A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, (SAN), Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has asked the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, to immediately return the sum of N300 million given to it as part of support for the organization of its Annual General Conference by the Rivers State government.
Adegboruwa said this in reaction to raging controversies over the N300 million given to the NBA by the Rivers State government under the suspended governor Siminalayi Fubara.
However, the the Sole Administrator of Rivers has asked the NBA to return the money following the shift in the venue of the conference to Enugu State.
But NBA has said it will not return the money which it described as a gift.
But Adegboruwa said he received the news that the NBA sought support for the organization of its Annual General Conference with with utter shock and disbelief.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria said NBA has no need to go begging for money for the event because all lawyers in Nigeria pay their practicing fees annually.
He also noted that lawyers who wish to attend the conference are also charged certain fees.
Adegboruwa added that NBA that is expected to be the conscience of the society and expected to champion the rule of law 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,” Adegboruwa said.
