59th NBA Conference: 500 Kwara legal practitioners grace event

By Kayode Adeoti

Over 500 legal practitioners from Kwara State, on Monday, stormed the city of Lagos to participate in the 59th edition of the Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference (NBA-AGC).
On the roll call of legal practitioners from Kwara currently featuring at the event are the over 100 lawyers from the Ministry of Justice, legal personalities from private Chambers and jurists of lower and higher cadres.
The event which is simoutaneously taking place at the Eko Hotel, Victoria Island and Harbour Point, located at Ahmadu Bello Way, Ikeja in the city of excellence has over 12000 legal practitioners in attendance, the number which was said to be the highest in the history of the NBA-AGC.
The conference was declared opened on Monday by President Muhammadu Buhari who was represented by the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
The AGF on behalf of the President, reiterated commitment to the ‘Rule of Law and Justice while speaking on the theme for the conference: “Facing the Future”.
He noted that the conference represents the largest gathering of lawyers, stressing that it would assist in nation building.
“The theme of the conference, is a reflection of the NBA as a critical stakeholder in the affairs of the nation,” he said.
Also, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad emphasised at the conference, the judiciary independence saying the institution must have total freedom from any arm of government.
He noted that the Judiciary is not truly independent financially, assuring that the arm of government which he heads won’t lose “its firm grip on the mantle of honesty, transparency, and integrity” because of it.
He said: “By the grace of Almighty God, I will tenaciously hold on to that, even until that very moment of my last breath on earth.”Let me assure this assembly that we don’t look at anybody’s face or feelings before making our decisions.”If there is any deity to be feared, that deity is the Almighty God.
“We will never be subservient to anybody, no matter how highly placed,” warning that the Supreme Court will not hold back punishments from “blatant abusers of the court processes”,
Muhammad pleaded with those preventing judicial independence to desist.
“Please, all that are concerned, let us enjoy our independence. If you say that I am independent, but in a way, whether I like it or not, I have to go and bend down, asking (for funds) I have lost my independence” Muhammad said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Ilorin branch of the NBA, Muhammad Idowu Akande has described the 2019 annual conference as educative and imparting one, saying it will broaden the frontiers of lawyers especially in the practice of the profession.
Akande, who is among the planning committee, added that the conference is structured to feature many segments that borders on rule of law and future of human rights, diversity and inclusion for development among many others.
He added that the NBA allocated two venues for the conference to avert the usual occurrence of overcrowding, saying there are many side attractions that to make the event interesting and lively.
Earlier, in his opening remarks, NBA President, Mr Paul Usoro, welcomed all delegates and said that the purpose of such annual conferences is to afford lawyers the opportunity to place contemporary issues on national agenda.
He said that the Conference also affords legal practitioners an opportunity to review the framework within which they operate.
According to him, apart from renewing friendships during such annual conferences, lawyers are also properly disposed in ensuring a protection, promotion, and preservation of the rule of law.
“The essence of being lawyers is to ensure that the rule of law is preserved as lawyers represent the voice of the oppressed,” he said.
Usoro said that the rule of law ensures access to justice, protection of the weak and strong, and independence of the judiciary, adding that it has no preference for tribe or political groups.
He urged delegates to make good use of the conference, which he described as, “Agenda setting”.
In his key note address, President of the International Bar Association , Mr Horatio Neto, emphasised on the need for legal practice to be based on Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
According to him, as part of efforts in realising the theme for the 2019 conference, “Facing the Future” the Bar must now look forward to adapting itself to the reality of new technology.
“There is the need for technology to infiltrate every aspect of legal practice including filing of processes as well as assignment of these processes,” he said.
Neto said that young lawyers are more eager to work in a technology environment, adding that he is optimistic that the legal profession will attain the technological height of creating robots to execute legal works.