Human Right Lawyer, M.O. Idam Esq asked Maikyau SAN to Reduce NBA Conference Fees
Human Right Lawyer, M. Idam Esq has called on the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to review and reduce the recently approved registration fees for the 2024 Annual General Conference (AGC).
According to the circulating list of conference registration fees, lawyers with 1 to 9 years of post-call experience are required to pay N50,000 for early bird registration, N75,000 for regular registration, N200,000 for late payment, and N250,000 for on-site payment. Lawyers with 10 to 19 years of post-call experience, like Idam, are expected to pay N75,000 for early bird, N100,000 for regular, N250,000 for late registration, and N350,000 for on-site payments.
Idam argues that the NBA NEC members seem disconnected from the economic reality of the majority of Nigerian lawyers. He questions how a newly called lawyer is expected to source between N50,000 to N200,000 to attend the AGC. The current fees suggest that the association is either commercializing its conference or does not expect the majority of its members to attend.
The open letter expresses concern over the NBA’s apparent lack of interest in the welfare of its members, particularly in regulating and enforcing lawyers’ remuneration. Idam believes that the new fees do not target the attendance of the majority of lawyers in Nigeria unless the AGC is now reserved for the wealthy among the legal profession.
Idam calls on the NBA president to convene another NEC meeting with the sole objective of readjusting the fees downward to reflect the realities of lawyers’ earnings in Nigeria. He emphasizes that the NBA must acknowledge that the majority of lawyers in the country live below average and that there is a need to consider members in its policy.
The letter concludes with a plea for the NBA president to accept Idam’s regards and consider the request for a downward review of the registration fees for the 2024 AGC.
