By Romanus Okoye, Lagos
The annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) has been postponed to May 23 due to the rising cases of COVID-19.
In a statement by Messrs Monday Ubani and Emeka Nwadioke, Chairman of Conference Planning Committee (CPC) and Media & Publicity Committee, respectively, the conference originally scheduled to hold from February 17 to 20 has been moved to May 23 to 26, at Jogor Centre, off Liberty Road, Ibadan, Oyo State.
The statement reads: May 23, 2021, is for arrival and registration. The conference begins on May 24 and continues on May 25, while departure will be on May 26, 2021.’
Ubani said in a joint statement with the CPC Secretary, Mr Wole Jimi-Bada: ‘Recall that the 2019 conference of the Section took place in Aba, Abia State and was a tremendous success, as everyone that participated attested to the richness of the conference that was clinically executed by the Chairman of the Section, Dr Paul Ananaba, SAN, and the Conference Planning Committee headed by Mr Chibuike Nwokeukwu SAN. This year’s conference with the central theme of ‘The Role of Public Interest in Governance in Nigeria’ promises to be an earth-shaking event that will attract the crème de la crème of the noble profession and the political class in Nigeria.
‘The three-day event has a load of sub-themes such as “Public interest and the respect of the rights of citizens to protest against certain policies of government”, “The legality of Commission of Inquiry of the State Government over Police Brutality”, “Enforcement of Judgement” and “Locus standi in the light of the recent Supreme Court case of Centre for Oil Pollution Watch Vs NNPC”, among others.
‘The event which is taking place in the ancient city of Ibadan in the South West promises to be an experience every lawyer whose interest is geared towards serving the cause of the masses will treasure for a long time. The various speakers that will be Resource Persons for the Conference will include the best array of experts on public interest litigation, top political decision-makers and the shakers and movers of the Nigerian economy.
‘The conference will be declared open by the governor of Oyo State, Mr Seyi Makinde who has in his cabinet two active members of the Bar that were recently elevated to the Inner Bar. These are the chairman of the Local Conference Planning Committee, Mr Abiola Olagunju, SAN who also heads the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission and Professor Oyelowo Oyewo, SAN, the Oyo State Attorney General & Commissioner for Justice. They will be pivotal to the successful hosting of the conference this year in Oyo State.
‘The President of the Nigerian Bar Association Mr Olumide Akpata; the Head of the Secretariat, Mrs Joyce Oduah, and the entire National Officers, including the National Executive Committee of the Bar have expressed their support for the forthcoming conference that promises not to be forgotten in a hurry for a long to come in the annals of NBA.’
