NBA 2020 ELECTIONS: A SYPOSIUM BY NATIONAL ASPIRANTS ON HOW TO EFFECT REAL CHANGE ON DAUNTING CHALLENGES IN THE CONTEXT OF THE VARIOUS OFFICES; A PRESENTATION BY JOHN AIKPOKPO-MARTINS, ESQ. By Clementina E. Ukiri, Esq.

In a recent symposium held on the 23rd of April, 2020 by the administrators of the 'Learned Friends Club',  a Whatsapp online media platform created by Olajide Abiodun Esq, the 5th of April 2020 . The purport of the talk was to elicit from all available aspirants into various Nigerian Bar Association National offices what they think about the roles and responsibilities of the offices they aspire into. More particularly, to share their recommendation on the recommendation on how those roles can be achieved with a practical approach.

The virtual symposium was organized by a handful of Lawyers with keen interest in the quality of solutions aspirants into the various NBA National elective positions seek to proffer to daunting challenges in the context devoid of campaign material of opportunity.

Here attached are the grand rules of the Private Whatsapp by the Administrators;

"Profound greetings learned seniors and colleagues. I welcome you to LEARNED FRIENDS CLUB. This is a group set up primarily for the purpose of interfacing and interacting with all aspirants/contestants for the various offices of the NBA National. 

They will all be given ample opportunities to avail us their campaign materials, manifestos, profiles, as well as plans for the Bar.

Note, no derogatory word, comment, and/or posts will be allowed. Links are also prohibited. Stickers, memes, and the likes may be used mildly. Likewise, any post capable of generating unhealthy heats is not welcome.

Note also that joinders and rejoinders, as well as reactions and counter reactions to issues which arise outside the group are not allowed. The group is not a place to settle perceived scores. Members are encouraged to take advantage in promoting their preferences. Please resist the urge to throw jabs at others here.

The admins reserve the right to sanction defaulters.

Everyone is free to ask any or all aspirants/candidates any question bothering on any issue of the Bar. 

PS: avoid unnecessary use of media files. Where a media file is used, it must be captioned appropriately.

Enjoy your stay.

Admin.

RULES GUIDING LEARNED FRIENDS CLUB

All members are to adhere strictly to the rules as follows in bullet points. 

Prohibited Contents

1. CAMPAIGN IS NOT ALLOWED. (NO MATTER THE STYLE AND PATTERN) SAVE UNTIL THE 31ST DAY OF MAY 2020.
2. INSULTS, DEROGATORY STATEMENTS, INNUENDOES, AND ANY INCIVILITY IS PROHIBITED.
3. MEMES AND STICKERS ARE NOT ALLOWED SAVE UNTIL THE 31ST DAY OF MAY 2020
4. MESSAGES NOT RELATED TO THE PURPOSE OF THE GROUP IS PROHIBITED
5. UNHEALTHY ARGUMENTS SEEKING TO DISPARAGE A(NY) CANDIDATE IS PROHIBITED.
6. ANY OTHER POST/COMMENTS AS THE ADMINS MAY DEEM FIT IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES TO BE UNHEALTHY.
7. LINKS OF ANY KIND ARE GENERALLY PROHIBITED POSTS THAT ARE PERMISSIBLE.
8. A PICTURE OF YOUR PREFERRED CANDIDATE WITH THE PREFERRED WORDS YOU WISH TO ASCRIBE TO SAME. (THIS WILL ONLY BE ALLOWED FROM 9PM TONIGHT THE 7TH DAY OF APRIL 2020 AND ENDS 12PM 8TH DAY OF APRIL 2020. A WEDNESDAY. THEN SHALL PICK UP AGAIN FROM 1ST DAY OF JUNE 2020 TILL ELECTION IS OVER.
9. THE GROUP IS MEANT FOR A ONE ON ONE CIVIL INTERACTION WITH ASPIRANTS (OR THEIR CAMPAIGN MANAGERS WHERE THE ASPIRANT IS NOT READILY AVAILABLE), AT ANY DAY AND AT ANY TIME ON ISSUES BOTHERING ON THE DELIVERY OF THE RULE OF LAW AND THE WELFARE OF ALL LAWYERS AS IT AFFECTS THEM. AND HOW THEY INTEND TO ACHIEVE SAME. FURTHER QUESTIONS SHOULD BE PREMISED ON THEIR PROFILE AND THEIR RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS POSED.
10. EACH ASPIRANT WOULD BE ALLOWED TO RESPOND TO MINIMUM OF 10 AND MAXIMUM OF 15 QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE GROUP AS A WHOLE 

So friends of Aspirants should synergise on the questions to be asked. And a member can't ask more than 1 question. Questions to be responded to will be marked by the admins if the same exceeds 10/15 as the situation permits. 

THE GROUP SHALL BE CLOSED DURING THE SESSION TO ALLOW ASPIRANTS ENGAGE US VISAVIS THEIR PROFILE IN BRIEF AND THEN SAME WILL BE REOPENED FOR QUESTIONS. AFTER THE QUESTIONS ARE MARKED TO BE ANSWERED, THE GROUP SHALL BE CLOSED AGAIN TO ENABLE THE ASPIRANTS RESPOND UNHINDERED.

LONG LIVE NBA.

ADMINS........." 

Here below is the excerpt of the presentation discuss of Mr. John Aikpokpo-Martins, an aspirant into the office of the 1st Vice President, NBA.

My name is John Obaika Aikpokpo-Martins. I was called to the bar in 1990, and have been in private legal practice ever since. I was the chairman of NBA Warri branch 2014 -2016, and also with the shortest tenure having spent 1 year, 7 months in office.

I thank the admins for this initiative and for creating this medium of interaction. I am pleased and very humbled to be interacting with other distinguished members of the bar this evening and on this platform.

From the provision of S.5(b), it can be said that the 1st VP is the chief adviser and counsellor to the President on all matters. The 1st VP, therefore, must have something he is bringing to the table to add value and content to leadership. The 1st VP must be capable of discharging the above onerous tasks, and can only do so if he is experienced in the matters of the Association; versatile in the other spheres of life; friendly; accessible; loyal; the confidence to be able to speak the truth and but diplomatic enough to deliver same with finesse and respect. The 1st VP must be a person with the fecundity of thoughts to generate ideas for the President and inevitably for NEC to consider in a concerted effort by all to move the Association forward. The 1st VP must be the hidden strength and armour-bearer of the President. It must be realized too, that it is not about just giving advice, but such advice must not be Ahitopellian.

The duties of the 1st VP are provided for under section 5(b) of the NBA constitution, pls permit me not to paste same, but to refer to any material proviso when necessary,

In essence, the bar needs passionate barmen, tenacious practitioners of the law, vibrant persons with the calmness to assess all issues; and leaders driven by vision and ideas to drive the Association. The President therefore need a 1st VP with the capacity and capability to add these value and attributes to the NBA presidency.

A VP ought to note that the NBA is the leader of all professional and civil societies in Nigeria, and ought to therefore dictate the course of national conversation and discourse at all times. Bearing this mind therefore, it goes without saying that a VP must himself be a man driven by passion to serve bar; the boldness to speak and the strength of character not to compromise or betray any resolve of the President or the bar at times of crisis. The 1st VP must be a team player.

S.3(1)m of the NBA constitution provides that the welfare, security and economic advancement of members is one of the aims of the NBA, it behaves therefore on a 1st VP to assist the President and indeed NEC to initiate programs for the benefit of members. There is this perception that the Association is neglecting the actual needs of her members. I do think the sense of neglect and outright betrayal is more felt by the young lawyers because at that stage of practice, they have not been able to build cushions, or develop antidotes to the fault lines in the practice of law.

The unfortunate reality is that 85% of lawyers struggling to make ends meet. Yet, the Association is presumed to be very fast in collecting her practising fees, local dues, dinner levies, welfare contributions, conference fees etc etc every year. If you juxtapose all these financial obligations and commitments to what members get as benefits from the Association, you will agree that it seems not adequate and commensurate with all that loyalty, passion and commitment. From my experience as a past chairman, I can say that the lack of welfare benefits is mostly due to the lack of capacity of most branches to adequately respond to the needs of lawyers, and mostly the young lawyers; a lawyer is assaulted by the police in the course of professional duties, and you see most chairmen of branches trying to wish away the problem instead of solving same. In some cases, the assaulted young lawyer is put under tremendous pressure to let sleeping dogs lie. Inevitably he goes home betrayed, hurt, regretful, frustrated and traumatized. I know the feeling, I suffered it too.

We must all note that the branches are the closest organs of the Association to the membership; we must therefore seek to make the branches more responsive to the need of members more than anything else. The national body is not made up of members, but of branches. It is only the branches that are made up of members; without the members, there will be no Association, therefore, the welfare of members must agitate the leadership of the Association more than any other duty at all times. I say without mincing words that the Vice Presidents are better placed than other national officers to bridge the gap between the national, the branches and ultimately the members. This is the reason that some of us are saying that for this next 2 years; THE NBA MUST BE ABOUT LAWYERS. The power and duty to change this sad perception lies squarely on the doorsteps of the VPs.

The brutalization of a lawyer anywhere in Nigeria, is an assault on the dignity of all lawyers in Nigeria. It is high time it is confronted head on and no national officer is better placed than a vice president to assist the President and the association to confront that menace.

For now, we can't talk extensively for obvious reasons, and I have come to understand too that you never can really tell what the people want until you hear from them....may I therefore stop here and wait for the questions. However just before I sign off this segment, permit me to give some pictorials on my past stewardship to the bar;

Thank you. "

Note,at the end of each session of the talk show for aspirants, the floor is opened for a session of question and answer guided yet by another set of rules herewith replicated;

"Always remember!

In a bid to have a smooth process, we wish to appeal to our distinguished Aspirants to refrain from using words that may be interpreted as campaign. Words such as "I will...", "I can...", "We will...", Etc should be avoided.

Consequently, all questions to be put forward to the Aspirants must be devoid of such tendencies as to push them into using some of the above statements that have been termed inappropriate.

All questions should be geared towards seeking the opinions and possible solutions to issues and problems currently bedeviling our dear Association and the Nigerian society for which we seek to promote the rule of law.

Questions relating to the workings of a particular office for which an aspirant has indicated interest in, may be asked. However, the Aspirants should not be asked what he/she will do. 

For example, an aspirant for the position of the Asst Publicity Secretary may be asked "what do you think an occupier of the office of the Asst Publicity Secretary can do in a given situation".
Never ask "what will you do?" Or "what can you do?"

Thank you. 

Admin"