NBA unveils 2017 Conference

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has come out with a strong voice on the need to build institutions that will alleviate ethnic fears and give a sense of belonging to all Nigerians.

The President of the Nigerian Bar association, Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud, SAN said in media briefing to herald this year’s Annual General Conference which comes up between August 18 and 24, 2017, that there was need for Nigerians to build strong institutions that will protect everyone regardless of region or tribe.

“It is the only way we can have peace and harmony. It is the only way we can be respected,” he said.

In a country where building of godfathers is the norm, this advocacy for strong institutions is considered a clarion call for reform, as only recently, the federal government admitted the collapse of educational institution. It is hoped that relevant stakeholders will see the urgent need to fix institutions across the country.

Mahmoud disclosed at the Press Conference that it was for this reason the association’s annual conference will focus on building strong institutions within and outside the bar. He said that the conference will be graced by a host of local and global thought leaders drawn from various spheres of influence including Yemi Osinbajo, acting president of Nigeria; Nika Gilauri, former prime minister of Georgia; Gloria Akuffo, Attorney General of Ghana; as well as Aliko Dangote, Forbes Africa’s Richest Man; amongst others.

The NBA President believes that the conference will be a ‘game-changing’ forum geared towards inspiring, teaching and challenging members of the Bar to take their place in bridging the growth gap between the Bar and the business world.

Professor Konyinsola Ajayi, the conference chairman, said the aim of this year’s conference “is to inspire, teach and challenge members of the Bar to take their place on the wall of construction, in bridging the growth gap between the Bar and the business world, in bridging the development gap between the African Bar and the International Bar, in creating a stone wall of African institutionalism, in building the bridge between the Bar and government, and thus, leaving a legacy for our continent and the society at large”

He said: “The NBA Conference has over time become a melting point of intellectual and policy shaping discourse. This year is going to be no different as we expect more than 5000 delegates. We have just launched our new websites which will leverage cutting edge technology to cater for all conference enquiries, registration and hotel bookings, at the click of a button so we are confident that registration will be seamless and stress-free”.