Olumide Akpata, president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has denounced the desecration of the registration centre used by attendees of the NBA’s ongoing annual general conference to gather papers.
Lawyers stormed into the registration centre on Tuesday night and stole some materials after the distribution of conference materials was delayed. A number of attorneys and registration officers were reportedly hurt in the incident.
Due to a shortage after being sent back to the suppliers for being subpar, the NBA stopped handing out conference bags on Tuesday.
In a Wednesday email to attorneys, Akpata responded to the looting on Tuesday by calling it a “national embarrassment.”
As you may be aware, several delegates broke into, vandalised, and looted the registration centre for the ongoing Annual General Conference yesterday night. The majority of the conference materials were carried away, and lawyers and registration officials were hurt as a result.
“Whilst we acknowledge and regret that there were lapses in the distribution process, last night’s incident was a national embarrassment as some of our members conducted themselves in a most despicable manner not expected of members of the profession.”
Akpata said he met with the 2022 technical committee on conference planning (TCCP) and decided to shut down the looted registration centre.
“We cannot afford to risk the lives and safety of our members, colleagues and contractors at the conference venue on account of collection of materials. I have therefore met with the leadership of the TCCP, and a decision has been taken for the destroyed registration center at the conference village to be shut down and it is now being shut down.
“However, alternative arrangements have been made for the collection of materials by delegates. The new collection center is the BWC Hotel that is located opposite the Eko Atlantic. This new collection center is smaller than the previous one (which is now unusable) and as a result, access to it for collection of materials would be controlled in the following manner:
“Collection of materials will commence at 2pm today (Wednesday 24 August, 2022) at the BWC Hotel. Delegates will be admitted into the collection center in batches of 80 at a time.
“Delegates are expected to be seated (or to provide their details) in Breakout Room D at the Eko Atlantic pending when they are called, or sent a text message, to come to the collection center to pick up their materials,” he said.
Akpata reassured the delegates that they would receive their materials and urged them to work with the registration staff to prevent a recurrence of the incident.
