By Editor

*Holds interactive session with Branches of the NBA in Bayelsa, inspects Yenagoa Bar House *Promises to advocate for more judges for Federal High Court, Yenagoa. *Meets with Attorney General, Chief Judge and Governor of Bayelsa State *Secures Government’s sponsorship for Law Officers Association of Nigeria.

In an effort to constantly engage with the legal community, the President of the NBA, Mr. Olumide Akpata recently led some members of his team on a 2-day working visit to Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State Capital.

According to a statement by the Publicity Secretary of the NBA, Dr. Rapulu Nduka the visit saw the NBA President interacting with all branches of the Association in Bayelsa, as well as visiting the Attorney General of the State, Biriyai Dambo (SAN), the Chief Judge of the State, the Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri and the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).

According to the statement, upon arrival on the 11th day of April 2022, the NBA President held an interactive session with members of the various Branches of the NBA, in Bayelsa State. At this Session, the NBA President reassured legal practitioners in the State of the focus of the National Executive Committee towards ensuring an all-inclusive Bar with particular emphasis on the professional well being and general welfare of its members. He reminded the members that the Branches of the NBA are the very critical constituent parts that make up the Association and stated that the various Branches must rise up to take their place, within each jurisdiction, for the promotion of the rule of law and improving the welfare of the members within their domain.

According to Nduka, the NBA President further outlined some of the steps already taken by the National Executive Committee to improve the welfare of the members, especially in the area of comprehensive insurance cover for all legal practitioners in Nigeria and access to finance for lawyers, sustenance of the production and delivery of free stamps upon payment of Annual Bar Practicing fee, increment of the Leadway Assurance Benefit to N2Million, continuous disbursement of the N1Million to lawyers with critical ailment and/or permanent disabilities, free law pavilion subscription for young lawyers, subsidized law pavilion rates for senior members of the Bar, addressing the rise in harassment of lawyers by security operatives through the NBA Security Agency Relations Committee (NBA-SARC), revitalization of the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, amongst others.

Also, a number of other Bar-related issues were discussed during the interactive session including, but not limited to, the administration of justice system in Bayelsa State, peculiar Branch related issues, continuing legal education peculiar to the jurisdiction, expansion of the existing legal space and provision of more opportunities for lawyers within the State, specialization and diversification of legal practice.

After the Interactive session with Lawyers, the NBA President, Mr. Olumide Akpata, in the company of the NBA 3rd Vice President, Mr. Omubo Victor Frank-Briggs, Welfare Secretary, Mr. Olukunle Edun and a host of others, paid a visit to the Attorney General of Bayelsa State, Mr. Biriyai Dambo (SAN).

The visit provided the NBA President and his team with an opportunity to engage extensively with the Attorney General regarding an improvement in the Welfare of the members of the Law Officers Association of Nigeria (LOAN) in Bayelsa State, and urged that LOAN keys into the various capacity building trainings organized by the NBA. The NBA President further secured the commitment of the A.G, to sponsor members of LOAN to the upcoming Annual General Conference of the NBA. The NBA President pledged to take up the request for additional Judges for the Federal High Court in the State, and the citing of a Court of Appeal in Bayelsa State.

The NBA delegation also paid a courtesy visit to the Chief Judge of Bayelsa State – Hon. Justice Kate Abiri CON. At the visit, the NBA President pledged that the NBA will continue to push for better welfare for judicial officers in Nigeria, and urged that stakeholders must continue to demand for the elevation of only qualified individuals to the Bench.

Subsequently, the NBA delegation visited the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to secure the commitment of the Board in liaising with the NBA Institute of Continuing Legal Education (NBA-ICLE) to train legal practitioners and to partner with the NBA in promoting the Nigerian Local Content.

Later on, the NBA delegation also paid a courtesy visit on the Governor of Bayelsa State, H.E Senator Douye Diri. The visit provided the NBA President and his team with an opportunity to engage the Governor on the need for the provision of more judicial divisions in other areas of the State, request for additional judges for the Federal High Court, and to secure the support of the government in the building of the Bar Centre in Yenagoa.

The NBA delegation further inspected the ongoing building of the NBA Bar Centre in Yenagoa and the various building projects at the Yenagoa Campus of the Nigerian Law School (NLS) sponsored by the Rivers State Government.