Lagos NBA Goes Glam at 2017 Annual Dinner
The spacious and well-appointed ambience of Harbour Point on Victoria Island, Lagos was the very picture of gloss and glitter on the occasion of the 2017 Annual Law Dinner of the Lagos branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Friday, the 9th of December, 2017. And it was not just the spacious interior of the venue that sparkled; the elegantly attired ladies and gentlemen of the nation’s premier bar, and their guests, provided their own share of the glamour as they came to celebrate an evening of fine dining, networking and fun.
The well-attended event was graced by eminent judges on both the lower and higher Bench, notably the Hon. Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour (who served as chairman of the occasion; Senior Advocates of Nigeria; representatives of the government of Lagos State, including the solicitor-general and permanent-secretary in the state ministry of Justice, Mrs. Lola Odunlami; top players in other professions; and young lawyers from the premier branch.
The welcome address was given by Mr. Tony Nwaochei, chair of the Dinner Planning Committee, who disclosed that this year, the Lagos Bar – though not given to glamour – had decided to borrow some of Hollywood’s star dust for a change – in line with the theme of this year’s dinner, ‘Hollywood Glitz & Glam.’
In his welcoming remarks, the chairman of the Lagos NBA, Mr. Chukwuka Ikwuazom, emphasized the unity of the Bar and the Bench as co-workers in the temple of justice – hence the turnout of judges at this year’s dinner. While recognizing the differences between both sides of the aisle, Ikwuazom commended the commitment of members of the Bench – notably Justice Rhodes-Vivour, who was himself a member of the Lagos NBA before his transition to the Bench, and Hon. Justice Opeyemi Oke, the Chief Judge of Lagos State – towards enhancing a robust relationship between the two arms of the law.
Also speaking, the chairman of the occasion, Hon. Justice Rhodes-Vivour, JSC, emphasized the need for lawyers to exercise decorum – in both manner and dress – while in court. Though the bench supports erudite advocacy, he said, abusive language was no way to argue a point of law, neither should lawyers draw unnecessary attention to themselves to the detriment of court process and the smooth administration of justice. Lawyers, the eminent jurist added, should recognize that they, too, are officers of the court.
According to the Lagos correspondent of Newswire Law & Events magazine, one of the highlights of the event was a keynote lecture by one of Nigeria’s foremost bankers, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhouede, CON, the former managing director and chief executive of Access Bank Plc, who is currently the founder and chairman of Coronation Capital Limited, an Africa-focused private equity and proprietary investment firm.
In his talk, titled, ‘The Economic Outlook for 2018 – What Lawyers Must Know,’ he traced the history of the current economic downturn – especially in the ‘annus horribilis’ of 2016, when Nigeria’s real gross domestic product (GDP) contracted precipitously and the private sector suffered as a result of factors ranging from the non-implementation of the 2016 budget; declining commodity prices; the servicing of external debt using about 60% of national GDP; among dwindling confidence and divestment on the part of direct foreign investors, among other factors.
But a brighter outlook awaits investors in various sectors in 2018, Aig-Imoukhouede assured: the currently comatose real estate sector will see a resurgence, as will the agricultural sector and the capital market – a growth that will be spurred in no small way by a slight rise in oil prices and a marked improvement in the country’s ease-of-doing-business indices.
The speaker urged lawyers to take advantage of this projected growth (especially as pertains its tax and market implications) in 2018. They can do this, he said, by setting up tax practices in their firms, among other initiatives.
Most importantly, the former Access Bank boss concluded, they can help ease the pain many Nigerians felt in 2017 by giving back to society, and by using their enormous clout to effect the change in policy-formulation and national direction that Nigerians have always yearned for as a catalyst for the improvement of their economic fortunes.
Aig-Imoukhouede’s lecture was followed by the presentation of plaques of recognition to three newly-elevated Senior Advocates of Nigeria from the Lagos bar, namely, John Olusegun Odubela, SAN, who works in the law firm of Messrs Rickey Tarfa & Co.; Oyetola Oshobi, SAN, a partner at Babalakin & Co, where he is Head of the Litigation and Dispute department; and Emeka Okpoko, SAN, a widely acknowledged expert in litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution, as well as a consultant in various aspects of law as pertains to the workings of key sectors of the nation’s economy. The three awardees, who were unavoidably absent, were ably represented at the law dinner by aides or associates who received their plaques on their behalf from the immediate past national president of the NBA, Augustine Alegeh, SAN.
NEWSWIRE’s correspondent also reports that a rather unexpected highlight of the evening was the presentation of a special lifetime recognition award to Pa Tunji Gomez, the oldest living member of the Lagos Bar. At 89 years of age, Pa Gomez is as irrepressible as the young lawyer who made his name as a champion of the oppressed and took on some of the most formidable interests in his active days in titanic legal battles which today are part of NBA lore. His acceptance speech, which drew enthusiastic applause – especially among the younger lawyers – was a defiant call for unity and cohesion at the Bar, which must be founded on equity. The octogenarian called out the senior lawyers in particular for undermining this ideal and, in his words, ‘placing themselves above all others.’
The evening was not all about speeches and awards, however; true to its claim to Hollywood-style glitz, the dinner also features musical performances across genres. The classical vocalist Chukwunonso Nkamuke treated the house to a sonorous interpretation of three classical compositions – drawing comparisons with the great Italian tenor, Luciano Pavarotti – while Beejay Sax thrilled the audience with his virtuosity on the saxophone, as he belted out one jazz favorite after another. The vibrant Nigerian pop music scene was also well represented, as the live band raised the roof with remakes of hit songs at frequent intervals throughout the course of the evening.
As the evening wound to a close, the vote of thanks was given by the secretary of the Lagos NBA, Ikechukwu Uwanna, Esq., who especially singled out the large number of corporate sponsors (especially law firms, telecoms giants as well as oil and gas companies, etc.) which spared no expense in making the dinner such a resounding success.
The formal end of the dinner gave way to the after-party, which featured a lucky-dip, during which a number of fortunate lawyers carted home several mouth-watering prizes.
As the immediate past president of the Lagos NBA, Martins Ogunleye put it, the quality and variety of the prizes on offer in 2017 – in comparison with previous years – was yet another testimony to the determination of Nigeria’s premier bar branch to surpass not just other branches in its engagement with its members and the general society alike, but to surpass itself (and to raise the bar) with each passing year.
See photos below:
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