SBL, General Counsel bond over dinner

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Section on Business Law (SBL) last week hosted its general counsel members to an exclusive dinner at Talindo’s Steak House, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The event, attended by top counsel from various corporate organisations around the country, was geared towards improving dialogue with the Section’s in-house counsel members and to enhance its relationships with these members and their organisations.

Speaking at the event, Asue Ighodalo, chairman of the Section, brought members up-to-speed with recent happenings in the Section, such as its recent capacity enhancement programme, among other updates.

“We have set up a committee dedicated to training, chaired by Dr. Adeoye Adefulu of Adefulu and Odujinrin, and Tolulope Aderemi, Partner at Perchstone and Graeys as the vice chairman,” He said.

“The Committee has begun the process of identifying the training needs of SBL members (particularly our Young Lawyers) and is designing the required curriculum. Hopefully, in the near future that Committee can emerge as a dedicated SBL training school. We are also discussing with the Law Society of England and Wales on possible training programmes.

“We believe that we must raise the bar and assure the true value of membership to all of our members, support the leadership of the NBA to attain some of its objectives and continue to impact our larger society.

“Over the next two years, we intend to pay particular attention to improving Continuing Legal Education (CLE), establishing better relationships and interfacing with industry regulators – such as the Corporate Affairs Commission, the Central Bank of Nigeria, Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Petroleum Resources, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Consumer Protection Council, and influencing policy formulation and law making to assure a more enabling business environment,” he said further.

Speaking from in-house, Rume Rotimi, general counsel, MTN Nigeria, appealed to the SBL to make training opportunities available to all in-house and corporate counsel, regardless of age and post-call years. She emphasized the need for continuing education, stating that every member will benefit from these training experiences.

“We promise to support the development of the Section and look forward to the capacity-building programmes,” she said.

The Section on Business Law is one of the specialist sections of the NBA, set up to enhance the professional development of Nigerian commercial lawyers and raise the level of business law practice in Nigeria. Through its 19 Committees, the Section organises conferences, seminars, trainings and formal and informal interactions for its members and stakeholders.

Only last month, the Council of the Section visited the Corporate Affairs Commission to engage the Registrar General and management team on critical issues affecting the ‘ease of doing business in Nigeria.’

Theodora Kio-Lawson