The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, said on Thursday it has invited the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, WTO, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to address over 20, 000 legal practitioners in the country on how they could assist in rebuilding the nation.
President of the NBA, Yakubu Maikyau, SAN, who made the disclosure to newsmen in Abuja shortly after he unveiled the logo and theme of the 2024 Annual General Conference of the association, said there was a need for lawyers to fully appreciate the important role they could play to advance the course of national development.
“The fact is that we, as lawyers, need to change our attitude on how we do things. If we are where we are today and not happy about it, then we have to change the way we do things,” Maikyau, SAN, stated.
The NBA President stressed that, in the face of the myriad problems confronting the nation, there was need for more lawyers to embrace the challenge of becoming agents of change.
He said: “Sometimes, one wonders what is really wrong, considering the fact that Nigeria is potentially the greatest country in the face of the Earth. But our experience does not reflect these potentials.
“We all know the blessings and how endowed we are as a country. Both in terms of mineral resources and human resources. When you go across the world, you will see Nigerians exploiting different fields. It makes one wonder what exactly we are not getting right as a nation.
“I believe that our attitude is mainly responsible for where we are today and what we are experiencing. This is why we have decided that a great personality like Dr. Okonjo-Iweala will be the keynote speaker for our conference this year. She is a woman who has accomplished several feats; she is a role model and a distinguished Nigerian,”
Maikyau, SAN, added, saying the theme of the 2024 NBA conference scheduled to hold in Lagos from August 23 to 30, would be: “Pressing Forward: A National Posture For Rebuilding Nigeria.”
He said the NBA, which prides itself as the largest association of lawyers in the world, strategically chose the Eagle as the symbol of its scheduled conference.
Meanwhile, in her remarks, Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee, Oyinkasola Badejo-Okusanya, noted that whereas a total of 16, 000 lawyers took part in the last NBA conference, she said over 20, 000 legal practitioners were expected to participate this year.