TheHILL | JUDICIARY | June 13, 2021.
Nigerian Lawyers under the auspices of the Nigerian Bar Association- Section of Legal Practice ( NBA-SLP) are meeting in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital for the 2021 NBA-SLP annual national conference.
The conference as gathered by this reporter is holding between Sunday, 13th – Wednesday, 16th June,2021 at the IBOM ICON Hotel and Golf Resort, Idu , Uruan Local Government Area.
The Nigerian Bar Association is a non profit organization and it is also a body for all Nigerian lawyers who have been admitted in to the bar in Nigeria.
The primary objectives of the Association include, the engagement of members in the promotion and protection of human rights, the good governance in the country.
NBA has an observer stutus with the African Commission on human and peoples rights and maintain a good working partnership with many national international non governmental organization concerned with similar goals and objectives in Nigeria and Africa at large.
NBA is made up of 125 branches, three professional sections, two specialised institutes, six practice- cadre forums and high level leverage in the political society in the country.
Addressing a press conference in Uyo on Friday, the Chairman of the body, Oluseun Abimbola said the choice of Uyo for the conference was strategic, describing the state as the best place for the 2021 annual conference.
He said the theme of this year’s conference is “Law , Lawyer and the Next Generation”.
” At the end of the event,I believe very strongly that members will benefit immensely and will be highly rated conference because of the content of the organisation and other veriety of programmes and activities we intend to have”
He added that no fever than 16 committees, 24 NBA- SLP and conference will engage members on a number of issues for optimal results of the Association.
He further disclosed that the gathering will afford attendees opportunity to brain storm topical of issues bothering on the body and the country, saying it will be interesting and rewarding
Abimbola assured that there will be strict compliance to COVID 19 protocol as well as security of members.
“We are appreciative of the fact that Akwa Ibom State is safe and peaceful state, we are very comfortable for host the conference here”,he stated.
Last year, lawyers could not gather together because of the outbreak of COVID 19 pandemic in the country but the annual conference was held vertually.
Also speaking, the chairman of the Central Planning Committee, Ferdinand Orbih( SAN) said that resouce persons have been selected to speak on socio economic, security and other challenges and also profer solutions in other to have a better Nigeria.
According to him,” the conference will also examine judiciary autonomy, COVID 19 vaccine, the legal implementation and how it affects citizens, other critical issues as well as debate by the young Lawyers.
He disclosed,” what we are presenting to the legal practitioners and indeed Nigerians is a content reach conference.we shall have a premium show case session,where we are bringing in some of the brighter light of the Nigeria democracy”.
The Chairman of NBA-SLP, future added that some of the State Givernors and other eminent Nigerians have been penciled down to talk about socio economic, cultural challenges we are having at the moment as well as security challenges in the country.
He continues,”apart from examining the nature of the challenges, the speakers will profer solutions as to how this can be better managed”.
He also stressed that there will be a session to on the Judiciary Independence which according to him has been at the front burner in recent time.
He told journalists that in line with the policy of the Nigerian Bar Association to train and retrain Nigerian lawyers in other to be updated and upgraded in the law profession, the conference will also embark on policy.
This medium further learnt that aside from the conference, members will have opportunity of taking part in other activities such as morning walk out, party that will host creative talent show, total time out for social interactions among members.
Present at the Press Conference were,the Secretary of Central Planning Committee-Tonye Krukrubo, Chairman of Local Organising Committee- Abasidiong Ekpenyong.
Other members of Central Planning Committee include, Inemesit Dike, Victor Frank- Briggs, Esosa Omo Usoh and the newly elected Chairman of NBA,Uyo branch, Ememobong Nicholas
