NBA Portrait Saga: Oladele Olubakin Sues NBA, Claims N500million

Oladele Olubakin the owner of the famous portrait which NBA presented as gift to President Buhari without his (Oladele’s) consent has slammed the Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association NBA with an over N500million Naira suit. Read here

The suit with Suit Number FHC/ABJ/CS/240/18 was filed at the Federal High Court Abuja by the law firm of Falana & Falana Chambers on behalf of Mr. Olubakin.

Also joined in the suit are the President of the NBA, Mr. Abubakar Mahmoud SAN and the National Secretary of the NBA Mr. Abiola Olagunju.

According to the Court processes perused by DNL Legal and Style Mr. Olubakin is claiming the following reliefs against the Defendants jointly and severally:

1. A declaration that the Plaintiff is the true and beneficial owner of the portrait of his Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari presented by the Defendant on the 21^st of December, 2017

2. A declaration that the exhibition and presentation of the Plaintiff’s portrait by the Defendants without the Plaintiff’s consent, assignment or license, amounts to a violation of the Plaintiff’s right to his intellectual property.

3. A declaration that the conversion of the Plaintiff’s artwork by the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Defendants is illegal as it violates the Plaintiff’s right to own property as enshrined under section 43 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Article 14 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Right.

4. An Order directing the Defendants to pay over to the Plaintiff jointly and severally the sum of N75,000,000 (Seventy Five Million Naira) being the open market value of the Plaintiff’s Portrait.

5. An order directing the defendants jointly and severally to pay over to the Plaintiff the sum of N50,000,000 (Fifty Million Naira) only, as damages for the infringement of the Plaintiff’s intellectual property in the Portrait.

6. An order directing the Defendants to pay over to the Plaintiff jointly and severally the sum of N500,000,000 (Five hundred Million Naira) a general, exemplary and punitive damages for the violation of the Plaintiff’s intellectual property right in the portrait.

7. An Order directing the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Defendants to issue a statement recognizing the Plaintiff as the true owner and creator or the portrait; and tendering an unreserved apology for the infringement of his intellectual property rights; and to cause this statement to be published in 2 national dallies.

8. An order restraining the Defendants and their agents from taking out any disciplinary action against the Plaintiff to further violate his right to ownership and/or intimidate him from the enforcement of his claim to the portraiture which is the subject matter of this suit.

9. Interest at the rate of 10% per annum on the judgment sum until same is fully liquidated.

The NBA may not have been served with the suit which was filed on the 9th of March, 2018.

We will keep you updated.