NBA Clarifies Consequences Of Not Paying Bar Practicing Fee On Or Before 31st March

The Nigerian Bar Association has given clarification on the
consequences of legal practitioners not paying their bar practicing
fee on or before the 31st day of March, 2019.

This was contained in a statement released on the 5th of April,
2019, and signed by the NBA President, Paul Usoro, SAN and sighted
by TNL.

According to the NBA, the explanation is needed following
several enquiries from colleagues who may not paid their bar
practicing fee.

NON-PAYMENT OF BAR PRACTICING FEES ON OR BEFORE 31ST
MARCH OF EACH YEAR – CONSEQUENCES AND REMEDIES

1. We have received several enquiries from colleagues who may
not have paid their Bar Practicing Fees by or before 31 March 2019
on the consequences of their failure to make the payments as at the
said date. This Release is intended to clarify issues in that
regard and to guide those “defaulting” members.

2. Section 1(4) of the Nigerian Bar Association (“NBA” or
“Association”)) Constitution 2015 defines a full member of the
Association as “any person duly enrolled at the Supreme Court of
Nigeria as a legal practitioner and registered with a Branch of the
Association”.

3. Notwithstanding that definition, any member who fails or
neglects to pay his or her Bar Practising Fees (“BPF”) by or before
the end of March of each year shall,
FOR AS LONG AS HE/SHE REMAINS IN
DEFAULT, inter alia, have no right:

I. Of audience in any Court in Nigeria;

II. To prepare, authenticate or frank legal documents including
Memorandum and/or Articles of Association;

III. To hold any office whatsoever to which he or she would have
been entitled by virtue of his/her qualification as a legal
practitioner.

IV. To vote or be voted for at any election of the
Association

4. Furthermore, failure or neglect to pay the Annual Practising
Fees and Branch Dues, as and when due, shall be deemed to be an act
of professional misconduct. In consonance with the NBA
Constitution, Rule 9 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal
Practitioners 2007 mandatorily stipulates as follows:

9. -(1) “A lawyer shall pay his Annual Practicing Fees not later
than 31st March in every year. In the case of lawyers who are
enrolled during the year, the fees shall be paid within one month
of the enrolment.

(2) “A lawyer shall not claim in any court or before a judicial
tribunal that he has paid his Annual Practicing Fee when he is, in
fact, in default.

(3) “A lawyer shall not sign documents, pleadings, affidavits,
depositions, applications, instruments, agreements, letters, deeds,
letters, memorandum, reports, legal opinions or similar documents
or processes or file such documents as a legal practitioner, legal
officer or adviser of any Governmental department or Ministry or
any corporation when he is in default of payment of his Annual
Practicing Fees”.

5. As earlier stated, the non-payment of Bar Practising Fees on
or before 31st March of each year robs the Legal Practitioner of
audience before the Courts with effect from the said “cut-off”
date. Non-payment of the Practising Fees as at when due also denies
the Legal Practitioner certain privileges e.g. elevation to the
Inner Bar as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and/or appointments as
Notary Public and as Judicial Officers.

6. Rule 10(1) of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal
Practitioners 2007 also provides that a lawyer acting in the
capacity of a legal practitioner, legal officer or adviser of any
Governmental department or Ministry or any Corporation, shall not
sign or file a legal document unless there is affixed on any such
document a seal and stamp approved by the Nigerian Bar Association.
The payment of Bar Practising Fees is a pre-condition for the
issuance of the annual seal and stamp.
7. The Question is: Considering the grave consequences
of a failure to pay the Bar Practicing Fees on or before 31st March
of each year, is there any remedy available to defaulting lawyers?
The answer is: YES!

8. If any legal practitioner has failed or neglected to pay
his/her Bar Practising Fees on or before 31st March of any year,
all hope is not lost. The right of audience before the Courts can
be restored and the qualification for the issuance of annual stamps
may be remedied by and upon the immediate payment of the Bar
Practising Fees, albeit, after the cut-off date of 31st March.
Please note, however, that the other privileges (e.g.
elevation to the Inner Bar and appointments as Notary Public and as
a Judicial Officer) will unfortunately
remain forfeited to the defaulting legal
practitioner.

9. It is apropos to state that the BPF can now be paid via the
NBA online portal @ https://nigerianbar.org.ng/portal/login^[1] or at any
Access Bank Branch using the following details:
Account name: Supreme Court of Nigeria (BPF)
Account Number: 0000976716
Bank: Access Bank

10. The Schedule of Fees is as follows:

a. Senior Advocates and Benchers .. .. .. .. N50,000.00

b. Legal Practitioners of 15years & above post-call ..
N25’000.00

c. Legal Practitioners of 10-14 Years post-call .. ..
N17,500.00

d. Legal Practitioners of 5-9 Years post-call .. ..
N10,000.00

e. Legal Practitioners of 0-4 Years post-call .. ..
N5,000.00

11. For those who may now need to pay their Bar Practicing Fees,
having not paid by or before 31 March 2019, please ensure that you
enter your Branch Code in the column provided therefor in the
customized payment teller which would be given to you at the Access
Bank Branch of your choice for the payment.

Paul Usoro, SAN President

Kidnappers Free NIMET’s Spokesperson on the Eve of
Daughter’s Wedding

The General Manager (Public Relations) of the Nigeria
Meteorological Agency (NiMET), Mr. Muntari Yusuf, who was
reportedly kidnapped on Tuesday along the notorious Kaduna-Abuja
expressway, PRNigeria authoritatively gathered was freed Friday
evening by his abductors on the eve of his daughter’s wedding.

The NiMET’s spokesperson who recently survived a ghastly motor
accident with multiple fractures, also successfully gave out his
daughter, Hassana Mukhtar Yusuf, to Saifullah Abdulaziz, in
marriage this Saturday.

It was learnt that family members and well-wishers of the NiMET
senior staff, rallied round to raise the money for the kidnappers,
four days he was taken into hostage.

On how Mr. Yusuf was abducted, a reliable source disclosed that
the kidnappers came with two cars with the first blocking the front
that forced the NiMET’s spokesperson official car, a Peugeot 408 to
stop, while the car behind closed on them.

“The hoodlums fire sporadic gunshots in the air before they
whisked him away,” he added.

Meanwhile, PRNigeria earlier gathered that the kidnappers had
demanded N50 million as ransom, in a recorded telephone
conversation between Mr. Yusuf, his brother, Nura, and one of the
abductors.

But when the family successfully raised N6 million, the
kidnappers bluntly rejected the offer, describing it as
‘rubbish’.

Yusuf was then heard in an emotion-laden voice directing his
brother to withdraw N2 million from his account and sell off his
Honda car to augment the initial offer.

In the conversation, he also cautioned them against taking the
issue with levity or speaking harshly to his kidnappers.

But despite the tragic incident, PRNigeria gathered that the
wedding Fatiha ceremony was held at the Barhim Housing Estate’s
Jumuat Mosque in Katsina State, 11am today, Saturday after his
freedom.

By PRNigeria