It was billed by the Technical Committee on Conference Planning (TCCP) as a ‘Conference like no other.‘ An indication of that high billing was given on the evening of Sunday, August 25, 2024 as the Nigerian legal community, along with leading stakeholders across key sectors of Nigeria’s national life, gathered at the magnificent Eko Hotel & Suites on Victoria Island, Lagos, for the opening ceremony of the 64th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). True to its reputation for showcasing style and substance in equal measure, the glamorous opening ceremony, which was moderated by veteran broadcaster Eugenia Abu, was graced by the cream of Nigeria’s legal community, including leaders at both the Bar and the Bench, past Presidents of the NBA, as well as political players such as Nigeria’s Vice-President, Sen. Kashim Shettima, GCON (who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR); Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; and his Plateau State counterpart, Governor Caleb Mutfwang.
The immediate past President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama (known in his country as ‘the 4th John’) was also a notable presence at the occasion. The President of the NBA, Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, SAN, whose term of office expires at the end of this 64th Conference, was joined at the event by his successor and President-elect, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN.
NEWSWIRE Law Events Magazine’s correspondent reports that one of the reasons for this distinguished turnout was the pedigree of the Keynote Speaker, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance (and Coordinating Minister for the Economy) as well as Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is currently the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The event kicked off with a number of goodwill messages from an array of distinguished personalities, beginning with the ‘matriarch’ of the Nigerian Bar, Chief (Mrs.) Folake Solanke, SAN. Others who delivered goodwill messages in the course of the event were Govs Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and Mutfwang of Plateau State, as well as the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and the President of the Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem.
In his remarks of welcome, NBA President Maikyau praised the work of the TCCP (which, he noted with pride, comprised entirely of women and led with distinction by the indefatigable Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya) in bringing the 2024 NBA confab to fruition. Recalling the high points of the 2023 confab in Abuja, and the issues that took centre-stage at that gathering (such as security, taming the monster of corruption, as well as the urgent imperative of instituting a people-centred governance profile in Nigeria) Maikyau reminded his colleagues that the legal profession was uniquely placed to ensure that these issues were addressed for the benefit of the Nigerian populace. He also praised President Tinubu for his administration’s commitment to the rule of law – and in particular his appointment of Prince Fagbemi, SAN, as AGF, saying it had gone a long way to bridge the disconnect between the government and other stakeholders in the Nigerian justice system.
Maikyau’s speech set the stage for the highlight of the evening. After her citation was read by Ms. Prada Uzodimma, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala – the first African and first female DG of the WTO, stepped up to deliver her Keynote Address. Her wide-ranging speech began with a brief analysis of Nigeria’s current economic and security challenges (which, she said, were almost entirely self-inflicted and, in some cases, even premeditated and weaponized for political purposes) before calling for what she referred to as a ‘Social Contract for Nigeria’s Future’. This contract, she went on to say, must consist of at least four key items of engagement between the government and the governed which must ALWAYS be held sacrosanct – no matter which political party was in power. They include trust, strategic planning, the provision of infrastructure and a social safety net, and the independence of both the country’s Central Bank and the Electoral Commission.
Though not a panacea for all of Nigeria’s ills, the WTO boss said, the social contract must serve as a foundation for the developmental edifice that Nigerians want to build.
“It is not rocket science,” Okonjo-Iweala said, “but it mustn’t be approached in piecemeal fashion; rather, consistency, strategic planning and innovation are essential towards actualizing the aims of the social contract.”
For too long, she lamented, politics and short-term interest have been allowed to frame socio-economic policy in Nigeria – partly because critical stakeholders (including the NBA) have all but abdicated their responsibility to hold the implementers of policy to account.
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala ended her keynote address by directing a pointed question at her countrymen and women in general, and at the NBA in particular:
“ARE YOU READY?”
In declaring the 64th NBA Conference officially open on behalf of President Tinubu, VP Shettima sought to address the WTO Director-General’s concerns by highlighting the Tinubu administration’s bold reforms since its inception last year – notably the abolition of the fuel subsidy and the multiple exchange rate regimes, which Shettima described as albatrosses around Nigeria’s neck – as a demonstration that this administration was indeed READY to move the Nigerian economy forward in a sustainable manner. Like the AGF, Fagbemi, who spoke before him, Shettima also highlighted the administration’s contributions toward, and investments in, the advancement of the Nigerian justice sector. The Tinubu government would tolerate – even encourage – dissent, Shettima asserted, as long as such dissent was within the bounds of laid-down laws.
NEWSWIRE’s correspondent reports that the opening ceremony came to a close with the formal presentation of a book detailing the history of the Nigerian Bar Association. The Conference proper begins on Monday at the iconic Tafawa Balewa Square, Onikan, Lagos, and will feature a single plenary and multiple breakout sessions.
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