Some quarters have expressed dismay, describing the 2025 NBA Annual General Conference as an “enjoyment conference” where hotels were fully booked and many lawyers attended with women who weren’t their wives. Has the Bar Association lowered its bar by giving prominence to younger lawyers in the Conference Planning Committee? This eyewitness account on roles Dino Melaye, Deji Adeyanju, Kanayo O. Kanayo and other played may be useful
When the NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN constituted and inaugurated the Annual General Conference Planning Committee (AGCPC), he charged us with a singular mandate – to give Nigerian lawyers and guests a memorable experience. Within the overall charge was also a specific mandate to ensure that his promise of an all inclusive bar is reflected in all facets of the 2025 conference program.
By most accounts, the 2025 AGC surpassed expectations but some colleagues have expressed concerns about our choice of panelists. They have mentioned Chief Osita Chidoka, Kanayo O. Kanayo, Deji Adeyanju and Senator Dino Melaye as junior lawyers who have been given undeserved prominence during the course of the conference.
It’s obvious we will never see anything from the same perspective. Happily, none of the mentioned lawyers spoke on any issue that could be said to be beyond their remit.
Chief Osita Chidoka was part of a panel that discussed “setting forth at dawn”. He discussed the subject as a person who truly set forth at dawn and was appointed to a high public office and later as a Minister at a very young age.
Kanayo O. Kanayo moderated the set forth at dawn session being a pioneer in the Nollywood industry at a very young age with LIVING IN BONDAGE.
Deji Adeyanju participated in a panel as a human rights activist. The panel had both young and senior lawyers. May that day never come when we refuse to feature young lawyers even though we talk about inclusiveness.
Dino Melaye was a last minute addition to a panel to discuss maritime security from the perspective of legislative oversight. Three panelists did not show up and we appealed to Senator Dino Melaye to step in. I wonder who would object to having a former legislator, a Senator at that, speaking on such an issue. But then, what do I know!
The NBA will always support the inclusion of young lawyers speaking on issues. When young people are given a seat at the table, conferences stop being echo chambers of the past and become laboratories for the future. As Kofi Annan (former UN Secretary-General) said “Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace.”
As a person, I am of the firm belief that Including young lawyers in panels brings fresh perspectives, diverse ideas, and innovative approaches to discussions. They often have recent academic insights, familiarity with emerging legal trends, and a strong grasp of technology and social issues that can enrich conversations. Their inclusion fosters mentorship opportunities, encourages professional development, and ensures representation of newer generations in shaping legal discourse.
The Bar must learn to appreciate that young lawyers have wisdom too and that we can’t build an inclusive Bar if we think that former public officers and persons who have attained some height in life and public service are not good enough to speak at our conferences simply because they are new wigs.
In any case, if out of more than 150 speakers at the Conference, the complaint is about a negligible number “young wigs’ , then it shows how unfair we’ve been to that segment of the profession.
In all, I thank God for a successful conference. Have a great weekend.
Emeka Obegolu, SAN
Chairman, NBA AGCPC 2025
