Lawyers grumble as Tinubu opens NBA conference

Some lawyers have expressed disappointment with conference materials provided for the 2023 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference (AGC) in Abuja.

This is as President Bola Tinubu is expected to declare open the conference at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja on Sunday.

Lawyers who spoke on the conference, which has the theme: “Getting it Right; Charting the Course for Nigeria Nation Building”, said the conference bags provided by the planning committee are not sufficient for the occasion.

“Many of us would have preferred palmtops or ipads that would contain all the conference presentations,” said a lawyer, who pleaded anonymity.

“Although the bags are of good quality, but we are tired of that, they should get something more portable to move about,” another lawyer said.

The annual conference, which is a week-long event, has different segments and breakout sessions with sub-themes such as “Getting it Right in Economic Development: Harnessing Potentials, Addressing Challenges”; “Getting the Economy Right: Decoding Nigeria’s Strategy for Growth, Diversification, Inclusivity and Sustainability”; and “Legal and Social Challenges of Mining in Nigeria: The Way Forward”.

Others are “Socio – Economic Impact of Oil Subsidy Removal”; “Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Legal Profession in Nigeria”; “AfCFTA: What is in it for the Legal Profession in Nigeria?”; “Prioritising Infrastructure Development in the National Agenda Infrastructure Develop”; “Fake News, Cyber Bullying and Hate Speech on Social Media: what is it and how do we deal with it?”; and “Watt’s Next? Powering Through Nigeria’s new Electricity Act 2023”.

The Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee, Adam Osigwe (SAN), did not respond to calls or messages.

Earlier, in a pre-conference news briefing, the President of the NBA, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN) said the theme of the conference is apt at a time when the nation’s economy is experiencing some level of transformation.

He said 17,000 lawyers nationwide registered to attend the conference.