A fiery exchange has erupted over the Nigerian Bar Association’s (NBA) recent decision to relocate its 2025 Annual General Conference (AGC) from Port Harcourt to Enugu, as Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, demands a refund of N300 million allegedly paid to the association as “hosting rights.”
But human rights lawyer, Dickson Adeyanju, has strongly dismissed the demand, describing it as baseless and misleading.
According to Adeyanju, “The NBA never collected a kobo from the current Rivers State Government. There’s no such thing as ‘hosting rights’ in the NBA’s tradition. Venue selection is based on logistics and planning, not financial transactions.”
He clarified that the NBA had only engaged with the then-democratically elected government of Rivers State before political turbulence led to the appointment of Ibas as Sole Administrator, rendering previous arrangements void.
“The NBA is not a business enterprise that trades decisions for cash. We operate on principle, not profit,” Adeyanju asserted.
He also warned that the refund drama is a smokescreen designed to distract the public from the real crisis—the alleged erosion of democracy in the state.
“The NBA must resist every attempt to be bullied into submission. This is bigger than a conference; it’s about defending the rule of law,” he emphasized.
Adeyanju concluded by reaffirming the NBA’s solidarity with the legal community and residents of Rivers State, while making it clear that the Association’s stance is a rejection of unconstitutional leadership—not the people.
“Lawyers must stand for democracy at all times, regardless of the pressures,” he said
