A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, says the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has no basis for retaining the “gift” from Rivers State, and it should refund the ₦300m immediately.
In a statement made available to the press, the learned silk said the bar should not hide under any semantics or bureaucracy to retain the money.
According to Adegboruwas, lawyers are the conscience of the society, who are expected to champion the rule of law, and as such the NBA should not be seen to be romancing with any government, especially in the face of the suffering experienced by the masses.
He advised that the ₦300m should be paid into an escrow account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) pending the restoration of democracy in Rivers State and insisted that the NBA is not a bank.
“If the money has been spent, I urge all SANs and senior lawyers to contribute N1m each to raise the money,” Adegboruwa added.
According to the senior lawyer, there is no basis for the NBA to go cap in hand to beg for money to host a conference of lawyers, as lawyers pay their practicing fees annually and money is also charged for lawyers who wish to attend the conference.
Adegboruwa urged the elders of the Bar to intervene urgently to take away what he described as “a collective shame”.
The NBA had moved the venue of its 2025 conference from Rivers to Enugu in protest against President Bola Tinubu’s replacement of Governor Siminalayi Fubara with retired naval chief Ibok-ete Ibas on March 18, 2025.
Find his full statement below:
NBA SHOULD REFUND RIVERS STATE MONEY IMMEDIATELY
I read with utter shock and disbelief the story of N300M given to the Nigerian Bar Association by the Rivers State Government as part of support for the Annual General Conference.
All lawyers in Nigeria pay their practicing fees annually. Money is also charged for lawyers who wish to attend the conference, such that there is no basis for NBA going cap in hand to beg for money to host a conference of lawyers.
Lawyers are the conscience of the society, who are expected to champion the rule of law. Such an organization should not be seen to be romancing with any government, socially in the face of suffering by the masses of our people due to wicked economic policies and human rights abuses by the government. After all, he who pays the piper dictates the tune.
We have no basis retaining the “gift” from Rivers State, so NBA should refund the money immediately. We should not hide under any semantics or bureaucracy to retain the money. It should be paid into an escrow account with the Central Bank of Nigeria pending the restoration of democracy in Rivers State. NBA is not a bank.
I urge the elders of the Bar to intervene urgently to take away this collective shame. If the money has been spent, I urge all SANs and senior lawyers to contribute N1M each in order to raise the money.
Going forward, NBA should thread cautiously in raising funds from all manner of persons and institutions. Lawyers in Nigeria are well endowed to fund any programme for the NBA.
Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN
