The newly inaugurated President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, has pledged to build a united, inclusive and bolder Bar capable of responding effectively to the challenges confronting the legal profession.
Badejo-Okusanya made the declaration while delivering her inaugural address shortly after taking the oath of office as the 33rd President of the NBA at the Ceremonial Court of the Rivers State High Court Complex, Port Harcourt, Friday.
The new NBA President, who succeeded Mazi Afam Osigwe, said her administration would belong to every member of the association, irrespective of their political affiliations, branch, age, gender or candidate supported during the recent NBA election.
She said the time had come for members of the Bar to put the divisions associated with the election behind them and work together in the interest of the profession, stressing that the NBA must remain one united Bar.
According to her, her administration would be guided by the principle of putting members first, assuring lawyers that she would not use her position to reward only those who supported her during the election.
Badejo-Okusanya said she did not seek the presidency merely to make history as the first woman to be elected President of the NBA, but to use the opportunity to create meaningful impact and strengthen the legal profession.
She pledged to build on the achievements of the previous administration, while addressing areas that required improvement, saying she would consolidate what was working and introduce reforms where necessary.
The NBA President also promised to improve professional development opportunities for young lawyers, enhance the welfare of members, strengthen the branches and expand the use of technology in the administration of the association.
She expressed concern over the conduct of some lawyers on social media, particularly the use of abusive and offensive language against colleagues, warning that lawyers who engage in conduct capable of bringing the profession into disrepute would face appropriate disciplinary action.
Badejo-Okusanya also disclosed that she had studied the manifestos of the other presidential candidates in the election and would incorporate useful proposals into her administration’s programmes, while giving due credit to their originators.
She urged members of the Bar to hold her administration accountable, stressing that she was not asking lawyers for blind faith, but for the confidence to allow the new leadership work and the courage to demand results from it.
The NBA President said her administration would work towards a Bar where lawyers could earn better, live better and practise better, while calling on members to unite behind the common ideals of justice, rule of law and the advancement of the legal profession.

King Onunwor

About 37 persons have reportedly died after inhaling a toxic petroleum product while allegedly loading illegally tapped “Indorama fuel” at Okari Jetty in the Okrika Mainland area of Rivers State.
Several others were said to be missing following the incident, which reportedly occurred around midnight on Thursday, September 3, 2026.
It was gathered that more than 200 persons, mostly youths from neighbouring communities, had stormed the jetty in locally made boats to load the product from an illegally tapped point.
A community source, who spoke in confidence, said the pungent odour from the petroleum product filled the atmosphere during the illegal loading operation, causing several people to collapse.
According to the source, some of the victims fell into the river, while others who escaped the scene developed severe respiratory complications and were rushed to hospital for treatment.

The source said 37 bodies had so far been identified as indigenes of Okrika, while six others were yet to be identified, adding that several persons remained missing.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) confirmed the incident, saying its network of youth volunteers and human rights defenders in Okrika Local Government Area had reported the deaths.
The Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, said about 37 persons suspected to be involved in oil theft died after inhaling what is locally referred to as “Indorama fuel.”
He said the incident occurred at Okari Jetty while a vessel was loading the product and suspected oil thieves were simultaneously filling their boats from an illegal tapping point.
According to him, the victims allegedly connected a pipe to a tapping point on a pipeline conveying products from Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals els that reportedly arrive periodically to load the product for export.

through the Port Harcourt Refinery to vessels that reportedly arrive periodically to load the product for export.
Fyneface said the product was being pumped at high pressure when those involved in the illegal loading operation inhaled the fumes, resulting in the deaths.
He added that some corpses had reportedly been sighted floating on the river but had yet to be recovered, while several others remained missing.
Fyneface called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to conduct a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to the scene to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
He also urged the companies whose facilities were allegedly vandalised to strengthen security around their pipelines to prevent further incidents.
The YEAC-Nigeria director condemned the alleged sabotage, warning youths involved in oil theft to stay away from petroleum iated with high-pressure pipelines and toxic hydrocarbon products.

infrastructure because of the dangers associated with high-pressure pipelines and toxic hydrocarbon products.
He, however, called for government intervention through alternative livelihood programmes, including the promotion of modular refineries and the legalisation of artisanal refining.
Fyneface advocated the establishment of the proposed Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI) and the Niger Delta Industrial Park as measures to create alternative economic opportunities for displaced artisanal refiners in the region.
Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer in Rivers State, ASP Agabe Blessing Karbalo, confirmed the incident.
She, however, said investigations were ongoing to establish the actual number of casualties and determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Four members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have died in the course of their national service, while 12 others have been ordered to repeat the service year for various infractions in Rivers State.
The disclosure was made last Thursday during the low-key passing-out ceremony for 2,538 members of the 2025 Batch ‘B’ Stream II Corps Members who served in the Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt City Local Government Area (PHALGA) zones of Rivers State.
The ceremony was held at the Convocation Arena of the Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt.
Giving a breakdown of the Corps Members’ final service status, the Rivers State NYSC Coordinator, Moses Oleghe, said 48 Corps Members, comprising 28 males and 20 females, had their service extended, while 12 others, five males and seven females, were directed to repeat the national service year.

directed to repeat the national service year.
He also disclosed that four Corps Members paid the supreme sacrifice during the service year.
Oleghe urged the outgoing Corps Members to uphold the values acquired during their national service and apply the skills they had learnt to build productive careers and contribute meaningfully to society.
“Do right at all times to all men and women, and activate fully the skills that you learnt in the course of the service year”, he advised.
He cautioned the corps members against the growing obsession with getting rich quickly, urging them instead to embrace hard work, discipline, dignity in labour and the fear of God.
The NYSC Coordinator encouraged the graduates to remain responsible citizens and use their experiences and skills from the service year to positively impact their communities and the country.
The Special Guest of Honour and Vice-Chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi, also charged the Corps Members to maintain high ethical standards after leaving the NYSC scheme.
Zeb-Obipi urged them to “continue to promote ethical values that will project their personal image and family name, positively.”
He assured corps members interested in pursuing postgraduate studies that Rivers State University would warmly welcome them and provide the necessary assistance to facilitate their integration into the institution.