– The REALITY is unavoidable: while we may postpone confronting it, we cannot escape the consequences of ignoring it.
By Sylvester Udemezue
Dear learned colleagues, as you prepare for the 2025 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA-AGC 2025), several pertinent questions demand our collective reflection, especially for an event that claims to represent the interests and advancement of Nigerian legal practitioners.
1. *Beyond the Glamour: What Are the Core Conversations?* While the AGC undoubtedly offers invaluable opportunities for social interaction, professional networking, and reunion among colleagues, we must ask: what are the substantive topics lined up for discussion at this year’s Conference? How do these topics speak directly to the real and pressing challenges confronting Nigerian lawyers? How will they impact our professional advancement, welfare, and relevance in an ever-evolving legal and socio-economic environment?
2. *What Happened to the 2024 Resolutions?* In 2024, the NBA held its AGC in Lagos. So far, what progress has been made with the subjects discussed, the resolutions adopted, and the policy proposals made during that conference? Or are we merely gathering each year to engage in spirited discussions, only to disperse and forget, until the cycle repeats?
3. *Towards a Purpose-Driven Bar:* It is high time the NBA began to take deliberate, strategic steps towards improving the welfare, dignity, and relevance of Nigerian lawyers. This is no easy task; indeed, no worthwhile pursuit ever is. But as the saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained. We must summon the courage to confront these challenges head-on, mindful of possible setbacks but undeterred by fear of failure. A good starting point is honest dialogue. Our Conferences, Workshops, and Retreats should prioritize discussions around the issues that directly affect the NBA and its members. If we do not address these issues, we cannot adopt informed positions or implement meaningful change.
4. *Are the AGCs Achieving Anything Concrete?* How, exactly, have the NBA’s Annual General Conferences contributed to resolving the core challenges bedeviling the legal profession in Nigeria? Can we point to measurable improvements in the areas of legal education, law reform, lawyer-client relations, justice administration, or the economic empowerment of our members as outcomes of past AGCs?
5. *The Port Harcourt Venue Controversy:* Many of us remain dissatisfied with the NBA’s rationale for the sudden relocation of the 2025 AGC from Port Harcourt. If, as claimed, it was intended as a form of protest against the alleged unconstitutional declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, then who ultimately bears the brunt of this decision? The presidency? The sole administrator? Or the NBA members who had looked forward to the event? Would it not have been a more balanced and effective protest for the NBA to hold the conference in Port Harcourt but exclude invitations to both the President and the sole administrator, thereby making a silent yet powerful statement? Alternatively, if security or political interference was the primary concern, were cities such as Uyo, Asaba, Calabar, Benin City, Yenagoa, or Warri (which are all within the South-South geopolitical zone) not viable alternatives? Was the entire region deemed unsafe?
6. *Sense of Belonging for the South-South:* The hosting rights initially granted to Port Harcourt were likely aimed at fostering inclusion and giving the South-South a sense of belonging. The abrupt withdrawal and relocation may have had the unintended consequence of alienating members from the region. Was this fully considered?
7. *A Conference or a Carnival?* These lingering questions feed into a growing perception that the NBA-AGC has gradually degenerated into a carnival-like gathering: more about merriment, photo-ops, and commercial exhibitions than a serious professional retreat. Many members now attend merely to network, close deals, or collect branded conference bags. The original purpose of reflecting on and addressing the profession’s core challenges appears lost.
8. *A Temple Misused: A Scriptural Analogy:* The phrase “My house shall be called a house of prayer” (Matthew 21:13; Luke 19:46; cf. Isaiah 56:7) reminds us that places meant for sacred or solemn purposes must not be diverted for unrelated or commercialized use. Similarly, the NBA’s Annual General Conference was originally conceived as a forum to critically examine the internal affairs of the Association, proffer solutions to its many challenges, and chart a progressive course for its members. Sadly, the current reality reflects a deviation: NBA-AGCs now focus more on glitz, glamour, and grandstanding, with very little follow-up on meaningful discourse or implementation of resolutions. Even when relevant topics are discussed, they are often forgotten immediately after the conference, while participants move on to the next AGC, more concerned about receiving branded souvenirs or protesting their absence, than about the actual content and impact of the conference.
9. *On to Enugu 2025: More of the Same?* And so, the caravan moves on: to Enugu for NBA-AGC 2025. But with what expectations? Another round of pomp and pageantry, with little or no tangible benefit to the Bar, the legal profession, or the Nigerian justice sector?
10. *FURTHER READING:* For those interested in deeper perspectives on this issue, the following articles may be found useful:
(1). “When Would the NBA Come Home to Begin to Fight for Its Members, as It Does Fight for Others?” – Sylvester Udemezue (28 May 2021, DNL Legal)
(2). ‘Abdication of Duty: How NBA Leaderships Chase After Shadows…” – Sylvester Udemezue (7 April 2021, DNL Legal)
(3). “The Posture of Nigerian Bar Leaders Before and After NBA Elections…” – Sylvester Udemezue (24 June 2021, Law & Society Magazine)
(4). “Leadership of NBA Is Too Serious to Be Left in the Hands of Unfledged, Self-Absorbed Minds” – Sylvester Udemezue (18 August 2022, MetroDaily)
(5). “Steadily Shrinking Law Practice Space in Nigeria…” – Sylvester Udemezue & Olajumoke Shaeeb (NewsWireLawAndEvents; 18 February 2024)
(6). “60 Discussion Subjects NBA Conferences Could Focus On…” – Sylvester Udemezue (12 September 2021, DNL Legal)
(7). “Is the Growing Number of Lawyers a Major Problem in Nigeria?” – Sylvester Udemezue (14 July 2025, The Nigeria Lawyer)
(8). “Endangered Species: The 15 Most Vicious Oppressors of Lawyers in Nigeria” – Sylvester Udemezue (28 February 2022, CourtroomMail)
(9). “A Checklist of 70 Core Challenges Facing the Legal Profession in Nigeria” – Sylvester Udemezue (03 January 2024, The Nigeria Lawyer)
(10). “Enlarging Job Space & Making Lawyers More Useful to Society…” – Sylvester Udemezue
(11). “Bar Associations and the Sad Story of Nigerian Lawyers” – Sylvester Udemezue (3 November 2017)
(12). “RE: Justice Sector Reform Summit 2024” – Sylvester Udemezue (27 April 2024, The Bar and Bench News)
(13). “Lawyers’ Show of Shame Over Conference Bags” – Sylvester Udemezue (28 August 2022, The Guardian)
(14). Etc
In conclusion, the NBA, along with all stakeholders in the legal profession, must retrace its steps. The time to act is now. Let us reclaim the soul and dignity of our noble profession.
Best wishes to the Bar.
(Respectfully,
Sylvester Udemezue (udems),
Proctor of the The Reality Ministry of Truth, Law, and Justice (TRM).
* *Tel:* 08021365545.
* *Email:* udems@therealityministry.ngo, mails@therealityministry.ngo.
* *Web:* www.therealityministry.ngo.
* *Date:* 27 July 2025.)
➖➖
_*The REALITY is unavoidable: while we may postpone confronting it, we cannot escape the consequences of ignoring it.*_
