I deliberately missed the 2016 Annual general conference which
held in Port-Harcourt. It was deliberate because as at August 2016
I was yet to get over the bitterness in my throat occasioned by the
management and conduct of the 2015 Annual General Conference. Those
that attended the 2016 Annual general conference tried to convince
me that the 2016 AGC was worse than that of 2015. But I did not
believe them, because nothing can surpass the evil of having
lawyers wrestling themselves to either collect conference materials
or food, which formed the major occurrences of the 2015 AGC that I
remember the most. Whether the wrestling at the 2016 AGC is more
devastating and embarrassing can only be determined by those that
attended both conferences.
The 2017 AGC was hyped by its organizers like all AGCs before
it, so the hyping did not get me. For me, it was an opportunity to
get a Tablet or sue NBA and win. I have always imagined what the
Headline will look like “Young Kaduna Lawyer obtains Judgement
against Nigerian Bar Association”. To be honest, I fantasised with
the headline idea a lot. It was also an opportunity to buy Law
books. I thought of it this way; NBA conferences are usually about
the only place where you get the most unique of all Law Textbooks
at discounted rate, and since most publishing houses are located in
Lagos, it means that the 2017 AGC will have more books and more
discounts. I also wanted to explore other business opportunities in
Lagos for my clients, friends and relatives. And finally there were
some topics listed in different sessions of the conference that I
could have paid my entire savings to attend. Topics like “Essence
of a Strong Legal Brand” , “The Rise of the Digital Economy and the
Law firm it needs” , “What is the Plan: Managing Client
Expectations”, “Being relevant in emerging Practice Areas” are
topics that could simply make me fly to Lagos just to listen to one
of them and return. There were many other topics for Lawyers with
different interest. For me I needed more training on how to improve
my Law firm to make it Digital, competitive, and of International
Repute. The 2017 AGC was just the first step I needed to take.
The 2017 AGC demonstrated signs of being totally different from
the previous conferences due when two weeks before the conference,
conference materials which constitute Tablets and Access Cards
arrived various pickup locations nationwide like it was promised
earlier. Though the Tablet did not meet the expectations of many of
us that are used to faster devices, it has at least foreclosed our
(me and some friends) mischievous desire of suing the NBA to secure
some flattering headlines. Those that did not receive their
conference materials either due to late registration were informed
to get theirs in Lagos. Everybody eventually got his conference
materials and those that did not receive theirs can hardly blame
the NBA for it.
I will highlight the aspects that make the 2017 AGC better than
all the previous ones combined, and I will also highlight areas
that need improvement in subsequent Conferences.
DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION:
Whoever was saddled with the responsibility of informing
conferees about the plans, protocols and procedures of the
conference has truly discharged his/her responsibility. Frequent
updates came by email, Whatsapp broadcasts, Facebook, conference
website etc. All conferees knew almost everything before reaching
the conference venue. Those that did not collect their access card
or tablet before going to Lagos were promptly informed on where to
get them. What to do if your card does not have your photograph,
where to channel complains etc. Details of events, lectures, lunch,
speakers and everything in between were made available
electronically and on hard copies. Even before the conference, we
knew where to watch the conference from, those that registered
early were to be in the main hall where the plenary events would
take place and those that registered after the sits in the main
hall have been exhausted were told that they will watch from a
viewing centre set up in Nigerian Law School. You could tell where
you belong as soon as you collect your access card. The information
was clear right from registration stage.
There was also a one leaf programme of events that summarises
all the lectures and events at the conference. As if that was not
enough, this team ensured that the conference did not distract us
from National events; it freely distributed Guardian Newspapers
every day, throughout the conference days. The conference Events
were covered live by a number of TV station. The Newspaper
distribution and live coverage are to the best of my knowledge
unprecedented.
Notwithstanding, the redundancy of information dissemination, I
met a lot of conferees that have absolutely no clue, what is going
on. Even though I largely blame them for not making the requisite
efforts to tap information, I still believe the NBA could do
better.
Subsequent AGCs should widen the horizon of their information
dissemination to ensure that more members are fully aware. Three
Steps should be considered for improvement:
- Ensure that at the point of registration every conferee links
his social media page with the corresponding social media
conference page. For example if a conferee registers his Facebook
page, then he automatically gets to receive all updates on Facebook
regarding the conference.
- Every Conferee should provide his functional phone number,
which should be verified through SMS verification. That way all
updates on the conference can be repeated via SMS for those that
register. Longer messages can be shortened with URLs for any
conferee that is interested in the details of the information to
follow the link.
- NBA branches nationwide should be mandated to update a whatsapp
platform where all branch members can receive and share timely
information.
SECURITY:
One thing that can never go unnoticed is the security men that
manned the gates of the conference venues. I almost concluded that
those heavy men were either professional wrestlers from WWE, or
they were specially bred just for the sake of the 2017
conference. Unless one has a genuine right to be at any of
the conference venues, it will be suicidal to go near those
muscular and combat ready men. Yet the men were very civil,
courteous and respectful even when some lawyers try to insist on
rights they do not have. They will only let the Lawyers vent their
anger orally, they know very well that no pot-bellied Lawyer will
dare their physical might. So they calmly but strictly followed
their instructions to the later.
At the Main venue, the Landmark Event centre, there were about
five stages of screening before entering the main hall. The first
stage is at the gate, you show your access card, and if your access
card does not have photograph on it, then you show any ID card that
will identify you with your name. Then there is the second stage,
another set of muscular men with a muscular woman get to also check
your access card ID card where necessary. Then before climbing the
stairs that lead to the electric door, some less muscular men will
now look at the access card to see the colour code. The codes are:
red, blue and yellow, at this stage you will be advised on which
door will allow you access. If your card is has a red code, you it
means only the red door will allow you access, so you will not be
allowed to go up the stairs if that is not where your door is. On
reaching the electric door, there is another scrutiny here, your
access card will be checked along with your ID card if necessary
before it will be scanned by the door to grant you access. And
finally at the main door to the even there is another check, they
will check then advise you on where to sit, so as to ensure even
distribution of audience in the hall. I doubt if the Presidential
villa has that number of checks before reaching the President.
There are also armed men within and around the area of the
conference events. Police trucks were placed at strategic intervals
fully prepared for any unforeseen eventuality.
However, I noticed a major security loophole that could have
been catastrophic if it had been found by miscreants or criminals.
There is no serious wall separating the Land mark event centre with
the beach. A security breach could have easily occurred from behind
the Conference venue. Thank God it did not. One will hope that in
the future, a separate security consultant will be hired to
audit/review the security infrastructure of the conference venue to
further minimise the vulnerability of the venue.
CROWD CONTROL
Whoever is in charge of this unit is a genius. To manage more
than 11,000 delegates with such simplicity is very uncommon in
Nigeria. It started with the idea of the viewing centre. Though
many people were unhappy with the idea of watching events from a
screen while they are in Lagos where the events are taking place,
it would have been reckless to allow 11,000 delegates to assess a
venue that can only take half of that population. One would wish
that the conference committee should have gotten a venue that could
contain all the conferee at once, but such wish might not be easily
attainable. And if it got attained it will come with its
consequences, such as uncontrollable crowd, and disorganised venue.
Previous conferences have shown that Lawyers cannot be trusted to
remain orderly especially when resources are likely not to go
round.
The Park and ride was also an amazing innovation that reduced
vehicular traffic congestion to the Landmark event centre.
Executive buses conveyed delegates from different locations to the
venue. Five locations were provided where delegates could park
their cars and ride the executive buses.
The staffs managing the crowd were smart, and courteous. I
noticed how they maintained radio communication for every line of
decision they take. They had this synergy in every unit. They know
when a session is starting and when it is ending, they know what
topic is going on in which hall; they know the halls that are
already filled up, and those that have spaces. They know when it is
time for breakfast or lunch.
Talking of Breakfast and Lunch, the manner that these crowd
mangers or whatever they are called managed how conferees got their
food was amazing. Breakfast always took place inside the conference
venue. The serving tables were so spaced that almost every conferee
could get his breakfast effortlessly. For the lunch, there were
about five mighty halls spaced at strategic intervals. And the
coded door policy also applied at the lunch venue, so you get to
enter only through the colour of the door that corresponds to your
access card even though everybody will end up in the same hall.
After your meal, you have to exit through a different door
dedicated for exit only. So there was no clogging whatsoever at any
entrance.
One thing that helped in managing crowd in the 2017 AGC was the
abundance of everything. The conference booklet, the free
newspapers, the card holder, the conference summarised programme of
events, the breakfast and the lunch were all distributed in
abundance. If you want more than one share of anything you will not
be stopped.
One can hardly fault the crowd control strategy. The 2017 AGC
has proven that NBA conferences could truly be orderly.
THE MEALS
In previous conferences, most conferees would rather make
private arrangements for their meals than queue up for the
humiliation associated with getting the conference food. The 2017
NBA AGC conference was different.
During breakfast, conferees get to freely choose between taking
tea or coffee, taking sausage, or meat pie or cake or other variety
of pastries. Everything was abundant, and easy. The ushers were
high respectful and courteous, if you argue with them, they let you
win.
The Lunch was a buffet with all sorts of dishes and available
from 12:30pm to about 4:00 or 5:00pm. So conferees took their time
and still got their warm meal.
One would have wished that something was served for dinner, but
considering the amount of resources expended on breakfast and lunch
it would be reasonable not to expect a third meal.
There was abundance of waiters moving from one table to another.
In some instances, I got asked twice after I had already placed my
order. They were fast and efficient. They show no sign of fatigue
or frustration.
I learnt that delegates at the viewing centre were also served
food, though I do not have the details. I also know that they were
free to ride any of the luxury buses to come to the main event
centre for their breakfast and lunch.
However, towards the end of the conference particularly on
Wednesday 23rd of August, it became obvious that the
conference organisers slacked on providing abundant meal. The Food
service providers were obviously reduced, and it became a little
bit more tedious for delegates to get served. That notwithstanding,
it was still more efficient than previous conferences. By Thursday,
the organizers terminated the free meals like it was stated in the
conference booklet. One will hope that in the future, the momentum
will be maintained evenly until the last day of the conference.
Meals are integral part of the conference, apart from giving young
lawyers more opportunity to reserve their money for buying more
books. It is also a socialisation ground for networking and
reunions. Moreover, I believe a balance could be struck between the
redundancy of food on the days it was served and the days it was
not served. The sponsors could also be increased with more
effort.
THE LECTURES
This is about the best thing for me in the 2017 AGC. It was an
avenue for capacity building. Any one that attends the lectures
knows that the resource persons this year are out of the ordinary.
They came from different parts of the world and from different
fields. There was less rhetoric about national issues et al. There
was prioritisation of making Lawyers to think global expansion, to
manage their practice like a business that it is, to leave the
conservative and archaic mode of running law firms, to embark of
strong partnerships within and outside the country. The NBA
president underscored the significance of globalising our Practice
in his opening remark.
The Conference, delivered on its promises. The discussions were
rich, the debates were thrilling, and the topics were very timely.
In about two sessions we argued whether the prohibition of
advertisement for legal practitioners has outlived its usefulness.
It was even suggested that a position paper will be sent to the NBA
executive on the need to review the rule against advertisement for
legal practitioners. Some of us entertained the fear, that removing
the rule totally might not do well for the profession. We also go
to meet in house counsels of reputable organisations, where they
discussed their expectations on external solicitors among many
other things.
This most traumatising part of the lectures for me was the
arrangement of the breakout sessions. At a point I wished I could
divide myself into two or three and each part should attend a
different session at a different time. I pray in due course, the
organisers of the conference will make available all the sessions
on a dedicated YouTube channel. I cannot stop dreaming about what
those sessions I missed looked like. I think in the next
conference, putting delegates in such kind of dilemma should be
avoided. Every break out session should cover different interests
at a time. For example choosing between “Essence of a Strong
Legal Brand” and “The Rise of a Digital Economy and the
Law firm it needs” was a nightmare for me. I could not sleep a
day before the topics because I was trying to choose which to
attend. And I could not sleep the night the topics were delivered
because I was trying to guess what I missed. There are many other
dilemmas like that. Sometimes I will enter one of the sessions with
the intention of leaving it later and joining an alternative
session, but as soon as I enter the session, I get glued and stay
till the end wondering what is occurring in the other halls. It
felt like I was having two core exams running concurrently in
different halls. The NBA can alleviate such feelings in the
future.
OTHER SIDE ATTRACTIONS
The AGC 2017 commercialised all social events this year. While
the social freak delegates might find this unacceptable. For me it
is a good way of using the financial resources obtained during
registration strictly for the conference. That way the conference
gets to deliver on its expectations. And those interested in the
social events should pay extra for their entertainment.
Also there was free Wi-Fi provided by Airtel all over the
conference. However the network got overwhelmed and I think only
people that can be patient with slow internet enjoyed it. In the
future, other network providers should be motivated to compete in
providing the free Wi-Fi for the benefits of delegates. This is
more pertinent considering the fact that some sessions involved the
need to visit a URL for personality test.
The Friendship centre, Lagos did not disappoint me with calibre
of market around the conference venue. Almost everything was
available in the friendship centre and the make-shift market
directly opposite the venue. Books, clothes, shoes, jewelleries,
food, wigs, gowns, ties, gadgets etc. There was almost everything
as long as one has the cash to pay. However the make-shift market
was highly under supervised. The hygiene was very poor; many places
around the market smell unexplainably. I pray this will not
translate into health challenges for delegates that ate food there,
either in the long term or short term. In the future, such markets
should be moderated, which could simply be done by writing to the
Government of the state to send its environmental officials. Also I
found it unacceptable that the vendors at the friendship centre do
not have functional POS machines. They must have lost a lot of
revenue and we would have also lost out buying some books.
The Tablet given as the conference souvenir is a remarkable
improvement on previous conferences. Apart from the unprecedented
giving out of tablets to conferees, the fact that every delegate
got his tablet is yet another milestone in the recent history of
the NBA. In previous conference only luck and might will make a
delegate get his conference bag and writing pad. For many delegates
the 2017 conference is the first time they ever owned a tablet.
This is a remarkable achievement towards digitalising legal
practice in Nigeria. The conference ought to have been pre-loaded
with Legalpedia application, Lawbreed Application and CLRN direct.
However only CLRN was properly functional, the other two
applications had to bring their staff to manually install the
applications for delegates one after another. It appears the
applications were hurriedly prepared to catch up with the
conference and this affected the performance of the Applications. I
also noticed that the Applications were not as free as the
providers claimed, in reality the applications are embedded with
advertising wares that annoyingly prevent peaceful enjoyment of the
applications. This is understandable considering the fact that the
companies that own these companies have to pay bills to remain
afloat. But it was expected that they should have disclosed this
material facts to the delegates. I am yet to ascertain if there are
any of the applications that do not have the advert ware in it. I
believe in subsequent conferences more preparation will be done in
this regard.
The Health check-ups was also a new touch for the conference. At
least most lawyers have finally been told that they are overweight.
Medical advises have been granted by Tristate Cardiovascular
Associates Limited.
CONCLUSION
The 2017 NBA Annual General Conference has proven that with
dedication, vision, determination and selflessness, a world class
NBA conference is achievable. Gone are the days for shabbily
prepared conferences with clichéd topics and unhelpful
rhetoric.
The 2017 AGC also underscores the value we get from the amount
we usually pay for conferences. Considering the unusually higher
amount we paid for the 2017 AGC, it is apparent that the amount
paid played a part in making the conference successful.
For those that got offended for one policy or the other, I think
they should truly look inward and be sincere on what role they
played in their misfortune. While the NBA or the Technical
Committee of Conference Planning may not be totally absolve from
blame in some instances, I am yet to see any instance in which an
offended NBA member did not play a role in his misfortune.
– Al-ameen Abubakar
alameeneabubakar@nigerianbar.ng
I deliberately missed the 2016 Annual general conference which
held in Port-Harcourt. It was deliberate because as at August 2016
I was yet to get over the bitterness in my throat occasioned by the
management and conduct of the 2015 Annual General Conference. Those
that attended the 2016 Annual general conference tried to convince
me that the 2016 AGC was worse than that of 2015. But I did not
believe them, because nothing can surpass the evil of having
lawyers wrestling themselves to either collect conference materials
or food, which formed the major occurrences of the 2015 AGC that I
remember the most. Whether the wrestling at the 2016 AGC is more
devastating and embarrassing can only be determined by those that
attended both conferences.
The 2017 AGC was hyped by its organizers like all AGCs before
it, so the hyping did not get me. For me, it was an opportunity to
get a Tablet or sue NBA and win. I have always imagined what the
Headline will look like “Young Kaduna Lawyer obtains Judgement
against Nigerian Bar Association”. To be honest, I fantasised with
the headline idea a lot. It was also an opportunity to buy Law
books. I thought of it this way; NBA conferences are usually about
the only place where you get the most unique of all Law Textbooks
at discounted rate, and since most publishing houses are located in
Lagos, it means that the 2017 AGC will have more books and more
discounts. I also wanted to explore other business opportunities in
Lagos for my clients, friends and relatives. And finally there were
some topics listed in different sessions of the conference that I
could have paid my entire savings to attend. Topics like “Essence
of a Strong Legal Brand” , “The Rise of the Digital Economy and the
Law firm it needs” , “What is the Plan: Managing Client
Expectations”, “Being relevant in emerging Practice Areas” are
topics that could simply make me fly to Lagos just to listen to one
of them and return. There were many other topics for Lawyers with
different interest. For me I needed more training on how to improve
my Law firm to make it Digital, competitive, and of International
Repute. The 2017 AGC was just the first step I needed to take.
The 2017 AGC demonstrated signs of being totally different from
the previous conferences due when two weeks before the conference,
conference materials which constitute Tablets and Access Cards
arrived various pickup locations nationwide like it was promised
earlier. Though the Tablet did not meet the expectations of many of
us that are used to faster devices, it has at least foreclosed our
(me and some friends) mischievous desire of suing the NBA to secure
some flattering headlines. Those that did not receive their
conference materials either due to late registration were informed
to get theirs in Lagos. Everybody eventually got his conference
materials and those that did not receive theirs can hardly blame
the NBA for it.
I will highlight the aspects that make the 2017 AGC better than
all the previous ones combined, and I will also highlight areas
that need improvement in subsequent Conferences.
DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION:
Whoever was saddled with the responsibility of informing
conferees about the plans, protocols and procedures of the
conference has truly discharged his/her responsibility. Frequent
updates came by email, Whatsapp broadcasts, Facebook, conference
website etc. All conferees knew almost everything before reaching
the conference venue. Those that did not collect their access card
or tablet before going to Lagos were promptly informed on where to
get them. What to do if your card does not have your photograph,
where to channel complains etc. Details of events, lectures, lunch,
speakers and everything in between were made available
electronically and on hard copies. Even before the conference, we
knew where to watch the conference from, those that registered
early were to be in the main hall where the plenary events would
take place and those that registered after the sits in the main
hall have been exhausted were told that they will watch from a
viewing centre set up in Nigerian Law School. You could tell where
you belong as soon as you collect your access card. The information
was clear right from registration stage.
There was also a one leaf programme of events that summarises
all the lectures and events at the conference. As if that was not
enough, this team ensured that the conference did not distract us
from National events; it freely distributed Guardian Newspapers
every day, throughout the conference days. The conference Events
were covered live by a number of TV station. The Newspaper
distribution and live coverage are to the best of my knowledge
unprecedented.
Notwithstanding, the redundancy of information dissemination, I
met a lot of conferees that have absolutely no clue, what is going
on. Even though I largely blame them for not making the requisite
efforts to tap information, I still believe the NBA could do
better.
Subsequent AGCs should widen the horizon of their information
dissemination to ensure that more members are fully aware. Three
Steps should be considered for improvement:
- Ensure that at the point of registration every conferee links
his social media page with the corresponding social media
conference page. For example if a conferee registers his Facebook
page, then he automatically gets to receive all updates on Facebook
regarding the conference.
- Every Conferee should provide his functional phone number,
which should be verified through SMS verification. That way all
updates on the conference can be repeated via SMS for those that
register. Longer messages can be shortened with URLs for any
conferee that is interested in the details of the information to
follow the link.
- NBA branches nationwide should be mandated to update a whatsapp
platform where all branch members can receive and share timely
information.
SECURITY:
One thing that can never go unnoticed is the security men that
manned the gates of the conference venues. I almost concluded that
those heavy men were either professional wrestlers from WWE, or
they were specially bred just for the sake of the 2017
conference. Unless one has a genuine right to be at any of
the conference venues, it will be suicidal to go near those
muscular and combat ready men. Yet the men were very civil,
courteous and respectful even when some lawyers try to insist on
rights they do not have. They will only let the Lawyers vent their
anger orally, they know very well that no pot-bellied Lawyer will
dare their physical might. So they calmly but strictly followed
their instructions to the later.
At the Main venue, the Landmark Event centre, there were about
five stages of screening before entering the main hall. The first
stage is at the gate, you show your access card, and if your access
card does not have photograph on it, then you show any ID card that
will identify you with your name. Then there is the second stage,
another set of muscular men with a muscular woman get to also check
your access card ID card where necessary. Then before climbing the
stairs that lead to the electric door, some less muscular men will
now look at the access card to see the colour code. The codes are:
red, blue and yellow, at this stage you will be advised on which
door will allow you access. If your card is has a red code, you it
means only the red door will allow you access, so you will not be
allowed to go up the stairs if that is not where your door is. On
reaching the electric door, there is another scrutiny here, your
access card will be checked along with your ID card if necessary
before it will be scanned by the door to grant you access. And
finally at the main door to the even there is another check, they
will check then advise you on where to sit, so as to ensure even
distribution of audience in the hall. I doubt if the Presidential
villa has that number of checks before reaching the President.
There are also armed men within and around the area of the
conference events. Police trucks were placed at strategic intervals
fully prepared for any unforeseen eventuality.
However, I noticed a major security loophole that could have
been catastrophic if it had been found by miscreants or criminals.
There is no serious wall separating the Land mark event centre with
the beach. A security breach could have easily occurred from behind
the Conference venue. Thank God it did not. One will hope that in
the future, a separate security consultant will be hired to
audit/review the security infrastructure of the conference venue to
further minimise the vulnerability of the venue.
CROWD CONTROL
Whoever is in charge of this unit is a genius. To manage more
than 11,000 delegates with such simplicity is very uncommon in
Nigeria. It started with the idea of the viewing centre. Though
many people were unhappy with the idea of watching events from a
screen while they are in Lagos where the events are taking place,
it would have been reckless to allow 11,000 delegates to assess a
venue that can only take half of that population. One would wish
that the conference committee should have gotten a venue that could
contain all the conferee at once, but such wish might not be easily
attainable. And if it got attained it will come with its
consequences, such as uncontrollable crowd, and disorganised venue.
Previous conferences have shown that Lawyers cannot be trusted to
remain orderly especially when resources are likely not to go
round.
The Park and ride was also an amazing innovation that reduced
vehicular traffic congestion to the Landmark event centre.
Executive buses conveyed delegates from different locations to the
venue. Five locations were provided where delegates could park
their cars and ride the executive buses.
The staffs managing the crowd were smart, and courteous. I
noticed how they maintained radio communication for every line of
decision they take. They had this synergy in every unit. They know
when a session is starting and when it is ending, they know what
topic is going on in which hall; they know the halls that are
already filled up, and those that have spaces. They know when it is
time for breakfast or lunch.
Talking of Breakfast and Lunch, the manner that these crowd
mangers or whatever they are called managed how conferees got their
food was amazing. Breakfast always took place inside the conference
venue. The serving tables were so spaced that almost every conferee
could get his breakfast effortlessly. For the lunch, there were
about five mighty halls spaced at strategic intervals. And the
coded door policy also applied at the lunch venue, so you get to
enter only through the colour of the door that corresponds to your
access card even though everybody will end up in the same hall.
After your meal, you have to exit through a different door
dedicated for exit only. So there was no clogging whatsoever at any
entrance.
One thing that helped in managing crowd in the 2017 AGC was the
abundance of everything. The conference booklet, the free
newspapers, the card holder, the conference summarised programme of
events, the breakfast and the lunch were all distributed in
abundance. If you want more than one share of anything you will not
be stopped.
One can hardly fault the crowd control strategy. The 2017 AGC
has proven that NBA conferences could truly be orderly.
THE MEALS
In previous conferences, most conferees would rather make
private arrangements for their meals than queue up for the
humiliation associated with getting the conference food. The 2017
NBA AGC conference was different.
During breakfast, conferees get to freely choose between taking
tea or coffee, taking sausage, or meat pie or cake or other variety
of pastries. Everything was abundant, and easy. The ushers were
high respectful and courteous, if you argue with them, they let you
win.
The Lunch was a buffet with all sorts of dishes and available
from 12:30pm to about 4:00 or 5:00pm. So conferees took their time
and still got their warm meal.
One would have wished that something was served for dinner, but
considering the amount of resources expended on breakfast and lunch
it would be reasonable not to expect a third meal.
There was abundance of waiters moving from one table to another.
In some instances, I got asked twice after I had already placed my
order. They were fast and efficient. They show no sign of fatigue
or frustration.
I learnt that delegates at the viewing centre were also served
food, though I do not have the details. I also know that they were
free to ride any of the luxury buses to come to the main event
centre for their breakfast and lunch.
However, towards the end of the conference particularly on
Wednesday 23rd of August, it became obvious that the
conference organisers slacked on providing abundant meal. The Food
service providers were obviously reduced, and it became a little
bit more tedious for delegates to get served. That notwithstanding,
it was still more efficient than previous conferences. By Thursday,
the organizers terminated the free meals like it was stated in the
conference booklet. One will hope that in the future, the momentum
will be maintained evenly until the last day of the conference.
Meals are integral part of the conference, apart from giving young
lawyers more opportunity to reserve their money for buying more
books. It is also a socialisation ground for networking and
reunions. Moreover, I believe a balance could be struck between the
redundancy of food on the days it was served and the days it was
not served. The sponsors could also be increased with more
effort.
THE LECTURES
This is about the best thing for me in the 2017 AGC. It was an
avenue for capacity building. Any one that attends the lectures
knows that the resource persons this year are out of the ordinary.
They came from different parts of the world and from different
fields. There was less rhetoric about national issues et al. There
was prioritisation of making Lawyers to think global expansion, to
manage their practice like a business that it is, to leave the
conservative and archaic mode of running law firms, to embark of
strong partnerships within and outside the country. The NBA
president underscored the significance of globalising our Practice
in his opening remark.
The Conference, delivered on its promises. The discussions were
rich, the debates were thrilling, and the topics were very timely.
In about two sessions we argued whether the prohibition of
advertisement for legal practitioners has outlived its usefulness.
It was even suggested that a position paper will be sent to the NBA
executive on the need to review the rule against advertisement for
legal practitioners. Some of us entertained the fear, that removing
the rule totally might not do well for the profession. We also go
to meet in house counsels of reputable organisations, where they
discussed their expectations on external solicitors among many
other things.
This most traumatising part of the lectures for me was the
arrangement of the breakout sessions. At a point I wished I could
divide myself into two or three and each part should attend a
different session at a different time. I pray in due course, the
organisers of the conference will make available all the sessions
on a dedicated YouTube channel. I cannot stop dreaming about what
those sessions I missed looked like. I think in the next
conference, putting delegates in such kind of dilemma should be
avoided. Every break out session should cover different interests
at a time. For example choosing between “Essence of a Strong
Legal Brand” and “The Rise of a Digital Economy and the
Law firm it needs” was a nightmare for me. I could not sleep a
day before the topics because I was trying to choose which to
attend. And I could not sleep the night the topics were delivered
because I was trying to guess what I missed. There are many other
dilemmas like that. Sometimes I will enter one of the sessions with
the intention of leaving it later and joining an alternative
session, but as soon as I enter the session, I get glued and stay
till the end wondering what is occurring in the other halls. It
felt like I was having two core exams running concurrently in
different halls. The NBA can alleviate such feelings in the
future.
OTHER SIDE ATTRACTIONS
The AGC 2017 commercialised all social events this year. While
the social freak delegates might find this unacceptable. For me it
is a good way of using the financial resources obtained during
registration strictly for the conference. That way the conference
gets to deliver on its expectations. And those interested in the
social events should pay extra for their entertainment.
Also there was free Wi-Fi provided by Airtel all over the
conference. However the network got overwhelmed and I think only
people that can be patient with slow internet enjoyed it. In the
future, other network providers should be motivated to compete in
providing the free Wi-Fi for the benefits of delegates. This is
more pertinent considering the fact that some sessions involved the
need to visit a URL for personality test.
The Friendship centre, Lagos did not disappoint me with calibre
of market around the conference venue. Almost everything was
available in the friendship centre and the make-shift market
directly opposite the venue. Books, clothes, shoes, jewelleries,
food, wigs, gowns, ties, gadgets etc. There was almost everything
as long as one has the cash to pay. However the make-shift market
was highly under supervised. The hygiene was very poor; many places
around the market smell unexplainably. I pray this will not
translate into health challenges for delegates that ate food there,
either in the long term or short term. In the future, such markets
should be moderated, which could simply be done by writing to the
Government of the state to send its environmental officials. Also I
found it unacceptable that the vendors at the friendship centre do
not have functional POS machines. They must have lost a lot of
revenue and we would have also lost out buying some books.
The Tablet given as the conference souvenir is a remarkable
improvement on previous conferences. Apart from the unprecedented
giving out of tablets to conferees, the fact that every delegate
got his tablet is yet another milestone in the recent history of
the NBA. In previous conference only luck and might will make a
delegate get his conference bag and writing pad. For many delegates
the 2017 conference is the first time they ever owned a tablet.
This is a remarkable achievement towards digitalising legal
practice in Nigeria. The conference ought to have been pre-loaded
with Legalpedia application, Lawbreed Application and CLRN direct.
However only CLRN was properly functional, the other two
applications had to bring their staff to manually install the
applications for delegates one after another. It appears the
applications were hurriedly prepared to catch up with the
conference and this affected the performance of the Applications. I
also noticed that the Applications were not as free as the
providers claimed, in reality the applications are embedded with
advertising wares that annoyingly prevent peaceful enjoyment of the
applications. This is understandable considering the fact that the
companies that own these companies have to pay bills to remain
afloat. But it was expected that they should have disclosed this
material facts to the delegates. I am yet to ascertain if there are
any of the applications that do not have the advert ware in it. I
believe in subsequent conferences more preparation will be done in
this regard.
The Health check-ups was also a new touch for the conference. At
least most lawyers have finally been told that they are overweight.
Medical advises have been granted by Tristate Cardiovascular
Associates Limited.
CONCLUSION
The 2017 NBA Annual General Conference has proven that with
dedication, vision, determination and selflessness, a world class
NBA conference is achievable. Gone are the days for shabbily
prepared conferences with clichéd topics and unhelpful
rhetoric.
The 2017 AGC also underscores the value we get from the amount
we usually pay for conferences. Considering the unusually higher
amount we paid for the 2017 AGC, it is apparent that the amount
paid played a part in making the conference successful.
For those that got offended for one policy or the other, I think
they should truly look inward and be sincere on what role they
played in their misfortune. While the NBA or the Technical
Committee of Conference Planning may not be totally absolve from
blame in some instances, I am yet to see any instance in which an
offended NBA member did not play a role in his misfortune.
– Al-ameen Abubakar
alameeneabubakar@nigerianbar.ng
Read more https://nairalaw.com/nba-annual-general-conference-2017-a-review-by-al-ameen-abubakar/