In the wake of the landmark achievement of the Olumide Akpata led Nigeria Bar Association and her recent partnership with the legal research giant, Law Pavilion Electronic Solution, members of the Bar has continued to express their thoughts and recommendations on the subject.
https://mattersofthenigerianbar.blogspot.com/2021/08/nba-and-law-pavilion-partnership-on.html?m=1
Mr. Shakiru Omolaja, a former Publicity Secretary in the administration of Nurudeen Ogbara, of the Nigeria Bar Association, Ikorodu Branch has his position and recommendations succinctly put as excerpted below verbatim.
"The NBA can do much better than their present position. I suggest that the NBA should immediately enter into a working relationship with the Appellate Courts - the SUPREME COURT and the COURT OF APPEAL - to ensure that each Judgement/Ruling of these Courts is obtained by the NBA National Secretariat and published on the NBA website for the benefit of all duly registered lawyers.
I am hereby suggesting that a better idea to what the NBA is presently doing with Law Pavilion is for the NBA to spend the huge resources available to the organization to launch an ONLINE LAW LIBRARY for the benefit of all lawyers - both seniors and juniors.
Accessing the NBA ELECTRONIC/ONLINE LAW LIBRARY will be strictly based on a timeous payment of the ANNUAL BAR PRACTICING FEES by prospective beneficiaries. Landmark decisions from England, especially, and other Commonwealth countries can also be made available on the ONLINE LIBRARY portal.
I am of the view that every financial member of the NBA should freely benefit from opportunities to improve themselves with readily available research materials. Every duly registered lawyer who has performed his obligations to the NBA should be able to use the NBA ONLINE LAW LIBRARY to prepare his cases in court and do sundry other relevant readings/researches.
I am ever humbled by the miracle of what Google and other online search engines can to assist research in all fields of life.
The relevant question, however, is that as lawyers are we really making the best use of the internet to make our practice better or our arguments richer? Just look at how many free books are available on the internet: You can even download a lot of great books free of charge from the internet.
The era of hoarding law authorities belongs to antiquity. So many times in court, the internet has become my aid in urgently getting authorities to support my case, or knowing some recent developments in some principles of law. May the Lord Almighty bless those selfless individuals who have made so much available to humanity on the internet.
I strongly urge the leadership of the NBA to kindly give this my suggestion a serious thought. Some of the money we use to organize the Annual General Conference can be used to run the NBA ONLINE LAW LIBRARY.
Still on this thought, the NBA can also partner with the right bodies to make high grade computers, laptops, tablets, phones and other relevant IT gadgets available to lawyers at subsidized rates. How about the NBA negotiating special and greatly subsidized internet browsing (data) packages for its members with a willing telecom provider?
Then lawyers can look back and thump their chests and say that the NBA is truly for them. Let us think about this and make it happen.
Thank you."
- SHAKIRU OMOLAJA ESQ.
(PAST PUBLICITY SECRETARY, NBA IKORODU BRANCH)
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