Osigwe urges adequate recognition of women and young lawyers in NBA
NBA
By Sandra Umeh
Lagos, June 13, 2018 (NAN) Mr Adam Osigwe, a former General Secretary of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), on Wednesday called for more participation of women and young lawyers in NBA to foster development of legal practice in Nigeria.
Osigwe, who was also a former Chairman of Abuja Branch of NBA, spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos against the backdrop of renewed calls for improved welfare for young lawyers.
He described young lawyers as the future of the country’s legal profession.
The legal practitioner also called for a review of the mode of administration of the Bar to allow for active participation of female lawyers, young lawyers as well as in-house lawyers in public service to help enhance the practice of the NBA.
He said: “I am strongly persuaded that we need to review the current mode of administering the Bar so as to deepen participation by female lawyers, young lawyers, in-house counsel and lawyers in public service.
“The demographics make up more than 65 per cent of the membership of the NBA, yet their involvement and participation in the affairs of the Bar are abysmally low.
“Presently, young lawyers cannot be appointed into the national executive committee of the NBA until they are 10 years post-call, and thus, until they legally qualify to apply for the position of a Senior Advocate or a judge, they cannot be co-opted into the NBA NEC.
“There is no doubt that we need the age and experience of our seniors, but we also need the energy, innovation and progressive ideas of our female and young colleagues as well as in-house lawyers in public service who are not presently involved in the affairs of the NBA.
“We need to modify these legal structures to ensure that all segments of the legal profession are well represented in the management and control of the affairs of the association.”
Osigwe advised that young lawyers, who have not been more than five years post-call, should not pay more than N10,000 to attend or participate in all aspects of the NBA annual general conference, while lawyers, who have spent over 50 years at the Bar, be exempted.
He also suggested that while young lawyers’ participation should be free in all NBA sections and fora, there is the need for gender comprehensiveness in which not less than 20 female lawyers will be co-opted into the NEC of NBA.
Osigwe advised that every branch of the NBA should elect young lawyers of not more than 10 years post call as representatives of young lawyers at NBA NEC.
According to him, these sugesstions will no doubt require constitutional amendments by the NBA. (NAN)
UNS/TA
Edited by Tajudeen Atitebi