By Suleiman Anyalewechi
The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, late Monday, April 14, 2025, insisted that the Rivers State Government is not entitled to any refunds following its decision to relocate this year’s Annual General Conference out of the State.
The Source reports that the umbrella body of legal practitioners in Nigeria last week resolved to take the Conference from Port Harcourt Rivers State to Enugu, the Enugu state capital.
The NBA cited the State of Emergency imposed on Rivers, as well as the presence of an unconstitutional Sole Administrator as major reasons for the relocation.
According to the legal practitioners’ body, holding its Conference in Rivers at this moment will amount to tacitly endorsing the undemocratic and unconstitutional arrangement in the State.
But in its first reaction to the NBA’s decision, the Rivers state Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok- Ete Ibas rtd,early on Monday, asked the leadership of the lawyers association to refund the state the sum of N300 million representing the amount paid for the hosting right of the Port Harcourt botched Conference.
However, in a statement from the Conference’s Organizing Committee Chairman, Emeka Obegolu, the NBA noted that the said N300 million was not a hosting right but a non-refundable gift from the Rivers state Government.
“The attention of the Annual General Conference Planning Committee has been drawn to a statement credited to the Sole Administrator of Rivers State to the effect that Rivers State Government paid hosting rights fees for the hosting of the NBA AGC 2025 .
“We wish to clarify that the decision to host the 2025 AGC in Port Harcourt was taken in August 2024, and was not subject to any bidding process or payment of any hosting rights.
“The host city has no hosting right and there is no representation by the NBA that the conference must be held in a chosen city.
“Traditionally, because of the enormous cost involved in hosting the AGC, the NBA Conference Planning Committee approaches organizations, Agencies of Government ,and State Governments for support and the support requested is unconditional and not tied to hosting rights or any rights whatsoever .
“Recent NBA conferences have been supported by different State Governments, corporate organizations, Ministries, Departments and Agencies whose budgets accommodate corporate social responsibilities and share the same vision with the NBA.
Such financial support is in the form of gifts, partnerships or sponsorships. The money from Rivers state was a gift, and was not tied to any purported hosting right for the NBA AGC”, the NBA statement reads in part .
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