It is good to have opinion on national issues but not at the expense of local issues.
NBA 2018 Presidential candidates are expressing opinion on any and every issues, from Hijab through Benue killings and now, police brutality in Anambra state.
At the speed they chunk out these press statements, you will think NBA is an opposition political party and not a professional association, whose primary interest, is the welfare of its members.
There are welfare challenges facing members in all branches of NBA and these contestants have not addressed these issues.
Lawyers are interested in how NBA will enlarge the earning environment for its members; why must stamp and seal have expiration date; why the bottlenecks in a lady changing her surname after marriage; why is there no minimum wage for new wigs?
Are things taught in law school, preparing new wigs for the challenges of post call life?
Can NBA renegotiate this Leadway insurance policy that is not lawyers friendly? Must NBA sit on disciplinary committee wherein it is the prosecutor?
How about this yearly fiasco called Annual General Conference, are there ways to make it less troublesome and do away with this issue of non-delivery of Conference Materials?
Every branch clustered into geo-political zones, have peculiar problems and I am surprised that all these candidates, have not marshaled out solutions.
1.NBA Abuja (Unity Bar), has held down Bar activities in Abuja municipal based on leadership tussle due to lacuna in 2015 NBA Uniform Bye Law for Branches and no candidate has hinted on how to solve this problem.
- Apart from this, the NBA constitution, inherited from Augustine Alegeh SAN, administration, is full of pitfalls and many branches have fallen into them and have been running their affairs “illegally.”
What do these candidates have to offer in terms of continous legal education?
How do they want to restore professionalism in NBA.
Turning NBA into a quasi-opposition political party, is nauseating.
Interventions in national politics by NBA, should be to the extent of how such affects the welfare of members.
The outgoing administration of A.B. Mahmoud, SAN, owes it to the Bar, to sanitize its succession process. The amount of money I hear that is being spent daily by these contestants, is frightening. Money politics, should not be encouraged in NBA but I am afraid, this is a wishful thinking, as most candidates have started using their proxies to buy votes of young lawyers; 1-4 years.
This age bracket, particularly 1-2, are not conversant with NBA politics or antecedents of these NBA politicians. Using the herd mentality, they follow and vote whosoever pays their Bar Practicing Fee.
NBA nay lawyers are losing respect out there, hence the brutality in Anambra and Anambra, is not an isolated case.
Generally, Police has no respect for lawyers and NBA, should look inwards to find out why.
- Chè Oyinatumba is a Lawyer and Social Analyst.
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