*Says Another Problem Is that the NBA Constitutional
amendments in 2014 – 2016 created a lopsided voting in favour of
Lawyers between 1 and 10 years at the Bar, who naturally preferred
younger candidates to lead the Bar
![image](/2020/10/lawreport.jpg")
The former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr.
Joseph Daudu, SAN, has said that problem in NBA is not one of
systemic corruption but desire and competition to lead the Bar
![image](/2020/10/NWLRland.jpg")
He said this during an interactive session with
THIS DAY
newspaper[1] when asked
on the reasons behind corruption, electoral disaffection in the
Association despite universal suffrage and the ongoing prosecutions
over rigging of 2018 elections.
He advised that any candidate for the office of NBA President
must deliver concrete manifesto and proposals for his 2 year
tenure, should he eventually win.
“…in answer to your question, the problem in NBA is not one of
systemic corruption. It is not that elected leaders want to tamper
with the Association’s resources, or that the Association has such
magnitude of resources as to make that the attraction for
leadership. No. the desire and competition to lead the Bar stems
from only one factor, and that is to lead the world’s most
enlightened and learned group. That the President is primus inter
pares among or within the community of learned people, is, in my
view, the motivating factor to aspire to that office. Consequently,
any candidate for the office of NBA President must deliver concrete
manifesto and proposals for his 2 year tenure, should he eventually
win.
“It is still one of those offices that you must establish a wide
knowledge of the state of affairs, in both the legal profession and
Nigeria as an entity. The Bar must always be seen as the bastion
and protector of the Rule of law, and its leadership must not be
shy of speaking truth to the powers that be. The President of the
NBA must be proactive in such matters as (a) criminal justice
reforms, (b) fundamental human rights, (c) Gender and vulnerable
people’s rights, (d) intergovernmental relationships and (e) the
organogram and governance mechanism of the Bar’s secretariat and
all its branches. Why then should these altruistic duties pose any
problem, in selecting suitable candidates to discharge such onerous
and thankless duties? The answer is that, there is usually a welter
of qualified candidates from which to draw.” he said
He added that the problem in NBA is generational and most
lawyers called to bar from 2010 do not identify with Branches of
the Association anymore.
The learned silk faulted the constitutional amendment of NBA
which took place during the tenure of President Austin Alegeh, SAN
(2014-2016). According to him, it introduced lopsided voting in
favour of Lawyers between 1 and 10 years at the Bar, who naturally
preferred younger candidates to lead the Bar.
He said such universal suffrage is the cause of friction within
the Association. He however expressed confidence that the committee
set up by the incumbent president, Olumide Akpata, will proffer
workable solutions
He said, “The problem in the past 10 years surprisingly, is
clearly generational. In the NBA, the primary or basic unit of
entry into Bar political activities is the Branch. Consequently, in
the past, anyone who is able to persuade his colleagues through the
Branches would surely emerge successful or victorious as NBA
President. Now, it is not in doubt that majority of legal
practitioners called to the Bar from the period 2010-2020, do not
belong to or identify with the NBA branches. They are lone
rangers.
“This is discernible from the membership population of the
branches vis-a-vis the total number of practitioners called during
this period. Consequently, up till the year 2016, these branchless
Lawyers were not able to participate in the delegate system which
was reserved for Bar insiders. However, upon the amendment of the
NBA Constitution during the tenure of President Austin Alegeh
(2014-2016), election of National Officers was thrown open through
universal suffrage – meaning every Lawyer called to the Nigerian
Bar now possessed, subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions,
the unqualified right to vote at the Associations biennial
elections. Consequently, the population of the universal suffrage
Lawyers now outstripped those of their conservative colleagues, who
had to bide their time going through the branch hierarchy.
“The said NBA Constitutional amendments created a lopsided
voting base in favour of Lawyers between 1 and 10 years at the Bar,
who naturally preferred younger candidates to lead the Bar. It is
the dynamics of getting as many of this latter category to vote
that brings about campaign and electoral strategies which have
created the friction that you have referred to, as marring all
those elections held post the afore-described constitutional
amendments. As I said above, a high-powered Panel is looking into
the matter, and I am confident it will come out with workable
proposals to resolve the conundrum.”
J. B. Daudu disagreed with the view that NBA leadership had lost
focus in the past few years. According to him, every administration
comes a different perspective and issues that are dominant or
prevalent, at the time of its operations.
“I respectfully disagree that the NBA leadership lost focus, at
any point in time. Leadership styles differ. With every
administration comes a different perspective and issues that are
dominant or prevalent, at the time of its operations. More so, a
President of the Bar comes into office grappling with the issues he
campaigned to resolve for the good of the Bar and the nation. Most
of these issues are Justice sector and Rule of law related. I know
that no President of the NBA, has ever been fingered as having sold
out to Government. The current President of the Bar, Olumide
Akpata, campaigned on a specific set of issues, principal of which
are (a) welfare of all legal practitioners with emphasis on young
Lawyers, (b) Secretariat reforms and (c) ensuring that the voice of
the Bar is heard on issues of critical national interest. So far, I
am satisfied that the President has lived up to his Billing, and
can only wish him God’s guidance and wisdom in piloting the affairs
of the NBA during his tenure.” he said
*Says Another Problem Is that the NBA Constitutional
amendments in 2014 – 2016 created a lopsided voting in favour of
Lawyers between 1 and 10 years at the Bar, who naturally preferred
younger candidates to lead the Bar
The former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr.
Joseph Daudu, SAN, has said that problem in NBA is not one of
systemic corruption but desire and competition to lead the Bar
He said this during an interactive session with
THIS DAY
newspaper[1] when asked
on the reasons behind corruption, electoral disaffection in the
Association despite universal suffrage and the ongoing prosecutions
over rigging of 2018 elections.
He advised that any candidate for the office of NBA President
must deliver concrete manifesto and proposals for his 2 year
tenure, should he eventually win.
“…in answer to your question, the problem in NBA is not one of
systemic corruption. It is not that elected leaders want to tamper
with the Association’s resources, or that the Association has such
magnitude of resources as to make that the attraction for
leadership. No. the desire and competition to lead the Bar stems
from only one factor, and that is to lead the world’s most
enlightened and learned group. That the President is primus inter
pares among or within the community of learned people, is, in my
view, the motivating factor to aspire to that office. Consequently,
any candidate for the office of NBA President must deliver concrete
manifesto and proposals for his 2 year tenure, should he eventually
win.
“It is still one of those offices that you must establish a wide
knowledge of the state of affairs, in both the legal profession and
Nigeria as an entity. The Bar must always be seen as the bastion
and protector of the Rule of law, and its leadership must not be
shy of speaking truth to the powers that be. The President of the
NBA must be proactive in such matters as (a) criminal justice
reforms, (b) fundamental human rights, (c) Gender and vulnerable
people’s rights, (d) intergovernmental relationships and (e) the
organogram and governance mechanism of the Bar’s secretariat and
all its branches. Why then should these altruistic duties pose any
problem, in selecting suitable candidates to discharge such onerous
and thankless duties? The answer is that, there is usually a welter
of qualified candidates from which to draw.” he said
He added that the problem in NBA is generational and most
lawyers called to bar from 2010 do not identify with Branches of
the Association anymore.
The learned silk faulted the constitutional amendment of NBA
which took place during the tenure of President Austin Alegeh, SAN
(2014-2016). According to him, it introduced lopsided voting in
favour of Lawyers between 1 and 10 years at the Bar, who naturally
preferred younger candidates to lead the Bar.
He said such universal suffrage is the cause of friction within
the Association. He however expressed confidence that the committee
set up by the incumbent president, Olumide Akpata, will proffer
workable solutions
He said, “The problem in the past 10 years surprisingly, is
clearly generational. In the NBA, the primary or basic unit of
entry into Bar political activities is the Branch. Consequently, in
the past, anyone who is able to persuade his colleagues through the
Branches would surely emerge successful or victorious as NBA
President. Now, it is not in doubt that majority of legal
practitioners called to the Bar from the period 2010-2020, do not
belong to or identify with the NBA branches. They are lone
rangers.
“This is discernible from the membership population of the
branches vis-a-vis the total number of practitioners called during
this period. Consequently, up till the year 2016, these branchless
Lawyers were not able to participate in the delegate system which
was reserved for Bar insiders. However, upon the amendment of the
NBA Constitution during the tenure of President Austin Alegeh
(2014-2016), election of National Officers was thrown open through
universal suffrage – meaning every Lawyer called to the Nigerian
Bar now possessed, subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions,
the unqualified right to vote at the Associations biennial
elections. Consequently, the population of the universal suffrage
Lawyers now outstripped those of their conservative colleagues, who
had to bide their time going through the branch hierarchy.
“The said NBA Constitutional amendments created a lopsided
voting base in favour of Lawyers between 1 and 10 years at the Bar,
who naturally preferred younger candidates to lead the Bar. It is
the dynamics of getting as many of this latter category to vote
that brings about campaign and electoral strategies which have
created the friction that you have referred to, as marring all
those elections held post the afore-described constitutional
amendments. As I said above, a high-powered Panel is looking into
the matter, and I am confident it will come out with workable
proposals to resolve the conundrum.”
J. B. Daudu disagreed with the view that NBA leadership had lost
focus in the past few years. According to him, every administration
comes a different perspective and issues that are dominant or
prevalent, at the time of its operations.
“I respectfully disagree that the NBA leadership lost focus, at
any point in time. Leadership styles differ. With every
administration comes a different perspective and issues that are
dominant or prevalent, at the time of its operations. More so, a
President of the Bar comes into office grappling with the issues he
campaigned to resolve for the good of the Bar and the nation. Most
of these issues are Justice sector and Rule of law related. I know
that no President of the NBA, has ever been fingered as having sold
out to Government. The current President of the Bar, Olumide
Akpata, campaigned on a specific set of issues, principal of which
are (a) welfare of all legal practitioners with emphasis on young
Lawyers, (b) Secretariat reforms and (c) ensuring that the voice of
the Bar is heard on issues of critical national interest. So far, I
am satisfied that the President has lived up to his Billing, and
can only wish him God’s guidance and wisdom in piloting the affairs
of the NBA during his tenure.” he said