NBA Lagos And Its New Bar Centre Project By Abdulrasheed Ibrahim

On 29th July 2019, the Nigerian Bar Association, Lagos Branch
fondly called the “Premier Branch” made history as a foundation
laying ceremony of its Bar Centre was performed that very day. The
ceremony was performed by the President of the Nigerian Bar
Association, Mr. Paul Usoro, SAN, while the ceremony was initiated
by the out gone (2017-2019) NBA Lagos executives under the able
leadership of Mr. Chukwuka Ikwuazon.

My take on this watershed is that my clamour and agitation over
the years that it does not befit a premier not to have a shelter of
its own seems to have yielded a positive result. Some years back, I
was so disturbed that a whole premier branch had no place to call
its own. Therefore I raised the alarm in an article published in
the Daily Independent Newspaper of 15, December 2011 titled: NBA
LAGOS: THE PREMIER IN SEARCH OF SHELTER wherein I said:

“…If the NBA branches in Ibadan, Ilorin, and Yola among others
can today boast of befitting secretariats or Bar Centres while the
NBA, Ikeja (the tiger) is constructing one, then why not the Lagos
branch of the Association? Is building or having a befitting
secretariat or bar centre for the NBA Lagos has never been part of
the agenda of the successive Lagos NBA executives? There was once a
talk about NBA Lagos having a land in Lekki which is still shrouded
in mystery…”

I believe with the foundation laying ceremony, the mystery has
now been broken. It is better late than never. I have once argued
that the best place to accommodate the NBA Lagos Branch Bar Centre
was no other place than the Lagos State High Court premises or its
vicinity. But since finding a place within the High court and its
vicinity has been very difficult , resort has to be had to the land
in Lekki. Am always of the view that the search for a place within
the premises of the Lagos State High Court, Igbosere or its
vicinity came so late. If the NBA Lagos leaderships had developed
that vision (of having a Bar Centre) in the early 60s, 70s, 80s and
90s ,I believe the succeeding generation of NBA LAGOS executives
would not have faced the difficulty being faced in recent times.
Leadership is all about being visionary.I know not less than two
very senior lawyers that bought properties to build their law firms
on Igbosere street.When I was part of the 2013 -2015 NBA Lagos
Executives, the bell I continued to ring to the hearing of the
executives then was that there was the need for our team to break
the jinx of at least lay the foundation of the NBA Lagos Bar
Centre. In the Series 12 of the BRIEFCASE (a newsletter) I ran
during my tenure as Publicity Secretary of the branch, I wrote
under what I called – NBA: BETWEEN LAGOS AND IBADAN:

“In 2004 and 2014, NBA Ibadan marked in grand style its 50 and
60 years of its existence respectively.NBA Lagos is claiming to be
the premier branch while at the same time NBA Ibadan is claiming to
be so.But which of these two branches is the real premier of the
Nigerian Bar Association? I must confess we will not be able to
finish this great debate in this particular series of the BRIEFCASE
as am yet to complete the research on this very serious issue. But
I will start with what Mr. Chris Ogbogbo wrote sometime in 2004
when the NBA Ibadan was preparing for its 50 years anniversary
celebration.My learned colleague who was then the PRO of the Ibadan
branch wrote thus: ‘The Ibadan Branch of the Nigerian Bar
Association has turned fifty years and for this reason drums are
being rolled out for an elaborate celebration .The November
celebration is not simply to mark its being the premier branch (and
by implication the mother of all branches of the bar)…’ This is the
contention of the Ibadan branch. If you see our (Lagos branch) bus
what is written on it is ‘Nigerian Bar Association (The Premier
Branch)’. To be very frank, I think we will need the view of the
likes of Pa. Tunji Gomez who is barman to the core to really tell
us which of the two branches (Lagos or Ibadan) the premier of the
Nigerian Bar Association is. Am still looking forward to have an
audience with him on this very important issue.”

I went further in the BRIEFCASE that:

“To call a spade a spade,Ibadan seems to take this issue of
premiership more serious than us because within the period of ten
years,Ibadan twice celebrated 50 and 60 years of its existence.In
2004 under the chairmanship of Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) they
launched their N250 Million Bar Centre Building Project, but here
in Lagos we are still searching for a shelter to call our own
secretariat.I once wrote an article on this issue sometime in
2011.Please see the Daily Independent Newspaper of 15th December
2011.If we are truly older than Ibadan ,what have we been doing all
this while? I have suggested that if we cannot get a land , no
matter how small within the High Court or the Court of Appeal
premises to erect our Bar Centre/Secretariat ,we can look for a
property within the vicinity to buy, renovate or rebuilt as our
secretariat.And that on the land at Lekki we should engage a
corporate developer to develop same on BOT basis.Many people have
accused us that the only thing we know how to do in NBA Lagos is to
organize befitting Black Tie Dinners.I strongly believe that if we
had exerted the type of efforts and energy we put into organizing
dinners into our Secretariat Building Project , a structure would
have long been in place being known as LAGOS NBA SECRETARIAT and by
now we will have no difficulty in answering the question:Where is
the NBA LAGOS SECRETARIAT BUILDING?”

With the foundation laying ceremony of the NBA LAGOS BAR CENTRE
in Lekki, Chukwuka Ikwuazon’s executives team have won a medal for
breaking the jinx and have secured a place on the positive side of
history as I had said in my article of 15, December 2011 that :

“Any NBA Lagos executive administration that succeeds in the
stride of at least laying the foundation or completing the
Secretariat/Bar Centre will surely be on the positive side of legal
history “

I therefore congratulate Mr Chukwuka Ikwuazon and his team for a
job well done.While again congratulating Mr. Yemi Akangbe and his
new team as well as welcoming them on board, the burden is now on
them to build on the foundation and make the NBA Lagos Bar Centre a
reality. It will not be a good story for us having an abandoned
project. In making the project a reality, they will need to
mobilize all the well meaning lawyers within and outside the branch
to make meaningful contributions to the project.I had earlier
suggested what any incumbent executives could do to make the Bar
Centre a reality and Yemi Akangbe and his new team should take note
of this:

“One can argued without fear of being contradicted that many
lawyers in Lagos or elsewhere own the positions they attain or
enjoy today to the Lagos NBA which was probably as a result of
their involvement in the Lagos NBA activities.It is high time those
judges ,Senior Advocates ,Politicians and Heads of organizations
among others reflect on why the Lagos NBA still remains a premier
in search of a shelter to accommodate itself all these years as
well as how a befitting Bar Centre /Secretariat for the premier can
come to reality”

There are some NBA Branches’ Bar Centres that were single
handedly built by some individuals as donations to those branches.
Today, NBA Lagos still continues to have problem on the use of
Lagos State High Court Foyer at Igbosere, Lagos for its activities
as same absolutely belongs to the Lagos State Judiciary whose
permission must be first sought by the NBA Lagos before its use. If
the Chief Judge declines its use, there is nothing the NBA Lagos
executives can do.

ARE LAW MAKERS TURNING TO LAW BREAKERS?

Recently, a video went viral where a Senator of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria was seen assaulting a woman in a sex toy shop
in Abuja.With the public outcry that greeted the incident, Senator
Elisha Abbo was subsequently arraigned before a court and he is now
standing trial. Another incident has happened in Kwara State where
it was reported that two Honourable members of the state House of
Assembly along with some hoodlums attacked and gave a serious
beating to man said to be a tenant to one of the two law makers for
owing him rent payment. One continues to wonder the kind of
politicians being elected this time around.The moment some
politicians get to offices they allow the power to run into their
heads. Unlike in the civilized countries where politicians see
themselves as servants of their people, here it is a different ball
game altogether because politicians here see themselves as
masters.

Sometimes when some politicians misbehave in public you continue
to ask how those people got their parties tickets to run for
elections. This is a product what is being called politics of
godfatherism. A godfather always prefers manipulating the process
to favour to his godson whom he believes will do his bid when he
(the godson) gets to the office. A godfather will not like seen a
person who will not do his bid in power.The history has taught that
whatever deal that is between the godfather and his godson that is
not premised on in the interest of the people (electorates) will
always end up hitting the rock. I once wrote some years back under
what I called THE PARADOX OF MADE IN NIGERIA DEMOCRACY that:

“…In Oyo State, Rashidi Ladoja rode to power through the back of
his godfather in person Chief Lamidi Adedidu, the late Alafin of
Malete believed to be strong man of Oyo State politics. But when
Ladoja, the godson refused to play ball with his godfather by
sharing the cake (State fund) with him, the problem started and
within a tickle of an eye, Ladoja was impeached by the forces in
the state House of Assembly who were loyal Chief Adedibu .It took
the intervention of the Supreme Court to restore Ladoja back to
power. Hope you have not forgotten the showdown between Jim Nwobodo
and his godson Chimaroke Nnamani in the Enugu State.In Kwara State
the story was a bit different, Olushola Saraki, the Turaki (now
Waziri) of Ilorin was a man entirely different from Adedibu because
whenever he had problem with any of his godsons in power, he did
not believe in rocking the boat .He would wait patiently for the
defiant godson to finish that particular term. In 1999, the late
Naval Admirar Muhammed Lawal became the civilian Governor of Kwara
State under the platform of the ANPP through the support of
Olushola Sariki, but they both soon parted ways. Saraki moved to
PDP and told Lawal that his second term in office as Governor was
inside his (Saraki’s) pocket. In 2003 election Saraki’s biological
son in person of Bukola Saraki contested under the platform of the
PDP against Lawal of ANPP to become the Governor. Remember that
during the Second Republic, Saraki made Adamu Attah the Governor of
the old Kwara State on the platform of the NPN and when the problem
started between them and Attah decided to run election for the
second term, Saraki persuaded his supporters in NPN to vote
Cornelius Adebayo of the UPN who won the election in 1983 before
the Army took over power.”

Why must a senator consider it reasonable assaulting a woman in
public? Why must a person claiming to be an Honourable member of a
State of House of Assembly thought it wise that the best was to
deal a tenant owing him rent was to beat him like a snake rather
than going to the court? We are now having situations where those
that claiming to be the lawmakers are flagrantly disobeying and
breaking the law.Any lawmaker that breaks the law must be made to
face the law and sanctions appropriately.There must be scapegoats
to serve as deterrent to others as if this is not done there is
possibility of many lawmakers turning to lawbreakers. When people
are electing politicians into power, they must try to know the kind
of persons they are voting for.

REMARKABLE PRONOUNCEMENT ON ATTRIBUTES OF LEGAL
PRACTITIONER

Now, it is, I think, a fair characterization of a legal
practitioner’s responsibilities in the country that he stands as a
‘shield’ in defence of right and to ward off wrong. In a profession
charged with such responsibilities, there must be exacted those
qualities of truth speaking, of high sense of honour, of the
strictest observance of fiduciary responsibility.

Per MUSDAPHER JSC (as he then was) in Okike Vs L.P.D.C (2005) 15
NWLR (Pt. 949) Pg. 510 Para C.

THE SETTLED PRINCIPLE OF LAW

On effect of elevation or retirement of a member of judicial
panel on pending judgment

“It is now firmly established by this court through a long line
of judicial interpretations that a decision arrived at by the Court
of Appeal or the Supreme Court in which a member who participated
at the hearing and at conference and signified his views therein,
could, on account of death, retirement, elevation, dismissal or
other cause, have his judgment pronounced or read by another
justice as the case may be.”

See SHITTA-BEY Vs. A-G. FEDERATION (1998) 7 SC (Pt. II) at Pg.
139, Line 10

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Again, ICPC Recovers N117m worth of Constituency Project
from another Senator

In its continuing effort at ensuring the satisfactory execution
and completion of all Constituency Projects across the country
through the Constituency Projects Tracking Group (CPTG) initiative,
the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences
Commission (ICPC) has again recovered items worth N117,123,375.44
million from the Senator representing Enugu North Senatorial
District of Enugu State.

The items covered by this amount and recovered from the
legislator are 168 and 51 numbers of motorcycles and tricycles
respectively. They were discovered to be stashed away in a compound
in Mkpologu town of Uzo-Nwani Local Government Area, believed to be
owned by the Senator.

ICPC findings indicated clearly that the contract for the
procurement of the items was awarded on 23rd January 2018, under
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of the Senator’s
constituency projects.

Investigations have also shown that the companies awarded the
contracts for the project are as follows: Al-Amir Int. Ltd.,
Du-Lumac Ltd., Com Technologies System Ltd. and Chumax Agency
Ltd.

Additionally, ICPC recovered 203 grinding machines, 60
motorcycles and 5 transformers in the compound which had been
procured under another constituency project. Thereupon the
Commission impounded all the items and sealed the Senator’s
compound.

The tricycles, motorcycles and grinding machines were meant to
be distributed to the lawmaker’s constituents to empower them as
part of the Federal Government’s efforts to alleviate poverty.

The Senator has pledged to ICPC that they would be distributed
to beneficiaries on Tuesday 6th August, 2019.

While ICPC is investigating circumstances that led to the items
being in the possession of the sponsoring legislator rather than
the implementing agency, its officers will be on the scene to
supervise the distribution.

Mrs. Rasheedat A. Okoduwa, mni
Spokesperson for the Commission