Ilorin NBA hosts Annual Dinner amidst funfair

By Mike Adeyemi

The Nigerian Bar Association, Ilorin branch on Friday hosted her 2021 annual bar dinner amid funfare as outstanding members were recognized are awarded.

The event which was held at De Peace Hotel & Suite, Tanke area of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital was attended by creme de la creme in the both the bench and bar across the country.

Speaking with our reporter at the event, the Chairman, Nigeria Bar Association ,Ilorin branch, AbdulGaniyu Bello describes this year annual dinner as unique, attributing it to a new dawn among legal practitioners in the state.

According to him, “The outgoing year has been a huge success in the legal practice in the state as we turned out two to three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), annually.

“We are here today for this year annual dinner and award night. It is traditional at least to dine and wine devoid of our tight schedules because at the end we are busy and do show that it is the litigants that are adversary.

“The fact that we are against ourselves in the court doesn’t mean that we cannot come together and that is the essence of this dinner. At least to bring ourselves together and interact, ” the NBA boss said.

Bello added that the outgoing year has brought about lots of successes among members of Ilorin bar as more SANs have been produced and Kwara lawyers and judges have been ranked as some of the best in Nigeria.

“We have been doing well in the outgoing year and pray God to help us uphold it. I must tell you that we have foremost lawyers in this branch, and it is a tradition on yearly basis we turned out like two, three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), every year.

“Last year we had two SANs. This year we have three. So at least yearly, if we don’t have at all, we produce one, ” Bello affirmed.

Reacting to the lingering division and crisis among legal practitioners in the state hitherto his emergence as Ilorin NBA chairman, Bello said full sanity has returned to the bar in the state.

“In fact one of my manifestoes when I was campaigning was that I want to raise the bar, as of today by God grace we have raised the bar and we are still raising the bar. We have more than 500 practitioners , almost 600 that registered for this dinner.

“This is the first time we are having such larger numbers. We have SANs now attending our meetings since that time we had rancour. But we are now one. You can see senior and junior lawyers interacting as one. No more rancor in Kwara NBA.” he stressed.

X-raying his achievement since he assumed the mantle of Ilorin NBA leadership two years ago, Bello said he hasn’t renege on his campaign promises of keeping the bar together.

“I think first and foremost we have been able to put the bar together. We are now one. In the area of welfare, at least we have been carrying our members along as required. We have ID cards for our members, customized stickers and what is utmost is that we have given a face-lift to our members.

“Just of recent, we hosted maiden NBA Ilorin vocational indoor sports where we provides sporting facilities. But the foremost is bringing ourselves as one as against division of the past,” the NBA chairman said.

He however express optimism that the government will grant full autonomy to the judiciary as that is what the constitution said and it’s attainable.