Lagos Lawyer Philip Njeteneh in his #justmindingmybusiness series is raising some valid posers. Hear him
Lawyers have now started receiving notifications for registration for the 2018 NBA Annual Bar conference when the dust of the 2017 conference is yet to settle.
Beyond the dust of 2017 conference, issues regarding this year’s conference is far from settled. At the last NEC meeting held in the living quarters (ooooppppsss, sorry, Government House) of Kwara State Governor, the conference proposal was presented to NEC without a budget while the proposal was rejected by NEC without any form of approval whether in principle or in practice.
Contained in a proposal for approval for the conference ought to be the entire planning, the cost to participants, the projected income as well as how these projected income is to be deployed for the benefit of the participants. This was what was MISSING in the presentation to NEC.
If the NEC did not approve the conference proposals where then did the registration fees being bandied emanate from? WITHIN A FEW MONTHS OF APPOINTMENT THE Conference Committee Chair Prof. Ajayi resigned and I just learnt another ‘Lagos Chieftain’ has been appointed to replace the resigned ‘Lagos Chieftain’. Of course, no one is interested in knowing why the former conference chair resigned after accepting the appointment and being physically present for the unveiling of the conference committee, we are back to BUSINESS AS USUAL.
I learnt that when NEC members rejected the proposed conference fees without a budget it was out rightly rejected as tablets was still included with outrageous fees as conference registration. The President’s reaction to the uproar on the outrageous fees is that the committee should retain last year’s fees. My worry at this Greek gift by Mr. President is who told Mr. President that last year’s conference fee was affordable?
If NEC had not approved conference organization why begin to collect money from members for a conference that its plans & budget have not been approved?
I equally learnt (though I stand to be corrected, that last year’s conference account is yet to be tabled before NEC). If this is true, is transparency and accountability still with us in NBA?
I sincerely hope that this year’s conference will methodically boycotted if only to prove to our ‘slave masters’ that there is a limit to how a clique of few can continue to take the majority for fools.
[espro-slider id=17536]