BOARD OF TRUSTEES

NBA GETS 3 MORE BOARD TRUSTEES, NOW 9

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has appointed three new Trustees to join its Board of Trustees. The Trustees are Mr. Yunus Ustaz Usman, SAN (NBA Kaduna Branch); Mr. George Etomi (NBA Lagos Branch) and Patricia Igwebuike (NBA Oji River Branch). This brings to nine the total number of NBA Trustees.

An unimpeachable source told CITY LAWYER that the appointments were proposed and accepted at the pre-Annual General Conference National Executive Council (NEC) Meeting and ratified by the Annual General Meeting (AGM) both of which held in Lagos.

CITY LAWYER reliably gathered that appointment letters have been issued to the new Trustees.

The appointments are in line with Section 24(ii) of the amended NBA Constitution which provides that “The Trustees shall be nine (9) in number and shall be known as THE INCORPORATED TRUSTEES OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION in accordance with the provisions of Part F of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, Act No. 3 2020 (“CAMA” as may be amended from time-to-time). Provided that each geographical zone of the Association as defined in this Constitution shall have an equal number of Trustees.”

Usman was until recently the Chairman of the dissolved NBA Disciplinary Committee. The 15-member committee was set up to investigate complaints of professional impropriety or other misconduct against members of the Bar and to make appropriate recommendations.

Etomi was Chairman of the 12-member Transition Committee which birthed the Olumide Akpata Administration. He was also the pioneer Chairman of NBA Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL). In 2016, Etomi was appointed a member of the Body of Benchers, and is a recipient of the National Productivity Order of Merit Award (NPOM). He is also a member of the International Trade in Legal Services of the Bar Issues Commission of the International Bar Association (IBA) and a regular facilitator at global business conferences.

Igwebuike is currently a Cabinet Member in the Professor Chukwuma Soludo Administration. A former Chairman of NBA Oji River Branch, Igwebuike was a Special Assistant to former Governor Willie Obiano also of Anambra State. She was the Secretary of the recently dissolved NBA General Purposes Committee.

Other members of the Board of Trustees are Dr. Olisa Agbakoba SAN (Chairman), Mr. Joseph Daudu SAN, Mr. Augustine Alegeh SAN, Chief Kanu Agabi SAN, Mrs. Fatima Kwaku, and Mr. Obafemi Adewale.

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OYEBODE JOINS FORD FOUNDATION BOARD

Leading corporate lawyer and boardroom guru, Mr. Gbenga Oyebode, MFR has joined the Board of Trustees of Ford Foundation, a frontline global organization with the mandate to reduce poverty and injustice, strengthen democratic values, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement.

Announcing Oyebode’s election in an email received by CITY LAWYER, Mr. Darren Walker, President of Ford Foundation described him as having “sharp legal acumen.” He stated that Oyebode is “a noted investor, philanthropist, and a founding board member of the Africa Philanthropy Forum.”

Ford Foundation trustees are elected by its board and serve up to two six-year terms. Trustees set broad policy relating to grant making, geographic focus, investments, governance, and professional standards, and they oversee internal and independent audits. The foundation’s trustees hail from four continents and have extensive experience in the worlds of higher education, business and finance, technology, law, government, and the nonprofit sector.

Thanking the Board for his election, Oyebode said: “I am honored and privileged to join the board of the Ford Foundation. I am delighted to be part of the foundation’s mission to address socioeconomic inequality, which is particularly relevant in the current global context. I look forward to working with my fellow trustees and the foundation’s staff as we strive for a more equal world.”

The statement by Walker reads:

Welcoming Marca Bristo and Gbenga Oyebode to our Board of Trustees

“It is my great pleasure to announce that the trustees have elected two new members to join the foundation’s board: Marca Bristo and Gbenga Oyebode. Both Marca and Gbenga are accomplished leaders who possess a commitment to Ford’s vision of a more just and fair world.

“Marca is a distinguished disability rights advocate and founder, president, and CEO of Access Living, a Chicago-based disability service and advocacy organization that empowers people with disabilities to lead independent, satisfying lives. She has worked for more than four decades on local, national, and international social and policy reforms that protect and promote the rights of people with disabilities. As a member of the US Task Force on the Rights and Empowerment of Americans with Disabilities, she worked to draft and win passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. And, in 1994, she was appointed by President Bill Clinton to chair the National Council on Disability.

“In Marca we gain an extraordinary leader and voice for large communities of people whose rights are often challenged. Her perspective will be critical as the foundation carries out its commitment to integrate disability issues into our work addressing inequality in all its forms.

“Gbenga, chairman of the Nigerian law firm Aluko & Oyebode, is a noted investor, philanthropist, and a founding board member of the Africa Philanthropy Forum. He serves on the Global Advisory Council of the African Leadership Academy and is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a director of Teach for All, and chairman of Teach for Nigeria.

“Gbenga’s sharp legal acumen and decades of advising with global corporations will bring invaluable insight to the board, particularly as the foundation works to strengthen connections between local and global efforts and make a broad, meaningful impact on the systems and structures that perpetuate inequality.

“You can read more about Marca and Gbenga in our press release, and learn about our board of trustees on our website.

“Please join me in giving both Marca and Gbenga a warm welcome!”

With thanks,

Darren Walker
President, Ford Foundation

Please email citylawyermag@gmail.com.

Copyright 2018 CITY LAWYER. All materials available on this Website are protected by copyright, trade mark and other proprietary and intellectual property laws. You may not use any of our intellectual property rights without our express written consent or attribution to www.citylawyermag.com. However, you are permitted to print or save to your individual PC, tablet or storage extracts from this Website for your own personal non-commercial use.