NBA’s fatal regression

September 9, 2025 by Sanya Oni

It must be deeply troubling, that in none of the running commentaries on the recently concluded Nigerian Bar Association conference has there been any acknowledgment of anything profound or even serious coming from the annual conclave of the supposedly foremost professional body. More like a gathering of a people needing the time out to escape the humdrum of the times, what emerged could be described as a charade – like those ubiquitous parliaments of anything goes in street corners, where serious issues of governance, drenched in extravagant hilarious banters, are reduced to the puerile, partisan stuff as one might expect in typical street debates.

Nothing of a serious dissection of the ailments plaguing the justice sector let alone the society as a whole; none of the searing questions about the depth that the profession has sunk let alone where it is headed, particularly the derogation of the meaning and the purpose of justice by the supposed ministers in its sacred temple, a tribe which insists on being dubbed as learned!

Again, aside jarring partisan rants that has since become the trademark of the Obidients of which a good chunk of its attendees insist on being numbered, nothing in the entire deliberations suggested any appreciation of the dire situation which came upon the nation, let alone a robust interrogation of the policies of the Tinubu administration on the basis of which an actionable suggestion(s) could be availed the government, going forward.

Even the appearance of the Minister of Interior, Tunji Ojo, meant to give informed perspectives to what the government has done to address those age-long structural issues that had plagued governance was reduced to a spectacle of sorts with incessant howling by those for whom the administration could never do anything right; and with the all-knowing, fit-for-every-purpose Obiageli Ezekwesili on hand to proclaim with her typical magistracy, all that is wrong with the Tinubu administration, the perfect setting for the inquisition that became of it was all but in place.

For me however, the biggest joke of the farcical outing was when a poorly scripted act by Channel TV’s Seun Okinbaloye turned out to be a revelation, not so much about the inherent biases, but the pathetic lack of depth of the boisterous presenter! For an individual who proclaims a ‘commitment to delivering accurate and unbiased news’, it was shocking if not shameful to hear the questions framed the way he did.

“Is Nigeria better today than two years ago?”

That was supposed to be an ‘educated’ question to the lawyers in conference! For those still enamoured with their specious one-liners, how about flipping the question this way: Could Nigeria have continued on the ruinous trajectory of keeping fuel prices below their actual costs using the funds it does not even have to keep up the appearance of a caring, welfare state? 

Or this: “Do you think the nation is on the right path with the policies of the Tinubu government?” Even granted that the issue of perception is valid to the individual, the very idea of framing things in the manner that he did would seem ordinarily ‘uneducated’, not only because he failed to narrow it to the specifics but that it was done in clear ignorance of the complex variables which underlie and shape them.

Read Also: DSS summons Sowore over post on Tinubu

So which of the policies could he be referring to here? Is it the most contentious one – the removal of fuel subsidy on which the treasury gets to shell out trillions of naira for the joy of keeping the millions of rickety contraptions on the poorly maintained roads? Or the state-licenced bazaar under which only the high and mighty could access foreign exchange at official sources which are more often than not sold at the black market at premium with nary value addition to the national economy? Could it be a return to the ‘good old days’, when foreign airlines, hit by the non-remittance of sales proceeds were leaving Nigeria in droves? 

Still, there is another question that came forth: “Is your hope renewed now?”

Aside being the uncharitable, it is perhaps the most banal and uneducated. Of course, our ‘world acclaimed’ journalist got the answer that he wanted. Yet, I verily believe that he did himself a lot of injustice in the way he pandered to street narratives on the history and the trajectory of the economy. That question – ‘Is your hope renewed now’ – would at normal times, stand as an indictment to a profession that require depth and rigour as indeed a proper, contextual frame of analysis. Once let out, it is hard to imagine greater violence to the ancient craft by an individual, all in the service of narrow, partisan ends.  It is, like someone said the other day – like law; like journalism. Sad. 

But I digress.

At issue of course is the future of the justice sector itself. The other day, I saw a video of an elder of the profession openly lament the supplanting of the rules of seniority by the latter days actors; the new kids on the block – the television lawyers, emergency activists and the usual stragglers. Poor fellow, he couldn’t understand why the front row, ordinarily reserved for the elders were taken by baby lawyers leaving them to scramble for the back seats. And why would he, when only a few days prior, one of the freshly minted wigs, was on the social media to advertise his sprawling chambers which he claimed was worth more than the value of his innumerable exotic cars at N50 million! In other words, since when did a wig cease to be a wig?

By the way, I choose to pass off, the moral question posed by the leadership of the elite body, a body with scores of millionaires in its rank, going cap in hand to state governments, for funds to host its conference. So also is its leadership’s insistence on keeping Rivers’ N300 million when the latter asked for a refund after it reneged on the hosting rights.

To those who still care to remember, neither the rot nor the ingrained delinquency, start yesterday. Once upon a time, there was a well-reported story of a learned fellow, who brazenly accused a judge in the open court, of demanding a bribe from his client! The judge, far from rattled, merely insisted that the matter be promptly be investigated so the business of delivering justice could proceed, unimpeded! It turned out that the accusation was baseless as the innocence of the judge was firmly established beyond doubts.

Here is the twist: the same counsel, whose mouth spewed the gibberish  would go on to request that the judge recuse himself, since his (the counsel’s) travesty, already deemed unpardonable, would not allow the hapless judge to dispense justice without bias! Talk of a sample of how to be a minister in the temple of justice, the Nigerian way!

Let me close with the words of the ancient proverb – physician heal thyself! Seems to me that this particular physician, being far too gone, is unlikely to be of use to anyone let alone the society, anytime soon!

Abuja doctor reveals a unique way to permanently cure weak erection, small and shameful manhood, and infertility issues without side effects within a short period. Click now to see!!

Professionals in Nigeria can now earn US Dollars Monthly ($25,000 to $45,000) from Civil and Public Servants, IT Professionals, Doctors, Engineers, Senior Bankers, Entrepreneurs, Military Personnel, Lawyers, Finance experts and others. You can now confidently earn in US Dollars while in Nigeria. Click here to start.

Lagos Based Researcher; Discovers A Secret Method To Permanently Increase Small Penis Size, Cure Weak Erection, Treat Premature Ejaculation, Improve Low Libido, Correct Sex Fatigue, Enhance Performance, And Solve All Kinds Of Sexual Problems. Click Here Now...To See How!!!