of broken down vehicles, parked tankers and trailers and several obstructions to general flow of traffic. The entrance to the state is a workshop and garage for long and heavy duty vehicles parked carelessly and lawlessly along the roads. Is that what we are showcasing to Nigerians who are visiting Rivers State from all over the country and those coming from outside the country?

Coming from the Ogoni axis to Port Harcourt commencing from Onne junction is another sad and gory tale. You won’t believe this is the same Port Harcourt of yore. The environment is so messed up that one will begin to wonder what part of the world one is. The is nothing exciting, nothing phenomenal, nothing attracting welcoming one to Port Harcourt. The environment is even worse than the Oyigbo corridor. The Omerelu/Elele to Igwuruta corridor is not any better. The tale is the same.

The management of refuse in the state is another heartbreaker. A state that once prides itself as the Garden City of Nigeria is now a Garbage City. Port Harcourt and other neighbouring towns in the state have been overrun by refuse. Refuse disposal, management and evacuation is now Rocket Science in Rivers State. Refuse are dumped by residents on the median of roads and highways. A first time visitor to Rivers State will be appalled by this obnoxious, backward and primitive conduct and disposition. The first time I saw refuse dumped on the median of the road was at Aba, Abia State and I was taken aback. I asked myself, how can humans decide to live so poorly and carelessly? Lest did I know that Port Harcourt, the mouthed Garden City of Nigeria was next. Today Aba is like Switzerland, what is happening to us in Rivers State, why have we decided to fail ourselves. Why have we decided to live and sleep in filth? The Rivers State Waste Management Agency is now a shadow of itself. It has gone into deep slumber. The Rivers State Ministry of Environmental exists only in the books. Laws that were passed to protect the environment exist and are enforced only in the statue books. I don’t think anyone still exists in that ministry.

What is the state of our roads and adjoining streets, are they any better? The answer is NO. Most of the roads in Port Harcourt are in a terrible shape. From Oyigbo to Artillery Flyover down to Okporo Road abutting East/West Road needs urgent and immediate remidiaton. Parts of Iwofe road is gone and traffic is building up. Old Aba Road from Woji Junction to Rumukwurushi Roundabout requires attention. The Road to Abonnema Wharf is no longer in existence. The list is endless. Even scavengers and metal thieves are having a jolly ride. Manhole covers, bridge railings, Metal Demarcations are all damaged and stolen yet nothing is being done about it. The few miscreants in our midst now dictate how we live.

More appalling is the delay in the passage of the Rivers State Appropriation Bill now pending before the Rivers State House of Assembly. The fact that Rivers State is hosting a conference of this magnitude is public knowledge. There is no urgency on the part of the law makers to pass this bill to enable the government prepare the state and the adequately to host our August visitors. Sadly, this is the state of the State, this is what we are waiting with glee to showcase to the world. A very sad commentary indeed.

I call on the Rivers State government to get the populace and all institutions to be prepared for the conference. The number of people entering Rivers State from all over the world for the conference will be overwhelming if we don’t prepare. The people must be prepared to welcome and receive the August visitors. The Security Agencies must be on their toes to provide secured and adequate security. Civility, courtesy, support and assistance must be the mantra throughout the period and beyond. The Rivers State Ministry of Environmental and the Rivers State Waste Management Agency must rise up from the deep slumber. Residents must be resisted from dumping refuse on the median of the roads. It is not done in any civilised part of the world save we want to show the world how crude and backward we have become.

Traffic management should be top notch. It is not going to be the usual traffic we see everyday. There is going to be an avalanche of traffic in every part of the city. Let’s show the world that we are still the proud, civilised people we have been known to be.

The prosperity of a nation does not depend on the abundance of its revenue nor on the strength of its army nor on the number of it’s public buildings. It consists of its men of character and enlightenment. We must show the world that we are men and women of character and enlightenment. We must not allow the few miscreants in our midst ride roughshod over us. As late Rev. Jesse Jackson rightly said “You may not be responsible for your being knocked down but you are responsible for getting back up.” Rivers people must get themselves back up. The bashing has taken too long.

• Soseipiriye Long Williams is a former Governor of the Eastern Bar Forum (EBF)
• The views expressed in this article are entirely those of the author.

(C) CITY LAWYER Magazine. All rights reserved. To join our Channel, click here. Click here to join our WhatsApp chatroom. Contact us at citylawyermag@gmail.com or 081-3838-0083.