NBA Moves To Frustrate New Lawyers’ Association, To Strip Organizers Rights

By Ayodele Oni

The Nigerian Bar Association, (NBA) has moved to frustrate attempt by some lawyers to register another parallel body.

In a communiqué after the  Quarterly National Executive Committee [NEC] Meeting in Abuja, it noted that any parallel body aside NBA is an attempt to ridicule the legal profession.

The meeting was the first NEC of the Y. C. Maikyau, SAN-led administration upon being sworn in as the President of the Nigerian Bar Association.

The communique, signed by Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, president, and Daniel Ka-ayii Kip, assistant general secretary states that “NEC frowns at recent divisive efforts by certain members of the Association to undermine the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for ulterior motives.

“It firmly resolved, that the NBA is the only recognized, indivisible umbrella Association of all lawyers called to the Bar in Nigeria and there is no other body so recognized or permitted to operate as such.

“NEC receives with dismay the report of the attempt to register a parallel body of lawyers as an alternative to the Nigerian Bar Association and frowns at the involvement of some senior members of the Bar and past leaders of our dear Association in the registration process of the alternative body.

“NEC categorically resolves that the Law Society of Nigeria (LSN), a body so registered, is unknown to members of the Bar and mandates the NBA President to commence processes for the delisting of the LSN by the Corporate Affairs Commission.

“NEC further resolves to sanction all members of the Bar seeking to promote or register a new lawyers’ association, whether using a new name or an old registered, Law Society of Nigeria (LSN).

“NEC particularly resolves that a Past NBA General Secretary, Mr. Nimi Walson-Jack who acted as a solicitor to the promoters of the new law society be stripped of his privileges as past General Secretary and consequently, be suspended from being a member of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Association.”

The communique also highlighted the position of the body in the rift between NBA and body of Benchers which necessitated call on chairman to step aside.

“NEC considered the letters written by the immediate Past President and current NBA President requesting Chief Wole Olanipekun, CFR, SAN to recuse himself as Chairman of the Body of Benchers in view of a letter written by an erstwhile partner of Wole Olanipekun & Co, which is now the subject of a matter pending before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), an arm of the Body of Benchers.

“NEC declares that the issue which gave rise to the call for recusal is not a personal issue of the NBA President, but an issue that affects the entire legal profession and casts it in bad light.

“NEC therefore proceeded to ratify all the letters written by the immediate past and the current Presidents of the NBA to the Body of Benchers requesting Chief Wole Olanipekun, CFR, SAN to recuse himself as Chairman of the Body.

“NEC frowns at the sit-tight attitude of the Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Chief Wole Olanipekun, CFR, SAN despite letters from 2 NBA Presidents and therefore calls on Chief Olanipekun, CFR, SAN, to, as a matter of principle, honour the request in the letters of the NBA and recuse himself as the Chairman of the Body of Benchers.

“NEC ratifies all the steps taken by the NBA President in relation to the matter and passes a vote of confidence on the NBA President declaring that all the steps he had taken so far on the issue, are for the benefit of the Bar and the legal profession.

“NEC recognizes the need to explore all avenues to save the legal profession from further embarrassment over the imbroglio and empowers the NBA President to set up a committee to seek alternate ways to resolve the matter. NEC reiterates the motto of the NBA which is to promote the rule of law and maintains that there are no sacred cow.”