I have read the views of some of my colleagues that the NBA should return the sum of N300 million donated to it by the legitimate Rivers State Governor for the 2025 Annual General Conference of the Bar, which was initially scheduled to hold in Rivers State in August this year. Some of my colleagues went further to argue that the NBA should not collect money from the government and that the NBA must be self-funding. Plausible and sound as these arguments may be, I think most are not rooted in the realities of our situation as Nigerian lawyers.
But before returning to this, let me repeat what I said earlier on this N300 million. I have expressed the view that—even if the N300 million given to the NBA by Governor Sim Fubara was for hosting rights, as claimed by the illegal and unconstitutional Sole Administrator of Rivers State—it would be unconstitutional and unlawful for the NBA to return the money to the Sole Administrator. Doing so would amount to recognizing him as a legitimate authority in Rivers State. I do not even think the Sole Administrator deserves a reply from the NBA. If he feels strongly about his case, he should go to court and enforce the alleged breach of the hosting rights agreement. We will meet him there. In any case, was he appointed as a debt collector or to restore peace in Rivers State, which his appointors claim Governor Sim Fubara could not? What an absurdity of illegality.
I stand by this view. The illegal and unconstitutional Sole Administrator can go to court. We will meet him there. But my main concern now is the trending suggestion by my colleagues that the NBA should refund the money and not be funded by those in power. I welcome these suggestions. Let us begin by setting examples. Those who believe the money should be refunded should start by making donations to the NBA, enabling the association to return the money to the Governor of Rivers State when he is reinstated.
As far as I know, the NBA survives largely on donations from governments and other willing donors to fund its Annual General Conferences. Conference registration fees alone are not sufficient to host these events. How many lawyers in Nigeria are willing and ready to donate generously to the NBA for its annual conferences? How much do we pay as membership fees to fund NBA activities? Even the practising fees are reluctantly paid by many.
Are we, as lawyers, truly ready for an independent Bar that does not go cap in hand to fund its activities and conferences?
Many times, we even struggle to pay for annual conferences. Year in, year out, we debate the conference fees. How many senior lawyers, especially Senior Advocates of Nigeria and other senior members of the profession, are willing to pay one million Naira each as conference fees for NBA events? Yet we eagerly pay far more to attend IBA and CLA events, including flight tickets and accommodation.
While I deeply appreciate the views of my colleagues on the need for the NBA to be self-funded and self-sufficient, we must all commit to financially supporting the association and ensuring its accountability. The NBA must invest, grow, and become profitable to stand tall. That said, I see no reason to return the money—especially since it was not tied to hosting rights. If we all agree that the NBA should not accept money from the government, then we must also agree to fund it ourselves.
Jubril Sam Okutepa is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Constitutional lawyer
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