A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr. Monday Onyekachi Ubani, has expressed disappointment at the quality of bags shared at the conference of the Nigerian Bar Association holding in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
According to him, the quality is so bad that it is like those of market women.
In an ‘interim report’ he published on his Facebook page, Ubani expressed reservation at different aspects of the conference.
“My greatest disappointment begins with the quality of the materials especially the conference bag and the general organisation of the conference. The conference bag, rather than reflecting the dignity, class and intellectual character of the largest gathering of lawyers in Africa, resembled that of an ordinary market woman’s bag,” he said.
The legal practitioner noted that those who attended the Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference in Enugu last year would recall that he wrote what many described as a scintillating assessment of it.
He added: “My verdict at the time was unequivocal: the Enugu Conference would remain one of the most memorable NBA Annual General Conferences in recent history, particularly in terms of organisation, movement around the host city, environmental friendliness, traffic management and the warmth of hospitality. The only minus, minute though, was prominence given to new wigs over old wigs.
“There is little doubt that the glowing reports and eulogies that followed the Enugu Conference from many participants contributed significantly to the tremendous increase in attendance at this year’s conference in Port Harcourt. Younger lawyers, in particular, came in torrents, eager to experience what they had been told was the NBA Conference at its very best.
“More troubling is the quality and suitability of some of the guests invited to address or participate in the conference. There are certain personalities who should simply not grace a programme organised for lawyers, irrespective of their popularity, celebrity status or social media standing. Lawyers are peculiar in every respect, and the NBA Annual General Conference is a serious professional and intellectual gathering. It cannot and should not be converted into a circus show.
“No amount of argument by the protagonists of certain guests can change this fundamental reality. The NBA must preserve the intellectual dignity and professional character of its annual gathering. The quality of our guests matters. We must never lower the standard, particularly in the selection of intellectual guests whose pedigree, scholarship, experience and antecedents are nationally and internationally acknowledged.
“The NBA Annual General Conference should be a place where lawyers encounter the best minds, challenge established ideas, interrogate contemporary problems and leave with a richer understanding of the law, society and the future of our profession. Entertainment has its place, but it must never replace intellectual substance.
In this regard, this year’s conference, from my personal observation so far, appears to have reduced aspects of the NBA gathering to something dangerously close to an unserious conference. The presidential debate was a beautiful concept but delivery was substandard in my respectful view.
“Unfortunately, the deficiencies extend beyond the programme itself.
“There is very little, at least from my experience so far, that has put a smile on several faces concerning the organisation of this conference. There were no properly organised and easily accessible tea break venue/s. Lunch arrangements were not centrally and conspicuously organised in a manner that would allow conference participants to access them without unnecessary stress. The halls used during the first and second days were hot, uncomfortable and unconducive for the serious intellectual engagements expected of such a conference.
These may appear to be minor details to some people, but they are not. The comfort and welfare of participants are integral to the success of any conference. A lawyer who is struggling with heat, hunger, congestion and confusion cannot fully concentrate on the quality of discourse taking place around him or her.”
