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NBA Crisis: Conduct Of Exco Unbecoming, Says Adegboruwa

Published

2 years ago

August 25, 2022

Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa

Lagos-based lawyer and activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), on Thursday, described the ongoing crisis within the leadership of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) as condemnable, and a failure in following the due process of law.

Adegboruwa stated that the events unfolding at the national executive council of the Bar Association, in relation to the suspension or purported suspension of the general secretary is unbecoming and deserving of condemnation by all lovers of the legal profession.

According to him, some members of the national executive council of the NBA claimed to have suspended the general secretary, Mrs. Joyce Oduah and in response, she proceeded to the court to challenge the said suspension and all the parties in the said suit have been duly notified of her pending application for an order of injunction, whilst some of the defendants in the said suit have challenged the jurisdiction of the court.

He added that “this case has thrown open the underbelly of legal practice in Nigeria, as this is what plays in virtually all courts between parties in most cases where judicial intervention is sought for one cause or the other. In this case, it is clear that the NBA president and those loyal to him are bent on holding on to the suspension of the general secretary whilst on the other hand the general secretary seeks to hold on to her office based on the pronouncements of the Court and the case pending.

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Adegboruwa emphasised that the motto of the NBA is RULE OF LAW and it behooves on the president of the bar to err on the said of the law, even if it involves sacrifices on his part.

“This has been the stance of Mr. Olumide Akpata himself throughout his tenure in dealing with important national matters, for which many lawyers and lovers of the rule of law and due process have hailed him. He should have upheld those ideals and principles for which he had sought to hold others accountable throughout his tenure. To the extent that it was reported that the name of the general secretary was deliberately omitted from the brochure and programmes of the annual general conference was pursuing unbridled pettiness on the part of the NBA exco.

“In sending emails to NBA members through her own personal email, whilst the court is yet to pronounce finally on her pending application for injunction, or even the substantive suit, she has unwittingly thrown the NBA into confusion and disrepute, which action was totally unnecessary in the circumstances of this case,” he added.

Adegboruwa appealed to all the parties to the suit to put themselves under restraint to follow the due process of law and not throw lawyers into public opprobrium and disrepute by their resort to self-help. The NBA owes Nigeria the duty to lead by example and to use this case as a reference point of how lawyers and parties should conduct themselves in the course of prosecution of their causes in court.

“I, therefore, call upon leaders of the Bar and all other stakeholders to intervene to get the parties in this case to abide by the known tenets of due process and the rule of law. Should they continue in their selfish recourse to self-help, then the entire exco should be disbanded totally so that we can save the reputation and image of the Nigerian Bar Association,” he concluded.
Tribune

Related Topics:Adegboruwa Featured NBA Crisis

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Canadian mayor praises Lagos under Tinubu at event honouring Peter Obi

Published

2 mins ago

May 6, 2024

Trends Admin

Canadian mayor praises Lagos under Tinubu at event honouring Peter Obi

The Mayor of Brampton, Patrick Brown, has expressed his admiration for Lagos State during an event organised to honour Peter Obi, the Labour Party flag-bearer in the 2023 presidential election.

Brampton is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, with a high population of Nigerian immigrants.

While speaking at a recent town hall meeting hosted by the Coalition of Nigerian Canadian Interest Groups based in Canada to honour Obi, Brown recounted how he fell in love with Lagos when he visited in 2007.

The period of his visit coincided with the time President Bola Tinubu was in office as the governor of the South-West State.

Brown was seen in a video shared on Saturday, May 4, 2024, by Wale Adedayo, a user tweeting as @Mario9jaa, addressed the cheering audience.

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Brown was blown away during his visit to Lagos

“I went to Nigeria in 2007. I went to Lagos and I fell in love with the country. Two years ago, I went back and once again, I toured the country. Anytime you visit Nigeria, you’re saying to yourself, ‘When can I go back?” the impressed mayor said.

He also mentioned that he was “blown away” by the strides of the nation’s movie industry, popularly referred to as Nollywood.

“There’s a lot of love for Nigeria in my city,” he added.

Similarly, a member of the Provincial Parliament in Brampton North, Graham McGregor, also disclosed in a tweet on Sunday that “In Brampton, we’ve got one of the fastest growing Nigerian-Canadian communities. I’ve spoken with a few people here that are from Brampton and we’ve got a lot of exciting things going on.”

McGregor stressed the importance of creating an “open, inclusive, welcoming economy for everybody. And to the connections we’re building here with the Nigerian-Canadian community, we want to make sure Nigerians are part of it.”

Canadian mayor praises Lagos under Tinubu at event honouring Peter Obi

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Fubara: I have moved on with governance despite political pressure

Published

1 hour ago

May 6, 2024

Trends Admin

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara

Fubara: I have moved on with governance despite political pressure

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has asserted that despite the political turmoil in the state, his administration remains steadfast in providing focused leadership and governance.

During a recent meeting with members of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, led by Chairman Hon. Mike Etaba, at the government house in Port Harcourt, Fubara emphasized that, as far as his administration and the people of Rivers State are concerned, there are no significant political issues to address.

Reflecting on the challenges posed by the political crisis, Fubara drew inspiration from a movie he watched, “Devil’s Advocate,” where he cited a quote by Al Pacino.

He said, “As far as we are concerned, there are no political issues. I saw a movie many years ago, entitled, ‘Devil’s Advocate.’ I believe some of you must have seen that movie too.

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“One of the starring characters, Al Pacino, said that pressure makes some people retreat or fail, and to others, it makes them focus on succeeding. We have chosen to be focused under this pressure.

“That is why we are moving ahead, making a positive impact on the lives of our people. Governance is about the people, not about self.

“Governance is about touching the core needs of those we are leading, and by the special grace of God, we are doing it.”

“Yesterday, by the special grace of God, we observed the credit line of over 3,066 persons empowered. You can imagine what that will do for the economy of the masses and the state. That is touching the lives of our people. It does not support them for selfish reasons. It does not give a contract because I want somebody to fight somebody in my community. No. This is empowering the economy of the masses and the state.

“Our focus is that, no matter what anybody is doing anywhere, we will not lose focus. We want to leave here better than we met it. And we want to also leave here without fear of anything.”

Fubara: I have moved on with governance despite political pressure

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FG begins disbursement of N50bn grant to small business owners

Published

1 hour ago

May 6, 2024

Trends Admin

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite

FG begins disbursement of N50bn grant to small business owners

The Federal Government, FG, says it has started disbursement of N50,000 grants to nano business entrepreneurs.

Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, Minister for Industry, Trade, and Investment, verified this over the weekend, stating that no fewer than 200,000 small business owners have received the payment.

According to her, 800,000 others will receive their incentives before the program ends on May 31.

This will raise the total number of beneficiaries to 1,000,000 Nigerians, split across 774 local government areas.

She explained that about 3.6 million applications were received out of which the beneficiaries were selected randomly from among those who met the conditions.

The minister said N50 billion is available in the 2024 budget for disbursement.

The programme is one of the palliative measures announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in a broadcast on July 31, last year to cushion the pains of petrol subsidy removal.

The President, in the broadcast, said: “Our administration recognises the importance of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and the informal sector as drivers of growth. We are going to energise this very important sector.”

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In the broadcast, the President also announced that 75 manufacturing firms will be given N1 billion single-digit interest loans each to reflate their businesses.

Dr. Uzoka-Anite, in response to enquiries by our reporter, said: “The application portal was closed at midnight on April 17. The portal had to be closed due to an overwhelming number of applications totalling over 3.6 million.

“The Bank of Industry is ensuring transparency and accountability in the N50 billion disbursement using NIN, BVN and bank account details for verification to prevent duplication.

“They will also perform physical enumeration to re-verify information, including taking photographs of beneficiaries.

“The time frame for disbursement is the end of May 2024. The requirement for determining the beneficiaries is not based on particular criteria. The goal is to reach 1,290 beneficiaries per local government area across the country totalling one million people.”

On why many of the beneficiaries have not been reached, she explained: “We acknowledge that some of the beneficiaries are getting alert while others are not.

“The disbursement is subject to verification of NIN, which became mandatory after the initial application phase which required only BVN.

“The selection is random and without human intervention from those who have passed their NIN and BVN verification.