Etomi Unveils Programme for NBA’s 2018 AGC, Solicits Cooperation of Lagos Bar at its Annual General Meeting
The countdown for the 2018 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association, for those who still need reminding, has begun.
As preparations gather pace for the epic gathering, Nigeria’s foremost conference event, which will take place at the iconic International Conference Centre in Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, from the 26th to the 30th of August, 2018, the chairman of the Technical Committee on Conference Planning (TCCP) and one of Nigeria’s foremost commercial lawyers, Mr. George Etomi, has been on a sensitization mission to various branches of the association, intimating on the modalities and other details of the Conference.
NEWSWIRE correspondent in Lagos reports that Etomi, whose appointment to this exalted position with its onerous responsibility was announced a few weeks ago, steps into the shoes of his predecessor, Prof. Kanyinsola Ajayi, SAN, whose superb organization of the 2017 edition of the Conference has been universally hailed as having raised the Bar as far gatherings like this are concerned.
In his brief presentation at the 2018 annual general meeting of the NBA’s premier branch, which was held at the foyer of the Lagos State High at Igbosere, Etomi disclosed that the theme of the Conference shall be ‘Transition, Transformation & Sustainable Institutions,’ with such sub-themes as Political Transition & Governance; Diversity & Inclusion; Technological Disruptions; Sustainable Economic Development; and The Rule of Law & Security.
The keynote speaker at the Abuja Conference, he also said, would be the President of Ghana, His Excellency, Nana Akufo-Addo, while his Nigerian counterpart, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR will engage the internationally respected Nigerian journalist, Kadaria Ahmed in a one-one discussion covering a wide range of issues of topical importance.
Besides the two heads of state, the Conference will be graced by such eminent personalities as the vice-president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, GCON; and the Chief Justice of the Federation, Hon. Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, GCON, as well as a rich faculty of speakers, panelists and resource persons from the worlds of law, business, the professions, academia, politics and public policy, religion and spirituality, diplomacy, civil society advocacy, the arts, as well as inter-governmental and non-governmental bodies.
The discussion sessions, Etomi assured, would be as stimulating as the galaxy of accomplished personalities that would do justice to them, as they would explore thought-provoking topics such as Political Transition and Governance; Deepening Democracy: Focus on Legislative / Executive Collaboration; the Role of Millennials in Transitions and Institution-Building; Capital Markets; Sustainable Economic Development; Diversity and Inclusion; Emergence of Disruptive in Legal Education and Practice; Smash the Ceiling – The Problems of Retention of Women And Promotion to Leadership, and Black Market Of Everything.
The ability of delegates to make the most of these discussions, Etomi said, would be aided by classy and user-friendly conference materials such as ankara/adire-themed conference folder, complete with branded note pads and pens, as well as a mobile app that will help them review each session during and after the Conference.
The heavy intellectual lifting would be relieved by a whole panoply of equally pulsating social engagements – a movie premiere, a musical concert, a dinner, and so forth – designed to help delegates unwind and stretch their legs, as well as make new acquaintances or renew old ones. For those wishing for an illusion of escape from it all – however momentarily – the TCCP chairman called on delegates to take advantage of the Friendship Centre, whose array of bounties includes top-rate cuisine, games, music and other services catering to a vast array of tastes and budgets.
In addition, he also said, special exhibition spaces would be strategically carved out on the premises of the ICC, in which publishers of both online and hard copy materials, info-tech companies, outfits offering legal services and so forth to interface profitably with current and prospective customers and clients.
To cap what promises to be an eventful and enriching week in Abuja, Etomi concluded, there would be a raffle draw with moth-watering prizes such as a brand-new car, laptop, refrigerator, and books covering various aspects of the law on offer. All these are potentially available to any holder of a valid raffle ticket.
Etomi ended by urging the assembled delegates at the Lagos Bar Annual General Meeting – in their enviable role as a pace-setter among the nation’s Bar branches – to take ownership of the Conference and help his Committee ensure a most memorable outing, not just for the NBA, but for all stakeholders in the country’s quest to enthrone a regime of socio-economic vibrancy, anchored on institutional strength, and founded on the rule of law.
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