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Senior Advocate of Nigeria, J.S. Okutepa, don talk strong head say no be small thing for the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to return the N300 million Rivers State Governor Sim Fubara give them for their 2025 yearly meeting wey suppose to happen for Port Harcourt.
Okutepa yarn say the people wey dey shout make dem return the money, especially to the person wey dem call Sole Administrator for Rivers State (wey many people no agree with his position), their talk no follow law and e no make sense at all. He even challenge those wey say NBA suppose dey find their own money to show example.
Okutepa talk say make we no forget wetin he talk before about the N300 million. He say even if na true say Governor Fubara give the money for the meeting to hold for Rivers State, as the Sole Administrator dey claim, e go be against the law for NBA to return the money to that Sole Administrator. If dem do that one, e mean say dem dey recognize am as the correct oga for Rivers State. Okutepa say he no even think say the Sole Administrator deserve reply from NBA. If the man feel strong say NBA do wrong, make he carry the matter go court. Dem go meet am there. He ask again say, dem appoint the Sole Administrator as debt collector or to bring peace for Rivers State, as those wey put am there talk say Governor Fubara no fit do? He call am big nonsense.
Okutepa stand by his word. He say the Sole Administrator fit go court, and NBA go meet am there. But wetin dey worry am now be the talk wey some lawyers dey talk say NBA suppose return the money and no dey collect money from government people. Okutepa say he like that idea. He say make dem start to show example. Those wey believe say dem suppose return the money, make dem start to donate money to NBA so that the association go fit return the money to Governor Fubara when dem reinstate am.
As Okutepa know am, na government and other people wey want help dey give NBA money to do their big yearly meeting. The money wey lawyers dey pay for registration no dey enough to do the meeting. He ask how many lawyers for Nigeria dey ready to give big money to NBA for their yearly meeting. How much we dey pay as membership fee to help NBA work? Even the money wey we suppose pay to practice law, many people dey do am anyhow.
Okutepa ask if we lawyers really ready for NBA wey no go dey beg for money to do their things and meeting.
He remember how many times lawyers dey struggle to pay for yearly meeting. Every year, dem go dey argue about the money. He ask how many senior lawyers, especially SANs and other big lawyers, dey ready to pay one million Naira each as meeting fee for NBA things? But dem go dey rush pay more money to go IBA and CLA meeting, including flight and hotel money.
Even though Okutepa say he like the idea of NBA finding their own money and standing strong, he say everybody must put hand to support the association with money and make sure dem dey do things well. He say NBA must invest, grow, and make money so dem go fit stand tall. But for now, he no see any reason to return the money, especially since dem no say the money na only for the meeting to hold for Rivers State. He conclude say if everybody agree say NBA no suppose collect money from government, then everybody must agree to find the money themselves.