NBA empowers, builds capacity of members in Rivers

The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has stressed the need for capacity building and regular updating for its members, especially the young lawyers practicing in Rivers State.

Speaking at the formal opening ceremony of the NBA branch in Okehi, Eche Local Government Area of Rivers State, Mr. Felix Amadi, the branch NBA chairman, emphasised the importance of providing the right environment to enhance the administration of justice in all parts of the country. The occasion also witnessed the commissioning of a standard common room for lawyers at the Okehi High Court.

Mr. Amadi, who teaches law at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, RUST, noted that the common room would also serve as a temporary centre for the NBA branch in Okehi.

He said: “Haven achieved this milestone, our next target is to commission an NBA secretariat or NBA house in Okehi. We will soon embark on this project and I am confident that we will accomplish it.”

The NBA branch chairman said that it was very necessary for the association to establish its presence in all judicial divisions across the country to boost the synergy between the bar and the bench. He pledged the continued cooperation of the NBA and the law officers in the Okehi Judicial Division.

Highlighting the benefits of having a functional NBA centre in judicial divisions, Mr. Amadi said that the presence of the association helped to strengthen other institutions in the society, adding that the services of legal practitioners were necessary in all parts of the country.

Speaking before commissioning the NBA centre, Justice Chioma Okirie, the Presiding Judge of the Okehi Judicial Division, said she was happy to be part of the epoch-making ceremony. She said: “I am delighted that the Okehi branch has been commissioned. I believe that the branch centre and the common room will provide the needed comfort and convenience for lawyers who come to appear in the courts here.”

Justice Okirie advised members of the executive of the NBA branch to provide good leadership for lawyers in the area, adding that the value of the services of the association could not be over-emphasised.

Also speaking at the occasion, Mr. Sylvanus Nwankwo, the secretary of the NBA branch, re-stated that the presence of the association in Okehi would enhance the administration of justice in the area.