REFUND

‘WHY I’M RETURNING AGC FUND,’ BY EX AKURE BRANCH CHAIR

The immediate past Chairman of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Akure Branch, Mr. Rotimi Olorunfemi has stated that “recent happenings at the Bar” has made him resolve to return the N100,000 paid to him as accommodation allowance for the recently concluded NBA Annual General Conference (AGC).

In a letter made available to CITY LAWYER, the former branch helmsman noted that though he had availed his account details to receive the fund and “had no objection to this gesture as it is customary of the National body to provide hotel accommodation for Branch Chairmen and Secretaries during NEC meetings,” “my conscience will not know rest if I accept the payment.”

He urged NBA President, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau SAN to avail him the association’s account details to enable him refund the money, adding that “If however I do not receive any response from the national body as herein requested within the next 14 working days of the receipt of this letter by you sir, I shall draw a Bank Draft in this sum and send same to the President via this same medium.”

The full text of the letter is below.

29th August, 2022

The President,
Nigerian Bar Association,
National Secretariat,
Plot 1101, Muhammadu Buhari Way,
Central Business District
Abuja, FCT

Mr. President,

REFUND OF THE SUM OF N100,000.00K TRANSFERRED TO MY
ACCOUNT BY THE NATIONAL SECRETARIAT.

Permit me sir, to use this medium to congratulate you on your recent assumption of office as the President of our noble association, the Nigerian Bar Association, the foremost, the biggest and the noblest of all professional associations not only in Nigeria but in Africa.

Mr President, I woke on Sunday 28th day of August, 2022 to receive an alert of the sum of N100,000.00k (One Hundred Thousand Naira only) from the Nigerian Bar Association which was described in the narration as “accommodation”.

Sir, I am sure this payment to my account was in fulfilment of the promise of the immediate past President, Mr Olumide Akpata, to reimburse Chairmen and Secretaries of Branches for accommodation expenses incurred during the just concluded AGC.

Initially, I had no objection to this gesture as it is customary of the National body to provide hotel accommodation for Branch Chairmen and Secretaries during NEC meetings, so I forwarded my account details as requested and in anticipation of receiving this money.

However, in view of the recent happenings at the Bar starting with the kill-the-chicken-and-break-the-egg handling of the issue involving our revered Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN’s Law Firm, the purported illegal suspension of the immediate Past General Secretary of the association, Mrs Joyce Oduah, which culminated in a Federal High Court lampooning the National Executive Council (of which I was a member until last week when my tenure expired as Chairman, Akure Branch) for the shoddy manner it handled the matter and the very ugly incident during the recently concluded AGC which portrayed our very noble association in very bad light before the whole world due largely to the very poor and selfish planning by the nepotically selected Technical Committee on Conference Planning, TCCP, of this year Conference, I have decided that I cannot in good conscience keep and/or expend this money for my personal benefit.

Aside the above, I have been attending Bar Conferences since year 2002, one year after I was called to the Bar and I have self-funded myself to attend conferences all these years and the 2022 Bar Conference should not be an exception just because of my privileged position as a Branch Chairman.

It is on the above premises, that I therefore humbly request Mr. President to instruct the National Treasurer to kindly forward the Association’s account details to me with a view to refunding the money quickly to the Association’s coffers. IN THE ALTERNATIVE if I have Mr President’s approval I can pay the money into my Branch account for the benefit of my Branch and I will forward the teller to the National Secretariat.

If however I do not receive any response from the national body as herein requested within the next 14 working days of the receipt of this letter by you sir, I shall draw a Bank Draft in this sum and send same to the President via this same medium.

While I thank and appreciate the immediate past administration led by Mr Olumide Akpata, who I hold and continue to hold in very high esteem, for this harmless gesture of reimbursing my accommodation expenses during the AGC, my conscience will not know rest if I accept the payment.

I once again congratulate the President and members of the new National Executive Committee and wish you all a successful tenure of office.

Thank you.

Yours very sincerely,

Rotimi Olorunfemi Esq.
Immediate Past Chairman NBA, Akure.

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  • EDITOR'S CHOICE
  • Apr 24, 2022
  • 0
  • Comments Off on LAWYER ASKS OONI TO REFUND CLIENTS’ N12M OVER FAILED PROPERTY DEAL

LAWYER ASKS OONI TO REFUND CLIENTS’ N12M OVER FAILED PROPERTY DEAL

A human rights activist and the Lead Partner at Newworth LLP, Mr. Ayo Ademiluyi has urged the Ooni of Ife, His Royal Majesty, Ooni Enitan Ogunwusi to “direct the refund of the amount owed our clients with interest which has accumulated over the years as our clients are going through hardships.”

In a press statement made available to CITY LAWYER, Ademiluyi whose law firm are solicitors to the alleged victims of the failed property deal, said that Noel Unekwu Abdullahi and Onyeji Johnbosco were approached by a limited liability company, Gran Imperio, a real estate company sometime in 2015 to buy 3 bedroom apartment at Golden Park Estate, Lekki for N20 million respectively.

According to the statement, “NOEL paid the 6.139,800 million naira while JOHNBOSCO paid 6million naira. After several months of waiting, nothing was built. The duo wrote to the Company to refund their money but to no avail.”

Below is the full text of the statement.

HIS ROYAL MAJESTY, OONI ENITAN OGUNWUSI, OONI OF IFE SHOULD REFUND FUNDS OF DUO OF NOEL UNEKWU ABDULLAHI AND ONYEJI JOHNBOSCO

BEING TEXT OF A PRESS CONFERENCE HELD AT NEWWORTH LLP, 17, AJASA STREET, LAGOS ISLAND, LAGOS STATE ON THURSDAY, 21ST APRIL, 2022

We are Solicitors to the duo of NOEL UNEKWU ABDULLAHI and ONYEJI JOHNBOSCO (“our clients”) .

The instructions of our clients are that a limited liability company, Gran Imperio, a real estate company approached NOEL and JOHNBOSCO, sometime in 2015 to buy 3 bedroom apartment at Golden Park Estate, Lekki for 20 million naira, respectively.

The Company agreed that they pay in tranches starting with 6million each, as first deposit while they construct the apartment in phases as well and within a given time frame.

NOEL paid the 6.139,800 million naira while JOHNBOSCO paid 6million naira. After several months of waiting, nothing was built. The duo wrote to the Company to refund their money but to no avail.

We conducted a search of Gran Imperio Limited and Metropole Interprojects Limited, we found out that the person of OONIRISA ADEYEYE ENITAN OGUNWUSI is a Director in both companies .

The previous Counsel to our clients contacted the lawyer to the Gran Imperio Group of Companies named Lanre Jolaoso Esq., who afforded the previous Counsel the new Manager’s number, Mr Akin.

Yet, despite correspondences and calls by the previous Counsel with Manager, it has not yielded any fruit since 2020.

The previous counsel sent correspondences to the Palace through UPS courier and through a friend who traveled all the way from Lagos and to the Palace to serve demand notice to his majesty along with an application letter see his majesty.

Equally, calls made by the previous Counsel to the Palace Secretary on same, yielded no fruit whatsoever and howsoever.

We are constrained to make a dispassionate appeal to the esteemed Ooni of Ife, OONIRISA ADEYEYE ENITAN OGUNWUSI as a Director in these companies to direct the refund of the amount owed our clients with interest which has accumulated over the years as our clients are going through hardships.

AYO ADEMILUYI ESQ.
Lead Partner,
Newworth LLP

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  • EDITOR'S CHOICE
  • Jan 04, 2022
  • 0
  • Comments Off on NBA ADMITS BPF CHARGES ARE HIGH, SAYS LAWYERS WILL GET REFUND

NBA ADMITS BPF CHARGES ARE HIGH, SAYS LAWYERS WILL GET REFUND

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has admitted that the charges being levied by Paystack for its services on the dedicated BPF Online Payment Platform “are relatively on the high side.”

The Olumide Akpata-led NBA has also vowed to engage the service provider for a downward review of the charges which currently range between N177 to a maximum of N863 for SANs and Benchers, adding that lawyers who already paid the high charges would be refunded.

In a statement by the NBA National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Rapulu Nduka, the bar association indicated that Paystack may have hiked the charges without its consent, noting that “It was our understanding that the fees chargeable on the payment of 2022 BPF would not be different from what was paid last year.”

The association stated that it has started engaging Paystack for a downward review of the charges and that once a resolution is reached, “the charges will be reduced and those lawyers who already paid the higher sum will receive a pro rata refund of the charges paid.”

It is recalled that former NBA Lagos Branch Treasurer and erstwhile Financial Secretary, Mr. Phillip Njeteneh had in an article in CITY LAWYER chided NBA for the high charges, wondering whether the association retains a portion of the charges.

Below is the full text of the statement made available to CITY LAWYER.

BAR PRACTISING FEES – NBA’S POSITION AND NEXT STEPS ON TRANSACTION COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH ONLINE PAYMENTS

Dear Colleagues,

The leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has read several commentaries, and also received numerous calls, regarding the costs charged by NBA’s long-standing service provider (Paystack) for settling transactions on the BPF Online Payment Platform.

To be sure, the common theme of the complaints is that the transaction costs are exorbitant and need to be reviewed downwards. We have taken on board all the complaints and now respond as follows:

1. The leadership of the NBA is open to all criticisms aimed at advancing our common cause, improving our processes/systems, protecting the interests of our members and overall, moving our profession forward. The NBA therefore welcomes and appreciates the concerns that have, so far, been expressed on this issue.

2. For the avoidance of doubt, there has been no increase in the amount payable as BPF. The transaction costs (ranging from a floor of N177 to a maximum of N863 for SANs and Benchers) that members are charged when they pay their BPF online are wholly and exclusively due to Paystack for its services. No portion of those costs are shared with, or remitted to, the NBA.

3. Indeed, upon our review of the fees charged by Paystack for similar transactions in the past, such as payment of 2021 BPF and payment of fees for the 2021 NBA-AGC, the leadership of the NBA agrees that the current charges are relatively on the high side. It was our understanding that the fees chargeable on the payment of 2022 BPF would not be different from what was paid last year.

4. On the basis of the above, the NBA has started engaging with Paystack to review the charges downwards. This engagement has however been impacted by the public holidays albeit we expect that the issue will be resolved shortly.

5. Once this happens, the charges will be reduced and those lawyers who already paid the higher sum will receive a pro rata refund of the charges paid.

We thank you for your understanding.

Dr. Rapulu Nduka
Publicity Secretary,
Nigerian Bar Association

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