Mr. Ogochukwu Joseph Okeke is the immediate past chairman of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Nnewi Branch in Anambra State. He was Chairman, Security Committee of the Technical Committee on Conference Planning (TCCP) of the NBA Annual General Conference held in Owerri, the Imo State capital, last month. He speaks on lawyers’ expectations of the Augustine Alegeh-led executive and national security, among others, in this interview with Legal Editor, JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU.
As a former branch chairman, what do you consider as the greatest challenge in branch administration?
Basically, assuming office, a lot of people and members will feel that there are some economic gains to be made. But actually there are none because you basically accept a position of leadership, a position where all you need to do is to protect the interest of your members. So, it is a question of selfless service to the people and the Bar. And when there is an issue in the branch, you begin to run from here to there and from pillar to post. You attend to branch meetings, National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings and your private business will always suffer. But because you are at the helm of affairs at the branch you don’t have an option other than show leadership. It has nothing to do with economic gains, but a lot of people don’t see it that way. For me that is one of the problems you normally have with members who do not understand the actual workings of the leadership of the Bar.
You were actively involved in electoral campaigns at the last NBA elections, how do you think the cost of running NBA elections especially, the office of NBA President can be reduced?
I hold this view that the most difficult election to run in Nigeria today is the office of NBA President. I say so because once you aspire to be the President of the NBA you must traverse the nooks and crannies of this country. You must traverse the entire Nigeria, not just visiting the state capitals. Let me use the campaigns for the election of Mr. Augustine Alegeh (SAN) as NBA President as an example. Compare and contrast it with that of President Goodluck Jonathan.
President Goodluck Jonathan would hold his campaign rally in Awka for example, where everybody would come and listen to him. He would also hold one in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State where everybody would also come. So also he would have it in Kano, where everybody would come. But an NBA Presidential aspirant who just comes to Awka branch of the NBA and stops there will definitely have problems.
Why?
In Anambra State for instance, you have seven branches, he would have to go Awka , Nnewi, Aniocha, Ihiala, Aguata, Idemmili and Onitsha branches. That means he has seven branches to visit within the state. He is not going to call them collectively to Awka and say, look, gentlemen, I want to see all of you in Awka because if he does that the man in Aguata will feel slighted and ask, why will you invite me to Awka when I can also host Awka in Aguata? So, you find out that the NBA Presidential aspirant traverses the entire NBA branches in the federation if he is serious about winning the election.
I commendAugustine Alegeh for successfully carrying out this difficult assignment. At times the President sits in Abuja and may not know what is happening in distant branches like Isiokpo. When issues of Isiokpo branch comes up, he wouldn’t know where it is. He just knows that it is in Rivers State or Ungogo branch in Kano State.
What are your expectations from the new executives, given the contents of the President’s inaugural speech concerning electoral reforms in the NBA?
My expectations are very high indeed, I have always known our President, Mr. Augustine Alegeh (SAN), as a man of his words. I sincerely believed in his manifesto during the campaigns. I f you recall, during the campaigns, he was called a stranger to the Bar. So, I always teased him whenever he wanted to do something like a stranger to show that he was not an orthodox NBA politician bound by the way others had done it. This is a new revolution and you can see it manifested in his inauguration speech. He has made a lot of changes within the short time and by time he spends two years in office, the NBA is going to see a complete revolution to the advantage of the members of the Bar.
Given the lack lustre performance of the immediate past regime of the NBA, with the alienation of lawyers from the NBA, how do you think the new administration can connect lawyers back to the association with maximum benefit to Nigerian lawyers?
Well, the President would always say that the Okada riders have a union and the first reason for their coming together is their welfare. If one of them dies, there is a contribution made by other Okada riders within the association to ensure that the body is sent home. What has the NBA done for its members? Practicing fees are expectedly paid by every lawyer, and a lawyer in Lagos, who probably has the advantage of charging high fees, pays the same fees with those practising in another state where he may not have the advantage charging such fees. But at the end of the day, nobody gets the benefits for actually paying those fees. With the insurance scheme introduced by Augustine Alegeh (SAN), we are for once, going to have something in return for the practicing fees being paid by lawyers. That is a plus for us. That is wonderful and it is the kind of thing we expect from our association as members.
There was not a single incident of insecurity at the venue of the just concluded Annual General Conference of the NBA in Owerri, Imo State. As the chairman of the security committee, what was the secret?
Well, the first secret I may tell you is that my father is a retired police officer. By virtue of that natural training, I think I have that in-built capacity to be a security man. Again, as a lawyer, you are trained in almost all areas. I was able to adapt a couple of things I have known to the situation. Unlike the Calabar Conference, this one was more difficult because of the diverse venues and the long distance. The security men were able to sit down together. We were able to have joint security sessions and mapped out operational programmes. It was great working with the Police. It was also great working with the State Security Service (SSS). There was a great understanding, even at the very short notice they were able to respond rapidly. The Civil Defence was also brilliant, Imo State government civil guards were also fantastic with the control of traffic. We all worked together. So, it was not a single individual effort. I also praise my fellow committee members, who also ensured that it was a success, although the major venue, the Imo State International Conference Centre, was porous because there was not any fence. There are a lot of entrances into the place, yet we were able to provide maximum security for the conferees. At some point, we used police dogs to ensure that people entered the venue through designated points.
The NBA President, Alegeh, announced in his inaugural speech that one of his major focus is to reform the association electoral process, to begin the e-voting experiment from the branches, seek the amendment of its constitution before the next election in 2016. What is your reaction to this?
It is, indeed, a wonderful development in view of the fact that it is extremely difficult to contest for the office of the NBA President. Remember, what I said before about traversing the entire 109 branches of the association in the name of campaign, then you will appreciate the fact that e-voting is an absolute solution if done well.
Why do you hold this view?
This is because it will cover a lot of risks of travelling, the money involved and all the risks involved. It will be a wonderful development and if we start with the branches, by 2016 when another election will come, almost everybody will be used to the system. And as lawyers, we would be able to lead the society in this kind of reforms. We shouldn’t be going backwards. If electoral reforms come from us, then the larger society and other organisations will learn from us. If all these other organisations are able to learn from what the NBA has successfully done, then Nigeria will be a better place.
You were named a member of the select committee by the President in his inauguration speech, how do you feel about it and what do you think is the reason for setting up of such a committee?
Well, I respect the NBA President for recognising that I should be in that committee and for setting it up at this point in time. If I may go back to the reasons for this committee, over the years a lot of things have been done in the name of NBA appointments. The leadership of the NBA had lost track of what was available to the NBA. Just like he said in his inaugural speech, there are people, who have turned such positions into their private businesses. Those appointed more than 30 years ago are still there and the Federal Character issue comes into question andI think that it is part of what we will look at in the committee. If you have 10 committees for instance, and nine out of them are occupied by people from one state of the Federation, that is not fair at all to other parts of the country, or nine of such from one particular branch. A branch that calls itself a big branch for that matter while the rural branches will actually get nothing yet practicing fees are being paid across board, equally.
The President announced a significant reduction in conference fees during his tenure, how do you think this will impact the conferences positively?
Yes the President announced that there are a lot of corporate bodies that are willing to sponsor the NBA programmes, so it is really going to affect whatever conferences that may be run by the NBA any more. If these organisations have an understanding with the NBA and they are able to come up with good packages with respect to running the conferences, I don’t think that these reduction in conference fees will be an obligation on the part of members.
As a member of the Augustine Alegeh campaign organisation, what do you feel about his inauguration, his inaugural speech and his agenda?
Well, people had always called the President a stranger at the Bar and I believe that this stranger will do what the son can never do. I believe that he will do what the lantern can do that the sun can never do, which is shining at night. Alegeh will shine, the NBA will shine, Nigerian lawyers will shine and Nigeria will be a better place with this administration.
