The Queens Park Event Centre in the Oniru axis of Lagos was the setting for a memorable evening of fine dining and wining, as well as networking and photo ops against the backdrop of pulsating music, as the Lagos Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) held its 2023 Annual Dinner.
NEWSWIRE Law & Events Magazine correspondent at the venue reports that, apart from being a night of razzmatazz with a delightful blend of lights, sounds and colours, the evening (which was billed as a” Black Tie Event’ was a first in more ways than one. For one, it was the first-ever Dinner to be delivered free of charge to members. All you needed to do was register online – and show up for the fun.
Welcoming branch members and guests to the event, the Chairman of the Dinner Organizing Committee, Adeleke Alex-Adedipe, exhorted his professional colleagues to let down their hair and make the best of the occasion. “Dinners like this,” he said humourously, “are where lawyers become human.”
In his Welcome Address at the occasion, the Chairman of the NBA Lagos Branch, Olabisi Makanjuola expressed gratitude to branch members for the opportunity to preside over the staging of this event. He went on to give the assembled attendees a brief overview of the branch’s accomplishments so far on his watch.
These accomplishments span the areas of Court Monitoring; International Secondment; Continuing Legal Education; Building Committee (for the proposed NBA Lagos Bar Centre); Welfare of Members; Bar/Bench Relations; the Int’l Human Rights Day Conference; and Image Enhancement.
The premier bar chairman described the Dinner as a “cornerstone event deeply rooted in the rich traditions of the bar. ” In particular, he noted the presence of Judges and Justices, saying their presence offers an opportunity to bridge the gap between the Bar and the Bench.
Makanjuola ended by paying tribute to the members of the branch who recently got elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), as well as the evening’s other special awardees.
The keynote speaker of the evening, Adekunle Sonola, who is the Managing Director and CEO of Polaris Bank Plc, spoke on the challenges inherent in the Nigerian business environment at present and the urgent imperative of reform. The most important of these reforms, he asserted, are in the realm of the law and its effectiveness in enforcing judicial outcomes (which themselves must be timely) and checking abuse. Tax reform, the bank chief said, is another important plank in the quest for a more business-friendly environment. Taxes must be codified, or risk becoming counterproductive in the medium and long terms, he said. Sonola also called for reforms in other areas such as immigration, dispute resolution, and access to arbitration. In the latter case, he emphasized the need for sector-specific specialized courts to ensure the quick dispensation of justice.
The evening’s awardees were drawn from both the Bar and the Bench, and from a variety of backgrounds and practice specialties. But all are highly accomplished professionals.
Honoured for their judicial excellence and contributions to the nation’s jurisprudence were as follows: the recently retired Hon. Justice Amina Augie, Justice of the Supreme Court (JSC); the retired former Chief Judge of Lagos State, Hon. Justice Opeyemi Oke; Hon. Justice Serifat Iyabode Sonaike; Hon. Justice Babatunde Kalaro; Hon. Justice Matthias Dawodu; and Hon. Justice Olalekan Ayodeji Oresanya.
The well-respected legal guru and arbitrator, Mrs. Funke Adekoya, SAN, received a special award as an Inspiring Icon during the Dinner – as did the branch’s new entrants into the Inner Bar. They are: Folashade Abosede Alli, SAN; Bomo Olakunle Agbebi, SAN; Babaseyi Sigismund Joseph, SAN; Kehinde Olufemi Aina, SAN; Abiodun Olanrewaju Olaleru, SAN; Bamidele Olawoye Ibironke, SAN; Oluwaseyilayo Akinkunmi Ojo, SAN; Tochukwu Jude Onyiuke, SAN; Yemi Adewale M’sbaudeen Adesina, SAN; Omoyemi Lateef Akangbe, SAN; Onyemaechi Chukwudi Adiukwu, SAN, and Olayemi Badewole, SAN.
A pair of newly-appointed Attorneys-General and Commissioners for Justice, Lawal Pedro, SAN, and Ikechukwu Uwanna of Lagos and Abia States respectively, were also presented with Individual Recognitions on the night.
Special awards – for Exceptional Services to NBA Lagos – were presented to the pair of Chukwuka Ikwuazom, NBA (himself a former Lagos Branch Chairman) and Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, lately the Alternate Chair of the 2023 Annual General Conference of the NBA in Abuja.
NEWSWIRE’s correspondent also reports that, on an evening of many highlights, a major highlight was a competition for the best-dressed personality of the evening (that is, the individual who best embodies the party’s dress code).
The rest of the evening was given over to entertainment, as a band and a guest artiste thrilled the attendees with favourite numbers from a variety of periods and genres, as attendees sampled the delicacies on offer.
At the end of it all, respondents were unanimous in describing the evening as yet another testament to the Premier Bar’s readiness and willingness to stretch the frontiers of excellence and possibility, as its members look back at an eventful year, and forward with hope to the year 2024.
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