Even with a rebased economy, we cannot achieve success without good governance -GBENGA OYEBODE
With plans underway for the 8th Annual Business Law Conference, the Council of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law has announced that the theme for this year will focus on exemplary governance and economic development.
Speaking at a Press briefing in Lagos to announce the forthcoming event, the Chairman of the Section, Gbenga Oyebode, informed the Media that the SBL in line with tradition, has chosen a theme that meets the aspirations of business lawyers and the generality of members of the legal profession.
According to him, the theme “EXEMPLARY GOVERNANCE – ENHANCING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA” is meant to bring Nigeria’s focus on not just being the biggest economy on the continent but driving the economy through good governance and what he considers visionary leadership.
Hear him, “We thought that the theme exemplary governance is one that should be of interest to business lawyers and members of the Nigerian Bar Association in general. We also think that the subtheme, ‘Enhancing Economic Development in Nigeria,’ is particularly appropriate, because in a year where the Nigerian economy and GDP figure have been rebased and we have become the biggest economy on the continent, it is important to recognise that we cannot achieve success without good governance,” he said.
To address the topic in a Keynote presentation, is the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, who is expected to be joined by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Miriam Aloma Mukhtar, The Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, the Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Okey Wali, SAN and several other key members of the legal profession, within and outside Nigeria.
Responding to questions as to the choice of a local keynote speaker, the SBL Chair explained that the conference will nonetheless have an array of international speakers and panelists, who according to him, will speak at the committee level.
“There will be no shortage of international participation, because as always, we will draw from the very best of the profession around the world. We currently have a significant number of international speakers who will share international perspective on developments around the world at the plenary and breakout sessions over the period of the conference,” he informed the media.
Speaking further on the issue, the Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee (CPC), Seni Adio confirmed that conference participants are expected from various parts of the world particularly the Commonwealth countries.
“Nigerians in Diaspora, such as the Nigerian Lawyers Association (NLA) in the US, the British Nigeria Lawyers Forum (BNLF) and several others have indicated interest to participate in the conference, as is always the case. The Law Society of England & Wales is also sending speakers to the conference,” he further explained.
The Section on Business Law in 2012 went into partnership with The Law Society of England and Wales to promote Continuing Legal Education and Practice development in Nigeria; a partnership that has witnessed a series of workshops and trainings along these lines.
The Law Society is also expected to be a significant part of the forthcoming SBL conference, as it has done in the last few years; in furtherance to the valuable relationship that exist between the both bodies.
For those who may have special interest in the global market, the SBL Chair stated specifically that the second plenary at the conference is populated with International experts in Private Equity and banking, who will be coming from the United Kingdom, South Africa, and various other jurisdictionsHe said, “The core of that plenary is essentially to address some of the issues raised by the Keynote speaker. The actual discussion of the keynote speech takes place at this plenary.”
More than half of the Section’s committees numbering about 20 will hold breakout sessions at the forthcoming conference, with speakers and Panelists expected to speak to the issue of governance and how exemplary governance can drive economic development.
Based on conference preparations and feedback, the SBL Council has also expressed optimism at surpassing last year’s attendance figure which it put at 500.
The SBL has been going strong. This is our 8th conference, and with increasing participation of business lawyers internationally and members of Nigerian Bar Association, each year has proved to be a resounding success over the last”.
“I can assure you that the Conference Planning Committee, under the leadership of Seni Adio is doing all the work necessary to ensure that this conference follows in the same tradition,” the Chairman of the Section stated confidently.
The Section on Business Law is the specialisation arm of the Nigerian Bar Association, which sees to the development of commercial law and specialised legal practice in Nigeria.
The Annual Business Law conference seeks to create an environment for business lawyers within and outside Nigeria to network and engage on issues relevant to their field, to establish a thriving relationship between the business community and government institutions.