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  • Adekoya wins 14th DOAMF Charity Golf Tourney

    Adekoya wins 14th DOAMF Charity Golf Tourney

    Segun Adekoya, playing off handicap 13, has emerged the overall winner of the 2025 Daniel Ogechi Akujobi Memorial (DOAM) Foundation Golf Tournament after a scintillating golfing experience on Saturday, March 8, at the Ikoyi Club 1938 Golf Course in Lagos. 

    Adekoya returned a 67 nett score. Olayinka Olafimihan, a 14-handicapper, finished with 70 nett, three strokes behind him to pick the runner-up spot. Paul Tijani, a 12-handicapper, finished third on count-back to claim the second runner-up spot. 

    Adekoya carted away not only the much coveted winner’s trophy but also an LG Washing Machine-20/12kg Wash and Dry and an Omron M1 Blood Pressure Monitor.

    Ademola, in his reaction, said: “I feel so happy to have won at this time and fully identify with the achievements of DOAM Foundation in touching the lives of the less privileged in our society. 

     “I applaud the organisers for their consistency in maintaining the lofty standards that we have come to know and enjoy about the tournament. 

     “It is good to be a part of the sponsors and know that funds are judiciously used in empowering the Foundation to do charitable works.” 

     He commended the DOAMF Team and the Ikoyi Club Golf Section for the quality of organization and impact they are making in touching lives with donations from the annual tournament event.” 

     In the Ladies’ category, Ifeoma Obama emerged the overall winner with a 73 net score to beat Ify Onukwuba, the runner-up, on count-back. Lynda Obieze finished as the second runner-up, also with a 73 Nett score. 

    Obama, in addition to the Ladies’ Winners trophy, was rewarded with a two-night weekend stay at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel and an Omron Digital Weighing Scale. 

     Other winners at the event included Remi Olukoya, who shot 74 to pick the best gross prize, beating Tim Maguire and Afe Joachim, who finished in second and third places, respectively. 

    Mr Olukoya carted away not only the best gross trophy but also an Omron M2 Blood Pressure Monitor and a three-country European sea cruise courtesy of Vacation Places.

    Read Also: Yewande Adekoya calls out driver who hit her car in Lekki

     In the Veterans Category, Terry Otuya emerged the winner, with a 74 nett score, beating Ted Iwere(on count-back)and YomiSanni to second and third places respectively. 

     The event featured a field of 171 players, in a strong show of support for the tournament in addition to that offered by corporate and individual sponsors and partners. 

     The tournament ended with a cocktail party and prize-giving event in the evening, at which sponsors and golfers interacted, while the Foundation showcased its programs and achievements to date.  

  • Akeredolu, Adekoya, Falana, others for conference

    Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), Mrs Funke Adekoya (SAN) and former West African Bar Association (WABA) President Femi Falana (SAN) are among dignitaries expected at the 2019 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Section on Legal Practice (SLP) conference.

    Also expected at the event include former dean, Faculty of Law University of Lagos, Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo, Mr C. A.  Candid-Johnson (SAN) and Dr. Babatunde Ajibade (SAN).

    It will hold in Akure, Ondo State from May 7-8. The theme is: Value added legal practice.

    Conference planning committee chairman Mr.  Ayodele Akintunde (SAN) told The Nation that participants will share their views on the future of legal services in Nigeria.

    He said they will also speak on opportunities and threats, how the legal profession should adapt to the changing landscape, how legal practitioners can improve the quality of their services, attract clients and boost their revenues.

    “Panel discussions will critically examine issues around justice reform, and how to improve service delivery in the justice sector to enhance the value of legal practice. The conference will examine several topical issues in legal practice today, and give practical solutions

    “On the first day, there will be dinner and participants will be treated to cultural displays by various cultural troupes from Ondo and Ekiti states, in addition to the presentations.

    “On the second day, a visit will be organised to the Idanre Hills, where participants can enjoy good scenery of the hills, which is one of the most beautiful natural landscapes in Nigeria,” he said.

    Akintunde said golf enthusiasts will also have the opportunity to play on one of the most beautiful golf courses in Nigeria, the Smoking Hills Golf course located at the outskirts of Ilara Mokin.

    “Like last year, registration for this year’s Annual Conference will be online and members and non-members of the NBA Section on Legal Practice can go to the website: www.nba-slp.org to register.

    “The website is very user friendly. Once you get on the website, follow the link, fill the online form and make payment. The website also has a link to enable non-members join or register and be part of the NBA Section on Legal Practice conference.

    “We welcome new members, and assure that there are lots of benefits for members of the SLP, including discounts on conference registration fees.

    “The array of eminent panelists invited to the 2019 NBA-SLP Annual Conference will highlight strategic solutions and discussions taking place within the legal industry to improve legal services in Nigeria.

    “The Conference will provide participants with an opportunity to enjoy Ondo State, its culture and people, and visit tourist destinations in the state.

    “The conference is accredited by the Nigerian Bar Association, and CLE points will be awarded to participants. The conference promises to be a memorable one,” Akintunde added.

  • Adekoya gets World Bank job

    Adekoya gets World Bank job

    Former First Vice-President  of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Mrs. Funke  Adekoya (SAN) has been  elected  to  the World Bank Group’s Sanctions Board.

    She also became a member of the  International Council for Commercial Arbitration  ICCA Governing Board after being voted for by a two-thirds majority of its members.

    She and others elected from different parts of the globe to the World Bank board will serve for the next four years  with effect  from  April 1,  2015

    Adekoya said: “In the  World Bank’s Sanctions System, we tackle corruption through a two-tier administrative sanctions process because promoting good governance and tackling corruption are critical to achieving sustainable development and poverty reduction.

    “One way that the World Bank combats corruption is through the use of administrative sanctions against firms or individuals who have engaged in fraud, corruption, coercion, collusion or obstruction (referred to collectively as Sanctionable Practices) in connection with World Bank-financed projects. The sanctions regime is designed to protect the funds entrusted to the World Bank, while offering the firms and individuals involved an opportunity to respond to the allegations against them.

    “There are five possible administrative sanctions: Public Letter of Reprimand, Debarment, Conditional Non-Debarment, Debarment with Conditional Release, and Restitution.  Allegations that a firm or individual engaged in a Sanctionable Practice are investigated by the World Bank Group’s Integrity Vice Presidency (INT).

    “Since 2001, more than 400 firms and individuals have been publicly sanctioned by the World Bank.’’

  • Why I ran for NBA presidency, by Adekoya

    Why I ran for NBA presidency, by Adekoya

    One of the contestants in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) election, Mrs. Funke Adekoya (SAN) has explained why she ran for the presidency.

    She said: “I sought to restore this profession to its revered and respected status as the voice of the voiceless Nigerians and the defender of the interests of legal practitioners. But it was not to be. Our members have spoken and we now have a president-elect.

    “In this race, I have had the privilege of meeting colleagues from all over our great nation and cultivating life-long friendships. Let me, therefore, thank all my many supporters who stood by me and what I stand for, who remained true to their conscience, and who stood up to be counted when it mattered most.

    “I appreciate your tireless efforts, sacrifices, encouragement and prayers. The unprecedented support in various forms that I have received in the last two months has renewed my faith in humanity and in our innate nobility as lawyers.

    “I recall that an ardent supporter and colleague sent me five recharge cards in support of my campaign, with an apology that she could not afford more.

    “To all of you who keyed into our vision, I can only sincerely thank you and pray that the Almighty God will honour you in due season. You all are the true winners.”

  • NBA Presidency: Adekoya, Alegeh woo Igbo lawyers

    Two aspirants for the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidency in the forthcoming  elections, Mrs. Funke Adekoya (SAN) and Mr. Augustine Alegeh (SAN) at the weekend attended the monthly meeting of Otu Oka-Iwu Lagos to seek support  for their bids. Otu Oka-Iwu is a union of lawyers of Igbo extraction.

    Addressing the meeting,  Adekoya condoled with  the union on the death of one of its elders, Chief Theodore Ezeobi (SAN) and Chief Ralph Uwechue, brother to another elder of the union, Chief George Uwechue (SAN). She noted that Ezeobi was a courageous lawyer who spoke the truth to power, adding that he was a “ready ally” in  raising critical issues that touched on the integrity and independence of the Bar.

    Adekoya informed the union of her intention to contest the NBA presidency, adding: “If we are to tell ourselves the truth, the association  is declining. The things that our Bar Association should be doing for us are so many and so simple; but we are not doing them. And I think they are not doing them because those who seek office have not given them sufficient thought.”

    She said many NBA members are unhappy with the hike in practicing fees and Annual General Conference fees, adding: “Many members are disenchanted. Everyone is asking, what are they doing with our money,” she asked?

    She added: “Even me, I don’t know. What I do know is that my leadership will take immediate  steps to review downwards these fees which I personally consider as very high. We will also institute a  Group Life and Accident  Insurance Policy at no extra cost to members by deploying a portion of the practicing fees as premium.”

    She promised to reverse the ban on non-attendance at NEC meetings by observers, saying the decision is “very unpopular.” Adekoya said her administration would prosecute estate agents and sundry practitioners, who encroach on work reserved for lawyers, since the conduct infringes the Legal Practitioners Act which bars the practice of law without licence.

    Adekoya, a former NBA National Treasurer and First Vice-President said an NBA under her leadership would, like the Law Society of UK among others, advertise legal services to expand the volume of work available to lawyers. She said she would also engage the Nigeria Police and the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) “to ensure that they see reasons why it is in their best interest to hire lawyers” for their activities, while her leadership will make a strong representation to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to ensure that it does not circumscribe work available to lawyers.

    On his part, Alegeh told the union that NBA needs “somebody new and fresh with new ideas. He said: “I believe that there are changes we need to make in the association and we need a  new person to make those changes. I offer myself as that agent of change for the association.”

    He said he believed that NBA activities should be “branch driven,” adding that “the idea of four, five persons upstairs forming policies, implementing them  and when there is change at the helm, these policies are jettisoned is not good for the NBA. “We need an NBA that  starts from the branches, that gives powers to the branches, that all policies formulated by the NBA originate from the branches.”

    He expressed concern that work reserved for lawyers are “being done by third parties and NBA does nothing about it. “We have foreign law firms today who take 80 per cent of our arbitration work. We have the Legal Practitioners Act that provides that all legal services should be done by lawyers. How  then do we sit down as NBA and allow  funds from public corporations to be paid  to foreign lawyers in  flagrant breach of our laws?”

    He promised to refocus the Continuing Legal Education programme to equip lawyers with requisite skills, noting that there are rights that already exist which lawyers are not sufficiently equipped to pursue.

    Like Adekoya, Alegeh is also worried that the national body is not speaking when it ought to. “The whole world is agog with  Chibok,” he observed. “But can anybody here tell me where NBA stands on Chibok,” he asked?

    He continued: “Nobody can say where we stand. Do we support Boko Haram or do we support Federal Government? We don’t know where NBA stands.”

    He said the NBA should be the “leader of all civil societies in Nigeria,” adding that, “when anything happens in the country, the voice of NBA should be the loudest; currently, the voice of NBA is muffled.”

    Alegeh promised to “refocus” on the welfare of members, saying, he is being called a “stranger” by the so-called Bar  men “because I do not join in the chop-chop. To be a ‘Bar  man,’ you have to chop.”

    Expressing his concern with the current state of affairs in the NBA, Alegeh said: “We fail to tap the enormous potentials that we have. I do not see why in this day and age of branding and advertising, of giving tax breaks to companies, NBA still has to pay by itself for bags, biros, jotters and all of that. If I go to SEC and say SEC, I want bags; you can brand them as you want. we don’t want money, it will be done. But we are running NBA as though we are in the Dark Ages. And because they make money from giving out contract awards to make biros and bags.”

  • Adekoya, Akintola shun Egbe Amofin peace meeting

    Adekoya, Akintola shun Egbe Amofin peace meeting

    Two Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential hopefuls, Mrs Funke Adekoya (SAN) and Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN) were absent from the Egbe Amofin reconciliatory committee meeting held at Protea Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos, at the weekend.

    All the presidential aspirants were invited by the committee set up at the last meeting of the Western Lawyers Forum, otherwise known as ‘Egbe Amofin,’ held at Chief Afe Babalola Bar Centre in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital to resolve their differences.

    The committee, under the chairmanship of Chief Adegboyega S. Awomolo (SAN) was given three weeks to do the job.

    The Lagos meeting first reconciled the elders of the forum, Chief Bandele Aiku (SAN) and Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN). It also reconciled the elders, Chief Aiku and Deacon Dele Adesina (SAN), a presidential aspirant, and all present at the meeting.

    In a chat with The Nation, Mrs Adekoya said she could not attend the meeting because she was out of town. She said she had made up her mind to contest the election, adding that there is no going back.

    Chief Akintola said the Lagos meeting only succeeded in cancelling the meeting of Egbe Amofin slated for February 8 in Ibadan and that of the Adesina group slated for Ife in Osun state last Saturday.

    He said: “ But the Adesina group issued a statement after the meeting saying, on Akure we stand, so we are back to the trenches.”

    On the way out of the crises, Akintola said: “Let us go to the field and let Nigerian lawyers decide who they want to be their President. I don’t believe in zoning, it promotes mediocrity, these days you see lawyers whose names have not appeared in any Law Reports becoming NBA Presidents simply because it is zoned to their Forum. I don’t believe in that, today you see people who have no practice simply because they are Bar activists, they become presidents and drag the name of the association in the mud, it shouldn’t be like that all. Let all us go into the field and campaign, let lawyers decide for us and elect who they want to be their President. Simple.”

    As a result of the successful resolution of the differences, the meetings of the association earlier scheduled by the two factions in Ibadan on February 8 and Ile-Ife on February 1 were all cancelled and the committee fixed a meeting of all members of the committee on February, 15 in Lagos at a venue that will be communicated to all stakeholders. The faction led by the 15 branch chairmen had in their meeting in Akure, adopted one of the candidates, Mr. Adesina as their Presidential candidate.

    The meeting was attended by prominent members of Egbe Amofin, including Chief N. O. Oke (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), Chief Felix Fagbohungbe (SAN), Ranti Ajeleti, former General Secretary of the NBA, Mr. Yinka Fayokun and about 17 branch chairmen.