2023 Abuja NBA Conference: The Highlights, The Drama

By Ranti Thomas

For good six days last week, precisely August 24, 2023 to September 1, 2023, the M.K.O Abiola Stadium in
Abuja, the nation’s capital was a centre of attraction.  It was an occasion of the men of the noble profession,
the 63^rd Annual Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

It was attended by over 16, 000members from all over the country, which is described as the largest gathering of
lawyers in the world.

The Conference theme, ‘Getting it Right, Charting the Course for Nigeria’s Nation Building’ appears quite broad and encompassing. Speakers after speakers delivered their speeches to those
present at the august gathering.

 President Bola Tinubu declared the conference opened, saying that poverty eradication and investment promotion for wealth creation depend on justice reform.

According to him, world-class remuneration for legal professionals would also sanitise the judiciary for a prosperous Nigeria, justas he also added that a new Nigeria was possible with his renewed hope but it
would require making bold decisions that would be painful at first but beneficial in the end.

Tinubu explained that the bold steps his administration was taking to find lasting solutions to the challenges
confronting the country would succeed only with the cooperation and collaboration of all, especially the private sector.

“I am not cynical, I am factual, The critical and bold initiatives embarked upon will yield the desired results only with collaboration and cooperation of the private sector.

“We are so blessed and we are still lacking. A change of mindset is what we need. We accused our previous leaders, we complain too much about the past, it is not the solution, we must look forward, God has
given us creative minds and will,” he said.

The president said that the country could not continue to service external debt with about 90 per cent of its revenue, hence the hard decision his administration was making in that regard.

He commended the NBA for the theme which he said was timely and implored the association to give his administration maximum support to succeed.

“I want to learn. Remind me of what I’m doing right, and I will continue, whatever I am doing wrong, tell me, and I will change,’’ the president said.

President Tinubu also declared that Nigeria will stop utilising economic strategies that spend the majority of its resources on foreign debts.

According to him, hard decisions must be made to set the country on a growth trajectory, despite the initial pains that meaningful reforms usually bring.

“Prosperity will only occur once poverty is banished,” Tinubu told the lawyers present at the event as he called for help from business leaders.

 “Can we continue to service external debts with 90% of our revenue? It is a path to destruction. It is not sustainable. We must make the very difficult changes that are necessary for our country to get up from slumber and be respected among the great nations of the world.”

“We cannot have the country we desire without the reforms we have initiated. It is painful at the beginning, in the short and medium term, but we must do what we have to do to take this nation to its great
destiny.

“It is not about you and it is not about me. It is about our generations yet unborn, for whom we must bequeath a great and prosperous country.”

Against the backdrop of the judicial reforms he undertook as Lagos State Governor, Tinubu renewed his commitment to deal conclusively with the pressing issue of remuneration for judicial officers and
legal practitioners, noting that true justice reform must begin with world-class salaries and benefits for legal professionals in Nigeria.

“You are learned. I want to learn. Why are we so blessed and we are still lacking? We must have a change of attitude and a change of our mindset. We accuse our nation and its previous leaders.

“We complain a lot of the past. Is that the solution? No! Let us look forward and be determined! God has given us what we need.

“We must work hard with determination to make our country great and it begins with you who are seated here with me,” the President exclaimed.

Referring to the keynote address delivered by the Chairman of UBA Plc and Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, whom he praised for setting an agenda for economic growth and development, Tinubu bemoaned the
inability of the country to eradicate poverty and tackle poor electricity supply, despite Nigeria’s abundance of gas.

The President promised that his government would ensure that Nigeria generates and distributes the electricity the economy requires to thrive. “Yes, it is a shame not to have adequate electricity for the mass majority of homes in Nigeria and to power our industries. How can we address poverty without electricity?

“We can take many people out of poverty with an uninterrupted electricity supply. Poverty is not acceptable, and we must banishit,” President Tinubu concluded.

In his welcome address, NBA President, Yakubu Maikyau, SAN, expressed the confidence of the NBA in the ability of President Tinubu to deliver good governance to Nigeria because of his pedigree and past
track record of excellent performance in Lagos State, where he was the governor between1999-2007.

 “President Tinubu got it right in Lagos, and it is our considered expectation that as President of Nigeria, you will not only replicate your achievements in Lagos but surpass them for our country.”

In his own keynote address at the gathering, the Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation,  Elumelu, said eradication of poverty in the country was the ultimate solution to insecurity and extremism.

According to Elumelu, poverty anywhere is a threat to all of us everywhere, the ultimate panacea for insecurity and extremism is prosperity.

“This is why all of us must think of legacy and play our role and part now that we can, to urgently support our young ones to become economically engaged, else we are doomed.

“We must give them hope. Hope for a better tomorrow. Let us not underestimate the power of hope.

“Hope is what fuels the dreams of our youth, what ignites the determination of our entrepreneurs, and what unites us in our pursuit of a better future.

“Nations that prioritise their young go far. It is no coincidence that an American that created Harvard and Stanford, also produced Amazon, Microsoft and Google. We need the same focus on our young,
their futures and ambitions,’’ Elumelu said.

He said it was important for the country to invest in security because banditry, kidnapping, oil theft and pipeline vandalisation created uncertainties, fears, deprivation, poverty, and untold hardship.

“Let us invest in brand Nigeria. We know the frustrations, we know that joblessness of our youth is a betrayal of a generation; and the plundering of our commonwealth is inhumane and cruel, but we have no other motherland than Nigeria,’’ he said.

He also noted the need to invest in women saying that women were the threads that hold families and societies together.

“Let us invest in our women. When a woman succeeds, families and communities are lifted out of poverty. It is no surprise that in my businesses, women lead and flourish.

“Let us invest in our power sector. Let us create regulatory structures that reward success, that deliver to our people, our schools, our hospitals and our industries, the sustainable, robust power supply
that our country so urgently needs.

“Is it not ironic that a country with abundant gasresources cannot optimally operate its power plants due to lack of gas?’

“We have idle gas fields and there is so much private capital to make the needed investments for gas production. Yet, we cannot produce gas to power our economy and 21st-century industrialisation,’’
he said.

The entrepreneur implored all Nigerians to approach the task of nation-building with unwavering determination, guided by the principles of unity, inclusivity, and progress.

“Let our pursuit of nation-building be characterised by unwavering determination, empathy, and the commitment to create a legacy of progress, unity, and hope for generations to come.

In his own address at the gathering, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), tasked the legal practitioners with upholding
the rule of law and promoting human rights.

He pledged that under him, the Ministry of Justice would work hard to promote people-centred justice and that they would be guided by relevant provisions of the Constitution.

However, the conference was not without drama.  Street Star musician Habeeb Okikiola aka Portable, who performed at the conference, was at the centre of the controversy

Some lawyers staged a walkout at the concert of the (NBA) tagged ‘Unbarred’ when the star street singer appeared on stage as the guest performer.

The incident happened on Thursday at the Velodrome of the MKO where some legal practitioners had fun with the vibes as they danced to ‘Zah Zuh’ crooner’s performance, while some others were said to have walked
out of the venue when the singer appeared on stage.

However, National Publicity Secretary of the NBA, Akorede Lawal, denied that lawyers staged a walk- out because the singer appeared on stage to perform for the them

According to Lawal, Obi Cubana, the headline sponsor brought Portable to the conference to perform because he was one of his products (Odogwu bitters) brand ambassadors

“We did not pay a dime to Portable for the concert. It is the largest gathering of lawyers anywhere in the world and so to that extent, we always write to sponsors to finance every level of our events.

“We have partners from America, Chile, and a host of other countries who pride in what we do and take it upon themselves to get the programme financed annually.

 “No, they did not. The Friendship Centre is the customary place where all lawyers go to unwind, network and do all other social activities.

“So, the concert was meant to take place there but we later told the lawyers to move to the ‘Unbarred concert’ at the Velodrome of the National Stadium in Abuja because we don’t want two events at the same time
given that that place (Friendship Centre) had been decorated already to promote
their brands,” Lawal added

The conference was also attended by the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike; the Minister of Sports, Senator John Enoh; the Attorney General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi; the Chief
of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; the Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; past NBA Presidents; and numerous top government officials all attended the conference.

Ranti Thomas is the CEO and Managing Director of theroyaltimes.com