WE NEED SOMEONE WHO WILL TALK TO JUNIOR COLLEAGUES AND NOT TALK DOWN AT THEM- FOR THIS REASON, I ENDORSE OLU” MUHAMMAD BELGORE, SAN GIVES UNRESERVED ENDORSMENT FOR OLUMIDE AKPATA AS NEXT NBA PRESIDENT
The relevance of the NBA must be to its members, the consumers of legal services, the profession and society at large, in that order of priority. How members cope in this fast-changing world of technology, cross-border trade, increasing local challenges, external threats from estate agents, accountants, foreign lawyers and the like, disproportionate growth of the profession in the face of dwindling opportunities and income, are matters of grave concern to all of us. And they are obviously of greater concern to our younger colleagues, who as it happens, are the majority of the Bar.
Consequently, the task of leadership right now must be on how to equip the majority with knowledge driven capacity and drive policies that will enable every lawyer to favourably compete against these challenges. This should be the central focus of our choice for leadership – a look to the future.
The biggest folly of a candidate in any election is a focus on who is he as opposed to what he is offering. For a long time, the Bar has talked down at junior colleagues, its majority, and not to them. Successive leaderships have served up what they believe is good for them as opposed to engaging them in that determination. Even at this time with elections looming, it seems to me that only one candidate is effectively engaging its majority and talking about the real issues. That candidate is Olumide Akpata and for this reason he gets my vote and endorsement.
Finally, I should ask where is it written that the privilege of leading the NBA is the exclusive preserve of Senior Advocates of Nigeria? That “exclusivity” is untenable, undeserved and un-egalitarian.
Muhammad Dele Belgore, SAN
Partner, Sofunde, Osakwe, Ogundipe & Belgore
