Resolutions of the Eti-Osa Bar Forum’s Emergency Online Meeting Held on Saturday 4th April, 2020.
The meeting commenced at 12noon.
- The Coronavorus crisis has thrown up challenges of welfare for lawyers , with the attendant challenges of the shutdown of the courts , with many lawyers who are mostly into litigation , now in an economic crunch.
2. That the Nigerian Bar Association owes a duty of care to her members in terms of attending to their welfare challenges in these times beyond collection of Bar Practising Fees.
3. That the insistence of the Nigerian Bar Association not to collect extend the time for collection of Bar Practising Fees beyond the 31st March, 2020 deadline is grossly insensitive of the times .
4. The Forum opined on some suggestive intervention plans and strategies like:
i. All Branches should be granted 50% repatriation of BPF to serve as intervention increase to the 10% initially paid by the National.
ii. In addition this will be supported by the branches with their 50% of local branch dues, both shall be paid as refund stimulus package for welfare during the lock down.
7. Also, the Forum called on the national Leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association to source support funds from the mainstream relief funds such as the Lagos Covid 19 Funds and Federal Government received donations to be drawn into a common pool, which could be put in place as “NBA Trust Funds” to serve as a loan or grant to most vulnerable states where legal practice is docile prior before Covid 19 outbreak, consequently, their situation might have worsen during the subsisting pandemic period.
8. The forum postulated the establishment of the NBA Micro Finance bank, thus this can be established through all the 126 local branch offices, with specialized administration and control by the National based on standard regulatory financial practice and rules.
9. Furthermore, it was suggested that NBA can as well devise a means of establishing the “NBA Investment Company Limited” wherein 30% BPF, excess funds generated during our Conferences via donors and international grants can be reinvested into specific businesses for a good return on investment(RIO) and other turnaround maintenance as well as Bar administrative purposes.
10. The NBA can build Guest Houses in the six Geopolitical zone and a 5 star hotel in2 the FCT, where lawyers can have subsidised fees.
11. NBA can as well invest in oil and gas, procurement, corporate legal advisory and consultancy services; wherein unemployed lawyers can be trained and engaged, while they earn renumeration monthly respectively, other areas veritable for large pool of income are: hospitality, malls, real estate and Agriculture/ farm produce wherein members can purchase and get our services at subsidized rates and prices based on availability.
12. The Forum called for the revamp and utilize the Aka Bashorun NBA House, at the Nigerian Law School in Lagos, he said once tell ban is lifted he hopes to bring his wealth of experience and innovative capacity to the fore through a PPP proposal for the conversion of the Lagos NBA House into a Multi-Purpose outlets, such as General Work Station for lawyers(Without office within the jurisdiction) ,
13. He suggested further that the building can serve as the “NBA Media Hub Office”, wherein he shall work with the Office of the National Publicity Secretary to establish our special NBA TV, Radio and Newspapers outfits, this will firstly serves as information beureue and vault for lawyers wherein they can get daily updates via Google Downloaded “NBA-APP” only for verified lawyers; hence Lawyers don’t need all the cumbersome measure that grossly impeded members recently from accessing the new website for online payment as encountered, with the APP all your legal needs will be resolved.
14. The Forum suggested that NBA should ensure to work with all existing Tech companies to provide daily information on cause list and court proceedings..this will enable all lawyers to know if a court willbe sitting or not. This is the best diary APP for Lawyers.
15. That it is crucial going forward that the Forum engages the present President of the Nigerian Bar Association and the presidential aspirants in the forthcoming 2020 national elections of the Nigerian Bar Association.
16. That it is proposed that the national Leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association calls an Emergency virtual video meeting for the National Officers to discuss the setting up of a NBA NATIONAL EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND and NBA NATIONAL TASKFORCE AGAINST CORONAVIRUS by Tuesday 7th April, 2020 in compliance with the social distancing rule with resolutions passed to convene an Emergency Online National Executive Committee Meeting , utilising broad social media platforms such as Telegram platform, with representatives on it for a wider resolution, given that the current situation can extend unpredictably to another 3 months .
17. That the Forum should convene an Online Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, 8th April, 2020 with the President of the Nigerian Bar Association , Mr. Paul Usoro SAN as Lead Discussants on the theme ” Coronavirus Crisis, Welfare of Lawyers and Future of the Bar” with Dele Adesina SAN , Dr. Babatunde Ajibade SAN, Olumide Akpata and Ogunlana Adesina Ademola, the NBA 2020 elections Presidential Aspirants as Discussants.
The meeting ended by 3.00pm
Oladotun Hassan, Esq
Chairman
Ayo Ademiluyi
Secretary
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