EXPLOSIVE INTERVIEW: We will Support and Work for the Right Candidate for NBA Presidency in 2018- Monday Ubani

Monday Onyekachi Ubani, is a legal practitioner, the 2^nd vice president of the Nigerian Bar Association,NBA, the Managing partner of  Ubani & co, a social and political activist renowned for his activism.  He was recently appointed the Chairman Welfare Committee of the NBA by the President of the NBA, Mr. AB Mahmoud SAN. In this no holds barred interview, he shared his thoughts on his new role and other topical issues with Bridget Edokwe ESQ. publisher/editor at www.barristerNG.com.

 

Bridget:  The president of Nigerian Bar Association, AB Mahmoud SAN, recently appointed you Chairman of the welfare committee; Congratulations on that.

Ubani:   Thank you very much

Bridget: What does that really entail?

Ubani:  Bridget you and I are not ignorant of subtle threats and agitations of the membership on the issue of welfare in NBA. Most often  you hear lawyers’ complaints like   “oh we make lots of contributions financially to the NBA but what do we get in return”? They often echo that they  are not getting protection, and that the issue of welfare is not taken as a priority  by NBA, especially as it pertains to  young lawyers. The issue really is that welfare has become a very big issue for  the membership. So as an  Association alive to its responsibilities , it has to, through its  Committee  address some of these issues, and that is what the president of NBA has inaugurated us to do;   to set out an agenda or blueprint of welfare package that cuts across board  both for the  junior and senior lawyers. There are issues that touch on young lawyers especially when they graduate  and are doing their youth service; the amount of money they are paid as monthly allowance. Is there no way something can be done in that regard by increasing what they are earning during service? Furthermore when also they get employed what are we supposed to do to ensure that they are evenly remunerated on something  that is a bit reasonable? Even when they are not well remunerated, through  what other avenues do Principal Partners encourage them in  Chambers where they work,  to make extra money to argument what they are paid which is usually minimal  in many chambers? I am not ignorant that some chambers remunerate their lawyers very well, but they are very few in number in Nigeria. So these are the kind of things we may have to work out a frame work for the NBA to look at and if possible approve. And that is what  we are inaugurated to do.  Other issues include  Insurance scheme,  cooperative society and  the health scheme. It is a whole lot. It is just formulating a frame work actually, a blueprint on issue of total welfare package for the constituency and that is why I am using this opportunity to ask the constituency for an input into the framework/Blueprint, because we need to make it very comprehensive and enduring. So I use this opportunity once again to ask for the membership’s  input into the formulation of the framework that we will put up and later seek for the approval of NEC and ratification at subsequent AGM.

 

Bridget:  Many members of the association have criticized this present administration for having no tangible welfare policy for the benefit of its members. As the 2^nd Vice President and the Chairman of the welfare committee, what is your reaction to this?.

Ubani:   Well the point is that the welfare committee is just inaugurated  in July and so there may be reason for the delay as the president has been engaged in many other far reaching issues that touches on NBA generally  and NBA welfare specifically.  Let me point this out,  before now there has been a welfare secretary who has been doing his best for the Association. I remember the time we lost a member in Port Harcourt, the welfare officer was asked by the EXCO to liaise with the branch in other to ensure that the insurance premium  which ought to be computed and paid was carried out.  I remember  that the NBA also sent an emissary to the family to find out actually what happened; so it cannot be correct to say that the  issue of welfare has been neglected by this administration. Recall  that the insurance policy of NBA is still running. Any lawyer today who pays his or her  annual practice fee, automatically qualifies under  the insurance scheme of the NBA.  Note that, this particular insurance policy under reference was started by the last administration and it is still running,  but what we will do under this new administration is to review it and look at the issue of coverage, whether the amount of money,  that is the total cover is sufficient for a lawyer who dies while practicing law; whether we can review  and improve on it.  This and many more are  parts of the welfare issue we have to discuss in our committee and take a decision on and seek the approval of the National Executive Committee through the National Officers headed by the President. So I don’t think its right to say that this particular administration has neglected the issue of welfare, No, that is why this  committee has been set to work out a frame work in other to have a holistic  welfare package for the entire lawyers in the country and it includes both senior and junior lawyers.

 

Bridget:  Will This Welfare Package That Your Committee Is Proposing Going To Be Comprehensive?

Ubani:   It is going to be comprehensive. What we are going to do is immediately after the conference, we will hold our meeting and all members will make input especially now that I have asked for input from the entire constituency.  I have been receiving some advice and some inputs. That will go a long way in developing the total package that will be very beneficial to the entire constituency. So it is going to be comprehensive by the grace of God at the end of the day.

 

Bridget: Can You Just Highlight The Proposed Framework in Summary?

Ubani:   As I said earlier, you know I am the chairman, and I have the members of the Committee. I cannot stay here now and probably, initiate all the framework and make announcement of that without the input of my committee members. So we have a committee and it is  when we meet at the committee level and then develop all the framework, then I will probably invite you at that point in time to highlight some of the things we have come up with. So it is a committee and not a one man show, so I need to have the input of the entire membership of  the committee and then the constituency, at that time we will have a total framework, but I tell you this we will look at issue of insurance scheme, cooperative society, am talking in passing ,  we will  look at issue of health scheme for lawyers , so all of them will come into consideration when  we are formulating the framework or the blue print.

 

Bridget: Some Lawyers have expressed the concern that your new role as the Chairman of the welfare committee is in direct conflict with the function of the welfare officer of the association. What is your response  to this?

Ubani:      No, this is a committee, the welfare officer is a member, in fact the secretary  of the committee by law. But this is a committee. There is no direct conflict. He is a member and secretary of the committee. This is a committee of members that will work out the welfare package for the constituency and all that. There is no conflict at all. We are now in a committee stage so all his good policies will be dished out through the committee which he is the secretary. He is the one recognized as the welfare officer of the NBA, National , so he goes on to do his Job but the committee will develop a framework, a blueprint of a total package  for the entire membership. No conflict at all.

 

Bridget:  Some lawyers have criticized the late timing of the constitution of the committee, shouldn’t the committee have been set up earlier?

Ubani:   That’s what am saying, maybe the issue is that the president was engaged in so many things on behalf of NBA, and that took most of his time. And then the fact that he was also trying to select the kind of members that will constitute the committee may have accounted for all the delay. There are so many things he is doing that will position NBA in this 21st Century for better.  Remember  the committees  he has set up, stake holders meeting he has held, regulatory committee that he set up that went through the entire length and breadth of the country collating information and all that;  he has been busy and at the same time making the NBA to be positioned for efficiency and effectiveness. Our present efficiency already are attracting our funders and sponsors  back to NBA’s embrace. These are some of the things that have actually engaged the president since  last year when we were constituted and that may have accounted for this short delay in constituting the membership of the committee. I am not speaking for him but am saying that that  may have accounted for it. I am giving a reason of what may have led to this short delay.

 

Bridget:  Is There A Synergy Between National Welfare Committee And Welfare Committee Established By Branches.

Ubani:   Some of our Committee members are members or Welfare Committee Chairmen  in their various branches,  but the good thing is that since this committee has been inaugurated, we need to, and that’s why we are asking for input from the constituency to work In harmony with the branches. They are supposed to send some of the framework we will use now to develop both at the  national, and if possible even for the branches. So to answer your question,  the right answer will be that there is supposed to be a Synergy.  Whatever we are dishing out at the National level we expect also that some of those policies and blueprints will be implemented at the local branches, like the cooperative societies that I talked about. The work we  set out to do is to ensure that these cooperative  societies are established at the various branches. Cooperative societies will be operational only at the local branches. Yes, there ought to be a cordial synergy.

 

 

Bridget: Is There Any Specific Welfare Package/s Targeted at Young Lawyers

Ubani:   For Young Lawyers, most of the issues they complained about is about  salary they receive in chambers most times, and Conference- based issues; they are supposed to be given some level of leverage or concession because they are young ones. I totally support the idea of ensuring that we carry our young lawyers along and that’s why I take time to appreciate the establishment of the Young Lawyers Forum and I heard that this was done under Olisah Agbakoba SAN’s regime which is very commendable. So it is something that we need to sustain. The Young lawyers themselves now have  a Council and that Council ought to develop a blueprint of what some of the needs are concerning them. That is where synergy comes between the Young Lawyers Forum and  the Welfare Committee. Some of the policies we will develop will target young Lawyers. They ought to know their needs. They should put it in writing and then say “Welfare, is there any way we can bring this as a blueprint to cover the young lawyers all over the Federation”?. Of course we will respond appropriately  especially when the welfare issue is altruistic. We will go ahead and push it for ratification if it is something that is worthwhile . I think that  there should be a synergy between the Young Lawyers Forum and the Welfare Committee in terms of those specific welfare packages targeted at young Lawyers. But the initiation has to be done by the Young Lawyers Council and then they will pass it over to the Welfare Committee that will now expand and probably develop a framework for approval.

Bridget: A Senior Lawyer and a Bar Leader Prof. Ernest Ojukwu Advocated For Enforcement of a scale of Salaries for Law Firms. Is There Plans to do that?

Ubani:  Now that is advocacy and a good one at that,  but you and I  know that it is something  that cannot be done with fiat. I think that what should be done actually  Is that we should have input from every stakeholder;  the employers, the employees and every other interested party so that we can look at it holistically and have everyone’s input to it.  At the end of the day, if  there is agreement  on the amount and other terms, then we can go ahead  as  it  will become implementable. Yes, it is something that is worth looking at. I have not seen the scale he has proffered but I think it is something that is worth looking at but we must involve everyone especially the employers who will be the persons to bear the brunt of reasonable pay package.. We must be very careful not to implement a policy that will create level of high unemployment among lawyers because, if you make it so high, people may instead of having 5 or 6 lawyers in their firm may probably employ only one or two persons because they  cannot afford all the Young Lawyers in their  firm as a result of increase in salary. So it has to be done with inputs from every stakeholder especially the employers. It is something worthy of being looked at.

 

Bridget: How Do You Combine Your Firebrand And Activist Public Profile With The Position Of NBA 2nd VP, A Position Many Lawyers Have Criticized As Dormant?

Ubani: I  don’t believe that there is any position that is dormant. You can only be dormant or active as you want to be. When I came in, I discovered that I will be given a region to supervise and that is the responsibility of the VPs, in addition to other constitutional responsibilities. I was later assigned to the northern region. What I did was to  divide the Northern Region into three Zones; North-west, North-east and North-central. This assignment was given to us around November  last year. As I speak to you today, I have been to two zones. It is remaining one zone. The zones I have visited so far are so happy that  I came and interacted with them. What I did was to convey a meeting of all the Branch Chairmen and Secretaries and relate with them what is happening at the national level, the policies in place and how the National seek the input and co-operation of the branches and of course the branches told me a whole lot of issues they have as their inputs. Things they cannot communicate during NEC meetings, they will relate it to me. I will now pass it over to the National Executive especially to the President and the General Secretary that these are the feelings of our membership at the branches. It has been wonderful, our first meeting was in Kaduna where I saw most of  the Branch Chairmen and secretaries of that zone. The last one we had was in  Makurdi, Benue State on the 21st of July, and I had over 50+ Lawyers; Chairmen and Secretaries from all over the six  states including The FCT, Abuja. We had a very wonderful meeting and they were able to express themselves; what they want the National to do for them and how they feel that National should carry them along. And they felt so relieved that they were able to relate with Somebody from the National. I am therefore busy and not dormant. There are other things I do, like represent the President when I am assigned to so do,  including  marketing NBA and making people to know what NBA is doing and so on and so forth. So I don’t believe that any position is dormant. The point is that we have a president and that president is the spokesperson of the NBA. He speaks on behalf of the NBA. We have to support him, we have to market his ideology and what he set out to achieve as the President.  All of us national officers especially the Vice Presidents,  in our own little way have to market the ideology of the present government and aggressively pursue it and also lead the line in own various branches also.  We have to be the light  in our branches and zones by communicating the policies from the national level to them. So being dormant is not something that is in me or my character. Nobody can stop it but we must recognize the fact that there is a president and he is the spokesperson of the NBA and we all must key in into his ideal for an effective and respectable  NBA. I don’t consider my position as being dormant, I am making my contributions and I  am doing my assignment diligently and regularly.  Now that I have been made the chairman of welfare Committee, already if not for the conference that is coming up soon which we are all engaged in,  we would have had our first meeting during which our assignment would have been shared to the committee members. So I remain what I am, ever vibrant;   I can never be dormant.

 

Bridget: Your Appointment As Welfare Chairman Seems To Have Rekindled Members’ Hope That The Issue OF Welfare Will Henceforth Be In The Front Burner Knowing Your Track Record Of Activism. How Do You React To This?

Ubani:   My take is that I may not have all the ideas of what the entire welfare framework and package will be and that’s why I said earlier I am still seeking inputs from those with superior knowledge and they should be rest assured that their altruistic suggestions will be pushed forward for implementation. A lot of our members have complained enough about the issue of Welfare, it is high time they get to know that it is being addressed by their Association. So we are  moving   to the specifics. “What manner of welfare do you need NBA to take care of?” Is it something NBA can do now or in the future?. If you think out any, let us have them and see whether it is something doable. If it is, we will  develop a framework that will  cover them and seek necessary  approval for implementation . So as I said earlier, I need inputs, I may not have all the ideas, the members of the committee may not have all the ideas of the total welfare package suitable for lawyers. I am very happy that the president of the NBA said that he is not going to allow any of the recommendations of the Committee to gather dust, he will ensure that they are implemented. So if we have them implemented, that means that we have done something worthwhile  for the membership and  NBA generally.

 

Bridget: There Is A Strong Rumor Mill Among Lawyers That You Are Contesting NBA Presidency Next Year. Can You Confirm The True Position.

Ubani:   I also saw it, it is a mere rumor and pure speculation. If I want to actually run for the office of the Presidency of the NBA, I should have started earlier than now. I should have also made my friends to know and I would have been the one to specifically say it. Of course we now know people who are already running for the office next year. It is very obvious from their body language but there is no such thing from me in terms of my  body language. To answer your question directly, no,  I am not running for the office of the NBA president in 2018; it is mere rumor. I think it will be very ambitious for me to contemplate that when I am still the 2nd Vice president of the NBA when  I have not handed over. The one I am carrying, I have not dropped it and I am now going for the presidency. Bridget, if you hear it won’t you say “Ubani, you are too ambitious”…laughs.

It is something that I am very happy and very proud that people have positioned me as one who  can actually occupy the position of the President of NBA. But I am not running for it now because I believe in timing and everything has time and if you do it in accordance with God’s time you will not regret it. So I must take my time and be sure that every other variables are all in place before I will  begin to throw in my hat to the rings. So I am not running for the office of the presidency rather, I will support the person that will win. Of course you know it is zoned to the old  South East region.   We will support and work for the right person that will lead the bar for the next two years after this administration.

Bridget: Thank you, it’s a privilege speaking with you.

Ubani:  The pleasure is mine.