The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Meeting, scheduled for August 28, 2024, has been marred by confusion and communication issues.On Tuesday, NBA General Secretary Adesina Adegbite announced that the meeting would be held at 12 noon at the Balmoral Hall of the Federal Palace Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos. He provided a link to the Annual General Meeting Report and details for members to join the meeting virtually via Zoom. https://tinyurl.com/bdpa7jv7
However, NBA National Publicity Secretary Akorede Habeeb Lawal later sent out a conflicting notice, stating that the meeting would actually begin at 11 AM at the same venue. Lawal’s announcement has led to confusion among NBA members about the correct start time. https://tinyurl.com/bdpa7jv7
To add to the disarray, members attempting to join the Zoom meeting at the scheduled time reported being unable to enter, with a message indicating that the host had not yet started the meeting. Efforts to reach NBA officials for clarification have so far been unsuccessful.
The NBA Annual General Meeting is a statutory meeting open to all members of the association, regardless of whether they were registered for the just concluded 2024 Annual General Conference. The meeting is an important forum for discussing key issues affecting the legal profession in Nigeria.
As of the time of filing this report at 12:26 PM, it remains unclear whether the meeting will proceed at 11 AM or 12 noon, and whether the virtual participation issues will be resolved. The host is not letting people into the Zoom meeting.
At the physical venue of the meeting, the Balmoral Convention Centre at the Federal Palace Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, there are no signs of activity. No NBA officials have been seen at the venue. However, lawyers who have arrived are busy taking chairs and waiting for the meeting to commence.
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