By Dr Monday Ubani
The 2022 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) Annual Conference got off to a roaring start with a Welcome Party attended by a mammoth crowd of delegates and special guests.
The welcome cocktail was hosted by the President of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Justice Benedict Kanyip (Ph.D) who attended the event alongside about five judges of the court.
Aside from Justice Kanyip who attended the event with a retinue of about five NICN judges, other Bar Leaders who graced the occasion include the Lagos State Attorney-General & Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo SAN; Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama SAN; Chief Mike Ozekhome SAN; Mazi Afam Osigwe SAN; Dr. Valerie Azinge SAN, and Mr. Babatunde Ogala SAN.
While the NBA President, Mr. Olumide Akpata was represented by 1st Vice President, Mr. John Aikpokpo-Martins, other National Officers who attended the cocktails were NBA Welfare Secretary, Mr. Kunle Edun; Ms. Mercy Ijato Agada (Treasurer); Dr. Rapulu Nduka (Publicity Secretary), and Ms. Uche Nwadialo (Asst. General Secretary).
Aside from former National Officers such as Mr. Okey Ohagba and Ms. Chinyere Obasi, incoming National Officers and NBA Representatives sighted at the cocktails were Mrs. Linda Bala (1st Vice President), Mr. Chukwuemeka Clement (2nd Vice President), and Ms. Anne Agi.
Also present were several NBA Branch chairmen, NBA-SPIDEL Council and Executive Committee members, as well as some candidates in the recently concluded NBA Elections including Mr. Ede Asenoguan and Mr. Auta Nyada.
Speaking on the event, NBA-SPIDEL Chairman, Dr. Monday Ubani said: “It was a very lovely night, a night to remember. I am grateful to God, to CPC and LOC members who made it a night to remember. Thanks to SPIDEL Council members and to my Vice Chairman, Mr. Steve Abar.
“My gratitude goes to the President of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Justice Benedict Kanyip (Ph.D.) and some of the judges of that court who graced the occasion. The intellectual feast is set to begin with the Opening Ceremony.”
The Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola will declare open the Annual Conference on Thursday, while another Supreme Court jurist, Justice Inyang Okoro will deliver the Keynote Address on the theme, “Undermining judicial authority in democracy: Causes, consequences and solutions.”
Meanwhile, LawPavilion is set to launch a mobile app, JustEase which is a one-stop socio-legal and exciting tool for effective citizen engagement, security intelligence, crime and rights violation tracking, as well as a digital evidence bank for the judiciary.
A surfeit of A-List speakers have confirmed attendance for the Annual Conference which has caught the interest of justice sector stakeholders since its relaunch in 2019 in Aba while the last edition held at Ibadan to much applause. These foremost human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana SAN; fiery human rights advocate, Chief Mike Ozekhome SAN; NBA President-elect, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau SAN; pioneer NBA-SPIDEL Chairman, Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama SAN; former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Kanu Agabi SAN, and Executive Secretary of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Mr. Tony Ojukwu SAN, to name a few.
Aside from networking and packed technical sessions which hold on Thursday and Friday, curtains will be drawn on the Annual Conference on Friday with an exquisite and sumptuous Dinner.
To register for the annual conference, please visit www.nbaspidel.ng or www.nbaspidel.ng/nba-spidel-conference-2022. Onsite registration is also available at the venue of the conference. For enquiries, call 08034461082, 08063088182 or email info@nigerianbar.org.ng.