Account Of My Stewardship As Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Obollo- Afor Branch, By Barr Paul Odo

For The Records: Being a speech by the former  Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Obollo- Afor, Udenu, Enugu State,  Barr Paul Odo, during the handover ceremony to the incoming Executive Committee, headed by Barr Celestine Nnamani, on June 25, 2026, at the temporary Bar Centre, Obollo Afor.

Protocols:

It gives me great pleasure to present this hand-over note to my successor, Celestine O. Nnamani, Esq., the newly elected Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Obollo-Afor Branch, having served out my tenure as Chairman from June 2024 to June 2026.

Our administration had a difficult beginning owing to the unfortunate demise of the immediate past Chairman, late Desmond Ezeme, Esq., before he could formally hand over to us. May his gentle soul rest in peace. His passing created a difficult situation, as there was no formal hand-over, no institutional guidance, and no administrative brief to assist the incoming executive. 

However, by the grace of Almighty God, we were able to forge ahead and discharge our duties to the best of our ability until this day when time has brought our tenure to an end.

Obollo Afor Branch Of The NBA

 

The Obollo-Afor Branch has its peculiar challenges. The branch has more non-resident members than members resident within the jurisdiction. Some registered members have not attended any branch meeting at all since I assumed office. In some cases, members who called me for one reason or another had to first explain and convince me that they belonged to our branch. This made administration quite challenging, but we managed the situation as best as we could.

The Journey So Far And Achievements Of The Outgoing Executive 

Office Accommodation: Before our administration came into office, branch meetings were held at the Customary Court. Upon assumption of office, we applied to the Honourable Chief Judge of Enugu State, Hon. Justice A. R. Ozoemena, for approval to use the old court building as a temporary Bar Centre. His Lordship graciously granted the approval, and the said building has since served as our temporary Bar Centre.

Renovation of the Bar Centre

The present executives embarked on the renovation of the Bar Centre, which was then in a very poor state. We changed the louvers, worked on the ceiling and walls, and painted the entire building. The renovation commenced with the little funds available in the branch account. Thereafter, we appealed to members for financial assistance through voluntary donations and pledges. The pledges made were as follows:

O. J. Uchenna, Esq. — N500,000

I. H. Elochukwu, Esq. — N300,000

R. O. Mamah, Esq. — N100,000

G. O. Ugwuoke, Esq. — N100,000

O. G. Nnamani, Esq. — N100,000

W. U. C. Ojobo, Esq. — N120,000

C. C. Nnamani, Esq. — N50,000

C. C. Chidiozie, Esq. — N50,000

Charles Ugwu, Esq. — N10,000

P. C. Odo, Esq. — N100,000

Anthony Odo, Esq. — N100,000

K. E. Eze, Esq. — N20,000

Out of the above pledges, only C. C. Nnamani, Esq., C. C. Chidiozie, Esq., who paid N30,000 out of his pledge; P. C. Odo, Esq.; K. E. Eze, Esq.; G. O. Ugwuoke, Esq.; and O. J. Uchenna, Esq., who paid N100,000 out of his pledge, have redeemed or partly redeemed their pledges. 

Despite repeated appeals, both during plenary sessions and individually, several pledges remain unpaid. It is the considered view of the outgoing executive that members who voluntarily made pledges during general meetings are indebted to the branch to the extent of their unpaid pledges. Their words should be their bond. Meanwhile, a lot of work still remains to be done at the Bar Centre.

Furnishing

The executive procured the following items for the Bar Centre:

Fifty plastic chairs with iron stands;

Three plastic tables;

One padded office table; and

Three padded back chairs for the office of the Chairman.

Road Construction

The executives graded and filled potholes on the road leading to the court premises with stones, gravel, and laterite at a cost of over N400,000

Signpost

The out- going executive produced and mounted a signpost for the Bar Centre.

Formation of Committees

The executives constituted a number of committees in line with the Constitution of the Association. These include:

Human Rights Committee, with the Vice Chairman, Benedict Abugu, Esq., as Chairman;

Remuneration/Task Force Committee, with O. J. Uchenna, Esq., as Chairman;

Disciplinary Committee, chaired by G. O. Ugwuoke, Esq.; and

Human Rights Committee chaired by Charles Ugwu, Esq.

The full list of members of the various committees can be obtained from the Secretariat.

Welfare of Members

The outgoing executive attended to the welfare of members as provided for under the Constitution, including welfare issues relating to burials, funerals, marriages, and other relevant events. As at the date of this hand-over, there is no outstanding welfare obligation known to the outgoing executive.

At the national level, we followed up on the benefits due to late Okey Agbo, Esq., and ensured that the same were processed and received within a reasonable time. With respect to  late Desmond Ezeme, Esq., we followed up the matter to the extent of obtaining the necessary forms for his family. However, we were not subsequently informed of how the family handled or concluded the processes.

Attendance at Statutory Meetings

The branch participated actively in statutory meetings, including the Annual General Conference and National Executives Council meetings, notwithstanding our limited resources.

Court Sessions for Deceased Members

The executive attended some court sessions held in honour of deceased members across the State. These engagements required funds for the production of speeches and for transportation.

Legal Year Ceremonies:

Throughout our tenure, the branch did not miss any Legal Year ceremony. In each case, the branch presented a paper.

Law Dinner

Within the two years of our administration, we successfully hosted a branch Law Dinner, which featured important lectures on health and other related issues.

Opening of a Separate Remuneration and Welfare Account

For purposes of accountability, the executives opened a separate account known as the Remuneration and Welfare Account.

The New Remuneration Order

With respect to the new Remuneration Order, I would say that the branch is making progress, although much still needs to be done. Some members are still sabotaging the Order, and anyone doing so does so at his or her own risk. As at the date of this hand-over, more than one hundred members have submitted their deeds and powers of attorney for sealing by the branch. It is our recommendation that, going forward, any member approaching the Chairman for sealing should submit a duly completed copy of the relevant form, which should be kept in the Remuneration File. Although we did not strictly enforce this during our tenure, we consider it very important for proper record-keeping. A separate account has been created for this purpose with FCMB as follows:

Account Name: NBA Obollo-Afor Remuneration Account

Account Number: 2008611825

CHALLENGES

The branch continues to face several challenges. One of the major challenges is membership. The number of active members is low, and even many members on the roll do not reside within the jurisdiction. Consequently, attendance at meetings is not guaranteed. Even among those who attend meetings, lateness is a recurring problem, often resulting in meetings extending late into the night. Another major challenge is funding. Due to the small number of active members, raising funds for branch activities has remained difficult. This explains why the branch has found it difficult to hold a full Law Week in the manner done by other branches. There is also a noticeable level of apathy towards NBA programmes. It is my sincere hope that this will improve under the incoming executives.

ITEMS HANDED OVER

In summary, the outgoing executives hereby hands over the following:

Fifty chairs;

Three plastic tables;

One padded office table;

Three padded chairs;

The renovated Bar Centre, together with the Chief Judge’s approval letter contained in a file;

A ledger containing records relating to the Remuneration Account

Access Bank cheque book.

Iron Seal

Wooden Stamp

Stamp Pad

Unclaimed Stamps and Seals with the Secretary

Some copies of receipt booklets

Files containing

Approval letter from the chief Judge for the use of the old High Court building

Some court session Speeches

Some correspondences on the current protest etc.

FINANCE 

The branch has two operational current accounts, namely:

Access Bank Account No.: 0695102230

Balance: N272,207.38

FCMB Remuneration and Human Rights Committee Account No.: 2008611825

Balance: N148,250.00

As earlier stated, some members made pledges which have not been redeemed. The unpaid pledges are hereby handed over to the incoming executives as outstanding indebtedness to the Association. In addition, (several) members are indebted to the Association in respect of unpaid Law Dinner levies (of N10,000 each) for 2024 and 2025, 

 Any claim to the contrary should be supported by credible evidence of payment.

Dinner levy. An error occurred because the sum of N300,000 was inadvertently treated as if it were N3,000,000.  Mr. P..C Ugwuja did not immediately inform the branch of this overpayment. The issue was discovered only after we returned from the NEC meeting in Awka, when the Secretary and I were trying to reconcile the branch account and ascertain what had happened to the funds. Upon a closer review of the records, we discovered that there had been an overpayment into Mr. Ugwuja’s account.

I then called him and asked how much had been paid to him. He admitted that he had been overpaid and stated that this was the reason he had wanted to see me to discuss the matter. I informed him that there was no need for any discussion and that he should immediately refund the excess sum to the NBA Branch account, as the money belonged to other persons and not to him. I further reminded him of the case of Mr. Obitto Best, whose cheque had been dishonoured due to insufficient funds even before we left for the NEC meeting at Awka, and whom I had persuaded to wait until we returned. Thereafter, Mr. Ugwuja began making part payments. First, through a deed transaction valued at N8,000,000, he paid the sum of N800,000 into the branch account. He did not collect his own entitlement from that transaction because he was already indebted to the branch. He subsequently paid the further sum of N500,000 cash into the NBA account, bringing the total amount refunded by him to N1,300,000. As at the date of this hand-over, Mr. Ugwuja has continued to promise to raise money and pay the outstanding balance.

However, he is yet to remit the balance of N1,336,000.... I have made efforts to secure intervention from senior lawyers of the Enugu-Ezike Lawyers Forum, but no concrete result has been achieved. I also informed some prominent members of his community, including Architect Innocent Agbo, former Secretary to the State Government, and Professor Obe of the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and requested them to intervene and prevail on him to make the necessary refund before this hand-over. Unfortunately, the outstanding balance remains unpaid.

CONCLUSION

I thank all members of the branch for the opportunity given to me and my executives to serve. I also thank members of the executives for their support, sacrifice, and commitment throughout our tenure. I urge the incoming Chairman and his executives to build on the modest achievements recorded during our tenure, address the pending challenges, recover outstanding debts and pledges due to the branch, strengthen branch administration, and continue to promote the welfare, dignity, and professional standing of members of the Nigerian Bar Association, Obollo-Afor Branch.

May God bless the Nigerian Bar Association.

Dated this 26th  day of June, 2026.