News
PH Agog As NBA Holds 61st Annual Confab …Over 14, 514 Lawyers Storm Garden City …Eight-Day Event Features 50 Speakers, 28 Sessions
As the 61st edition of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) annual conference continues in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital has been agog with various activities, including economic, social, among others, taking the centre-stage.
The conference, which commenced on October 22, at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Elekahia, with the theme, “Taking The Lead”, will end on October 29, with more than 50 subject matter speakers in over 28 sessions.
Lined up to make the conference memorable are various sports activities, including football, table tennis, golf, chess, and scrabble; and social events that include networking, dinners, cocktails, photo booth, live band, comedy, dance performances, presentation of trophies and prizes to winners of various sporting competitions, and awards presentation to distinguished persons both in the profession and other vocations and careers.
The Tide gathered that inter branch football competition began last Saturday and would end on October 28, just as Juma’at Service held last Friday at Rivers State Central Mosque, Niger Street, to herald the commencement of the conference, with health talk at Real Madrid Football Academy on Saturday, and multidenominational thanksgiving service at Christ Church Interdenominational, Forces Avenue, Port Harcourt, yesterday.
The Tide learnt that the official opening ceremonies would hold, today, at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Elekahia, with the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammad, leading top echelon of the Judiciary in Nigeria to attend, while many state governors, state and federal lawmakers, politicians, captains of industry, ministers, and law professional across Africa and the globe, would participate and or headline the epoch-making NBAAGC21.
Already, business activities are booming in all sectors in the state capital, with hotels, transport companies and commercial transport operators, airlines, and small businesses making brisk turnovers, as the more than 14, 514 participants relish the opportunities the state offers.
A visit to the venue of the event revealed a beehive of business activities around the entire circumference of the stadium, including the adjoining Real Madrid Academy, the two State School premises nearby, and other hitherto empty spaces around the stadium have been converted to a sprawling economic and social epicentre for commerce and networking, with thousands of people buying and selling all manner of goods and services.
The Tide further noticed high level of security presence at strategic locations to provide adequate security around the area, with the operatives of the police, Department of State Service (DSS), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), among others, deployed to perform assigned duties in line with their legitimate mandates.
Also, heavy vehicular movement was witnessed on the various intersections and roads leading in and out of the stadium, particularly the Rumuomai-Elekahia and Ken Saro-Wiwa (Stadium) roads.
The Tide also discovered that virtually all hotels in and around Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas have been fully booked for the conference, showing a bustling boom in the hospitality industry.
The airlines and inter-city transport companies are not left out, as virtually all seats in planes flying into Port Harcourt International Airport and vehicles coming into Port Harcourt from major cities of Abuja, Lagos, and 34 other cities across Nigeria had been sold out from Saturday through today.
Social life has witnessed tremendous make-over with many eateries, restaurants, cinemas, clubs, recreational centres, sports facilities entertaining customers and visitors to full capacity.
In a statement, the former National Welfare Secretary of the NBA, Adesina Adegbite, welcomed members of the association to the 61st Annual General Conference (AGC), and commended the leadership of the NBA for the choice of the topic and for taking a lead in capacity building.
He said, “With great delight, I welcome all distinguished delegates to this year’s NBA Annual General Conference holding in Port Harcourt, which commenced on Friday, October 22, 2021.
“This year’s Theme: ‘Taking the Lead’ is quite apt and ripe for discussions and evaluation at this present time where it is demanding on legal practitioners to lead by example and be at the frontline of leadership.
“I must commend the present executives of our dear association for taking the lead in various spheres, especially in the area of capacity building for members of the association.”
Adegbite also commended the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike for what he described as “sterling performance” in infrastructural development which has made it possible to host the AGC.
“I must also salute the very dynamic Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike (Life Bencher), for his sterling performance resulting in the unprecedented infrastructural development projects in the state, which has made it possible for Port Harcourt to host the largest gathering of lawyers anywhere in the world.
“I look forward to the exhilarating activities, the intellectual discussions and impactful experience yet to unfold during the conference. I encourage us all to prepare to learn, network and have fun and most importantly take the lead and leave a positive impact on others,” he said.
Also, the African Women Lawyers’ Association (AWLA) hailed the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on its 2021 Conference.
In a statement, the President of AWLA, Mandy Demechi-Asagba said: “We at African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) felicitate with the President, Mr. Olumide Akpata, and the entire members of the Nigerian Bar Association on its Annual General Conference 2021 with the theme “TAKING THE LEAD”. The theme is apt and in season – a wake-up call to SAVE our dear country from denigration and disintegration.
“We wish all conferees a very successful, impactful, peaceful, safe and memorable conference!
“We also wish you all journey mercies and divine protection as you journey to and fro.
“We seize this opportunity to appreciate our amiable, gracious and hospitable host, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, who is poised to make our experience in Rivers State memorable.”
Similarly, Chairman of the Port Harcourt branch, Prince Nyekwere, expressed the branch’s readiness to receive the delegates and make all activities lined up for the event memorable for members.
“In terms of security, I don’t have any problem at all with Port Harcourt,” Nyekwere added.
The Chairman of the Technical Committee on Conference Planning (TCCP), Mr. Omubo Frank Briggs, said the programme of activities was put together with the interest of all members and the government and people of the state at heart.
He assured that everything has been put in place to make the events seamless and hitch-free, saying that the NBA would come out of the conference taking the lead in all fronts towards making the nation better.
In a statement posted yesterday, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said recent seizures by the agency’s officers had revealed attempts by criminal elements to introduce prohibited substances under the guise of everyday snacks.
“As parents, if your kids and young ones always crave for cookies and gummies, you may have to pay a little more attention. There may be more to it than ordinary cookies and gummies,” Babafemi wrote, sharing images of seized packages.
The photos showed colourful pouches of “Cookies Delta 8 Gummies” in flavours such as Hawaiian Rain Pineapple Guava and Thai Mango, labelled as vegan and hemp-derived, alongside the actual gummy products.
The warning comes amid a major interception by the Nigeria Customs Service at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos.
Officers seized two 40-foot containers containing large quantities of cannabis-infused products concealed among legitimate imports such as used vehicles, generators, batteries and fabrics.
The consignment included thousands of Delta-8 cannabis pre-roll cookies, packs of cannabis-infused gummies and other cannabis-infused cookies, with a combined estimated street value of about ?373.8m.
The items were subsequently handed over to the NDLEA.
NDLEA officials described the products, which originated from the United States and were packaged to resemble ordinary vegan snacks with appealing flavours, as an emerging public health threat.
They noted that the attractive packaging could appeal especially to children, students and young people, raising the risk of accidental consumption of concentrated cannabis.
The partnership was unveiled during a meeting between officials of RIWAMA and the leadership of the Rivers State chapter of the PCRC in Port Harcourt, recently, where both organisations pledged to work together to restore the Garden City status of the state capital.
In his speech, the Supervisor of Market and Community Sanitation in RIWAMA, Mr. Omereji Ukoha, said the collaboration was in line with the vision of the agency’s Managing Director, Dr. Ibimina Wokoma, and the Board Chairman, Dr. Samuel Nwanosike, to promote a cleaner and healthier environment.
Ukoha described the PCRC as a strategic grassroots partner capable of mobilising communities and driving behavioural change through sustained public enlightenment on proper waste disposal.
He expressed concern over the increasing rate of indiscriminate refuse dumping in parts of Port Harcourt, particularly in New GRA, where blocked drainage channels and illegal shanties have continued to contribute to flooding and environmental degradation.
According to him, the agency is determined to intensify enforcement against environmental offenders, warning that unregistered cart pushers and residents who patronise them would be prosecuted in accordance with the provisions of the RIWAMA Act, 2014.
The RIWAMA official urged residents to embrace proper waste disposal practices and patronise only government-approved waste operators in order to safeguard public health and protect the environment.
Responding, the Chairman of the Police Community Relations Committee in Rivers State, Dr. Voke Emore, commended RIWAMA for seeking collaboration with the committee in addressing environmental challenges confronting the state.
Emore said the PCRC would deploy its community-based structures across the state to support public sensitisation and encourage residents to comply with environmental sanitation regulations.
He also called on local government councils to play more active roles in waste management, noting that they collect sanitation levies and should complement the efforts of the state government in maintaining a clean environment.
The PCRC chairman described indiscriminate refuse disposal as a serious environmental and public health concern, stressing that sustained collaboration among government agencies, community leaders and residents remained critical to achieving lasting sanitation goals.
Both organisations expressed optimism that the partnership would promote cleaner communities, reduce environmental hazards and strengthen public participation in efforts to ensure a healthier and more sustainable environment for the people of Rivers State.
King Onunwor
The State Police Command disclosed this in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, ASP Blessing Agabe, in Port Harcourt, recently.
The suspects were arrested during a coordinated operation at Oyigbo, following directives by the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, CP Olugbenga Adewole Adepoju.
Those arrested were Ezekiel Emmanuel, 44, from Benue State; Chukwuma Mbanefor, 51, from Anambra State; Nicholas Diala, 65, from Imo State; Ndubuisi Uwakwe, 49, from Abia State; and Ifeanyi Nwakwo, 51, from Imo State.
The Command said the arrest represented another significant operational success in its ongoing efforts to dismantle criminal networks operating in the State.
According to the Police, preliminary investigation indicated that the suspects were allegedly involved in kidnapping operations within Rivers State.
The suspects, during interrogation, allegedly confessed to their involvement in kidnapping and further admitted participating in several operations carried out in Kom-Kom, Railway, Obeama and Afam communities.
The Command said investigation was ongoing, with efforts intensified to identify and apprehend other members of the suspected syndicate who may be connected with the criminal activities.
The Police boss said the operation reflected the implementation of operational directives and the intelligence-driven policing strategy of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, psc, NPM.
Adepoju reaffirmed the Command’s determination to sustain aggressive intelligence-led operations against kidnapping, cultism, armed robbery and other violent crimes across Rivers State.
He warned kidnappers and other criminal elements operating in the State that there would be no safe haven for them, stressing that the Command would relentlessly pursue, arrest and ensure that those found culpable were brought to justice.
The Commissioner further assured residents of the Command’s commitment to protecting lives and property, urging members of the public to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies in the fight against crime.
He appealed to residents to provide the Police with credible and timely information capable of assisting security operatives in preventing criminal activities and apprehending suspected criminals.
The Command urged members of the public who may have useful information on the activities of the suspected kidnapping syndicate or other criminal elements to contact the Police through its emergency lines, assuring that such information would assist ongoing investigations.
King Onunwor
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