The NBA’s public statement of condemning The Arrest of Anambra State DPP is NOT commendable but entirely unnecessary and serves no practical purpose by Sylvester Udemezue Esq

Forget this play to the gallery by a leadership in which a great deal of a lot of hope has been invested.

Did NBA not issue a public statement condemning emergency rule declaration in Rivers State? What did the NBA do thereafter? Na today?

You can fool some people all the time, but certainly not all the people all the time!

It is far better to act without talking than to talk endlessly without taking action.

Unfortunately, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) appears to be evolving into an institution that barks but does not bite.

One cannot help but wonder whether public office holders or government institutions in Nigeria still take the NBA’s frequent public statements seriously. Many have likely come to the conclusion that the NBA’s influence begins and ends with strongly worded press releases, often filled with threats of fire and brimstone, yet followed by little or no tangible action.

This pattern of issuing statements without strategic follow-up not only weakens the Association’s credibility but also erodes the confidence of its members and the general public in its capacity to effect meaningful change.

It is time for the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to move beyond mere rhetoric and begin to take concrete action. Increasingly, the NBA appears to engage more in issuing statements than in delivering results that create meaningful impact:

1. In Nigeria as a whole, and

2. In the lives and welfare of its members, many of whom diligently pay the Bar Practice Fee (BPF) annually to support the operations of the NBA.

I hold the current NBA President in high regard and fully support his leadership. However, one year into his two-year tenure, we have seen the release of over 30 public statements, yet no significant, tangible steps have been taken to improve the professional welfare or economic conditions of Nigerian lawyers.

Some pressing questions must be asked:

1. What has the NBA done about the Legal Practitioners’ Remuneration Order 2023, which the previous administration secured to standardize legal fees and ensure fair remuneration for lawyers?

2. What has the NBA done about Section 66(3) of the Nigerian Police Act 2020, which (if effectively enforced) has the potential to create employment for thousands of young lawyers nationwide?

3. Beyond issuing statements, what concrete steps has the NBA taken to address the perennial delays in the justice delivery system? Are we to believe the NBA is powerless to initiate meaningful reform? Certainly not. The problem is not inability but apparent unwillingness to act.

4. Why has the NBA not advocated for the establishment of legal departments at the Local Government Area (LGA) level, where other departments (health, education, works, agriculture, information, etc.) already exist and offer employment opportunities to professionals in those sectors? Surely, legal departments could similarly absorb many qualified lawyers.

5. Why is it that many Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) across Nigeria (including the Nigerian Law School itself) still operate without legal departments? If the law mandates such structures, why is the NBA not taking the lead in ensuring compliance?

6. What effort has been made to address the poor treatment of lawyers serving under the NYSC scheme, arguably the most neglected and underpaid among corps members?

7. What is being done about the deplorable working conditions and poor remuneration of legal officers in Ministries of Justice across the federation? These professionals deserve advocacy and institutional support from the NBA.

8. Why does the NBA tolerate the persistent practice of non-lawyers (police officers) prosecuting criminal cases in magistrates’ courts, despite the presence of unemployed or underemployed lawyers loitering in the same courts in search of work? This outdated and embarrassing practice persists, and the NBA appears to have done nothing to change it.

9. The list of issues is extensive.

The legal profession in Nigeria is at a crossroads. The time has come for the NBA to rise beyond platitudes and embrace practical, proactive advocacy. Statements alone are no longer enough. Let the NBA act: decisively, creatively, and consistently. Our collective future as a profession depends on it.

Respectfully,

Sylvester Udemezue (Udems)