NBA-SLP Set to Deliver Content-Rich Conference in Uyo

Sunday, June 13 to Wednesday, June 16, 2021, will see the who-is-who in the Nigerian legal profession converging in the city of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, for the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Legal Practice’s Annual Conference. The star-studded Conference which will be declared open by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, has as Keynote Speaker, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. Chairman of the 2021 Conference Planning Committee, Chief Ferdinand Orbih, SAN, in a brief chat with Onikepo Braithwaite and Jude Igbanoi, gave reasons why every Lawyer in Nigeria should endevour to register and attend the Conference which will be held both virtually and physically, with strict compliance to Covid -19 Protocols

You are the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Section on Legal Practice Conference Planning Committee of the 2021 Annual General Conference, which is scheduled to take place June 13 – 16 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. Kindly, give us an overview of the Conference. What is the theme, this year? How do Members register? Will this Conference be a hybrid of virtual and physical attendance, as a result of the Covid-19 Pandemic? If so, what is the maximum number that will attend physically? What protocols have you put in place, to protect those who will attend the Conference physically?

The theme of the Conference is ‘Law, Lawyers and the Next Generation’. The NBA Section on Legal Practice (SLP), in keeping with its core mandate to assist members to develop and improve their legal services to the public, has put together this Conference scheduled to take place in Uyo from the 13th to the 16th of June, 2021 at the Ibom Icon Hotel and Golf Resort. We have painstakingly ensured a content-rich Conference, where a galaxy of some of the brightest and best brains in the legal profession and the larger Nigerian society will present and discuss topical legal issues shaping the legal profession, both now and in the future.

The Premium Showcase Session will beam its searchlight on the peculiarities of the political, economic and socio-cultural aspects of life in Nigeria from the perspectives of public officers, rights activists, professionals and corporate administrators. The Showcase Session shall, apart from identifying the factors that are responsible for the lack of progress in our national life, look at how to make Nigeria work for us.

Judicial Autonomy is right now on the front burner of societal discourse. What should the Judiciary do with its autonomy, if it wins it at the end of the present titanic struggle? The Conference is primed to provide an answer to this burning question.

The world as we used to know it has changed forever, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Covid-19 tests are now mandatory for travellers across the globe. Mandatory vaccination for international travellers, is currently being contemplated by many countries. This “new normal” arising from the pandemic is what has informed SLP to focus on Vaccination Mandates and the Law, at its forthcoming Uyo Conference.

We shall also look inwards to highlight current challenges facing the profession, with a view to repositioning it for greater impact and effectiveness. Towards this end, the Conference shall examine emerging trends in the establishment and development of law firms in Nigeria, especially with the emergence of arbitration and conciliation as a force in dispute resolutions, as well as the need for specialisation in different areas of legal practice. Similarly, issues such as financing Law Firms, data protection and cyber security shall be examined in detail at the Conference, with a view to preparing law firms for present and future challenges in these areas of legal practice.

We shall round off the Conference with a Young Litigators’ Debate, which shall square up to determine Whether Police Can Enforce the Law without Breaking It. Participation in this debate started with prequalification rounds already held, and the finalists will be some of our best to debate this topic at the Conference.

The Conference shall be a hybrid one, that is, attendance shall be by both physical and online. To register you must log on to www.nba-slp.org. The process is seamless, as you will be prompted throughout the registration process.

What are your plans regarding the security of Conferees coming to Uyo? We are all aware that the level of insecurity in the country is unprecedented, and Akwa Ibom State which has had at least five attacks on its INEC’s offices, has not been spared from the insecurity
Delegates should rest assured that no stone will be left unturned to ensure their safety right from arrival in Uyo, at their hotels and at the Conference venue. The issue of security in present-day Nigeria, is not one to be taken lightly. However, you will agree with me that pages of Newspapers are not fit and proper, for a discussion of the details of the security arrangement for the Conference.

What are the CPC’s plans regarding accommodation for Lawyers, especially those who may not be financially buoyant? How will NBA-SLP ease the financial burden of the Conference for young Lawyers, particularly those who will be attending physically?

The importance of assisting young Lawyers to attend the conference cannot be overemphasised. Towards this end, the Conference Planning Committee (CPC) has worked out an arrangement with hotels, motels and guest houses in Uyo, to give our conferees generous discounts during the Conference. The details of the arrangement, are already on various Lawyers’ social media platforms across the country.

In addition, we have worked out a rebate on air tickets to Uyo for the Conferees with Ibom Air, to enable as many Lawyers as possible to attend the Conference.

Who is the Keynote Speaker for the Conference? Which other Speakers have been lined up? What are the Conference highlights?

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad will Chair the opening ceremony, while the Keynote Address will be delivered by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Right Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila. At every event during the conference, there will be cross-pollination and cross -fertilisation of ideas between the Legal Practitioners, Political Leaders and the larger Nigerian society.

Societal challenges such as systemic corruption, wide spread insecurity and emigration of our human resources will be x-rayed by Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN of Ondo State, Emmanuel Udom of Akwa-Ibom State (the host Governor), as well as Professor Pat Utomi and Ms. Kadaria Ahmed.

The topic: The End of Litigators, Awakening the Next Generation will be handled by very experienced litigators as well as young lawyers such as, Funke Adekoya, SAN, Boma Alabi, SAN, Chukwuka Ikwazom, SAN, Soibi Ovia Esq., Dr. Orowhuo Okocha and Adesile Obasa, Esq.
E. C. Ukala, SAN shall chair the discussion on Judicial Autonomy while Hon, Justice B. B. Kanyip (President of the National Industrial Court), Hon. Justice O. A. Williams (Rtd.), Dr. Babatunde Ajibade, SAN, Uko Udom, SAN, Hon. Onofiok Luke and Jonathan Taidi are the panelists for that session.
Y. C. Maikyau, SAN, Professor Zubairu Iliyasu (Chair NHREC), Laolu Osanyin (Vice-President, World Association for Medical Law), Aisha Ado Abdullai (Registrar, Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators) and Agba Eimunjeze are set to discuss the topic Vaccination Mandates and the Law.

What provisions have you made for older members of the NBA-SLP who are not internet savvy, and may not be able to register for the Conference online? Will there be provision to register at the Conference venue, or what plans have you put in place to ensure that they are not excluded from the Conference?

The obvious need to strictly observe the National Covid-19 protocols, allows us to only allow for limited onsite registration for the Uyo 2021 Conference at the venue. There is also need for us to be certain about the number of delegates who intend to physically attend the Conference. This is to enable us attend to such details as the number of face masks and hand sanitisers, to be provided at the venue. It will also enable us to make the necessary sitting arrangements, in line with the already established Covid-19 protocols. So, registration for the Conference is primarily online.

As for the older members of the Bar who may not be internet savvy, we are sure that they should have juniors in chambers and/or children who can help them go through the registration process.
The Uyo 2021 Conference promises to be interesting and exciting, and all Lawyers in Nigeria should endeavour to attend it.

Thank you.