DANIEL ODIBA, ACArb

DISCLAIMER: RE: Owerri Industrial Court Crisis: Alozie SAN committed gross professional misconduct-NBA Fact Finding Committee.

The attention of the NBA Owerri Branch was drawn to a report making rounds on major blogs and circulated on several WhatsApp groups on the above subject.

Upon reading through the news as reported on the blogs, it became very pertinent to make the following points and set the facts straight:

1. That on 17th day of June, 2022 the NBA, Owerri Branch constituted a three (3) man Committee and designated same as “Fact Finding Committee on the Remote and Immediate Causes of the Closure of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Owerri Judicial Division”.

2. The Committee presented its report to the Bar at its Monthly Meeting of 24th September, 2022.

3. Upon a motion properly moved and seconded, the General Meeting directed that the Committee Report be sent back to the Advisory Committee to read, deliberate on same and advise the Executive Committee. That motion was to the effect that whatever be the outcome of the Advisory Committee Meeting, the Executive Committee should act on same and forward it as a resolution of the Bar to the appropriate bodies.

4. That at the Advisory Committee Meeting which held on the 28th day of September, 2022, the Advisory Committee extensively read and deliberated on the Report of the Fact Finding Committee.

5. That some of the findings of the Fact Finding Committee were not adopted by the Advisory Committee because some actors in the whole saga were not heard and some parties were not offered opportunities to react to some allegations made against them by some of the actors.

6. Consequently, it was resolved that the entire report will not be adopted hook, line and sinker. However, the recommendations of the Committee were found to be apt and same were adopted because the recommendations did not directly touch on some of the findings referenced at the paragraph immediately preceding above.

7. That the Bar has sent its Resolutions and forwarding correspondence to the appropriate authorities and bodies including the President of the National Industrial Court and the President of the Nigerian Bar Association.

8. Members of the public are advised not to act on the Report earlier circulated on social media as same is not the final position of the Bar.

DANIEL ODIBA, ACArb.,
PUBLICITY SECRETARY,
NBA OWERRI BRANCH.
1|10|2022
19:30Hrs
+2347039800950