By Ade Oyeyemi
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, has begun moves to reconcile lawyers divided by the association’s recent presidential election, saying she is determined to lead a united Bar.
Badejo-Okusanya said she would not limit her administration to lawyers who supported her during the election, stressing that her mandate covered the entire association.
The NBA president stated this in an interview with The PUNCH on Saturday while responding to concerns over regional divisions within the Bar, particularly those involving Egbe Amofin in the South-West.
She disclosed that she had started consultations with elders in the Western Region as part of efforts to resolve disagreements and rebuild confidence among members.
“I have no desire to be President of only people that supported me. I am President of the entire Bar, and I want to build a unified Bar, and I’ve already started working towards that,” she said.
Badejo-Okusanya expressed confidence that the disagreements generated by the election would gradually be resolved, adding that the reconciliation process was already underway.
On her administration’s priorities, the NBA president said she would implement the “Members First” agenda outlined in her manifesto, with the welfare and professional development of lawyers taking centre stage.
She explained that the association would not attempt to pursue an unnecessarily broad range of programmes but would concentrate on building structures that directly improve the lives and practice of lawyers.
“Simply put, what that means is, we want to introduce and establish programmes that will help lawyers to earn better, live better, and practise better. That’s the foundation of everything we’re going to do,” she said.
Badejo-Okusanya also clarified her position on the recording of police officers while performing their duties, following her recent meeting with the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu.
She said reports suggesting that she was responding to the IGP’s position were inaccurate, noting that she had spoken before Disu addressed the issue.
The NBA president said greater accountability in policing would benefit both officers and members of the public, citing body cameras as one possible means of ensuring transparency during police operations.
She, however, agreed with the IGP that citizens could abuse the right to record officers, saying people should not use the provision as an excuse to indiscriminately film policemen.
“Just because there is a judgment that allows citizens to video policemen in the exercise of their duties, some people have abused it. They will now be videoing policemen wherever they are; it is wrong,” she said.
Badejo-Okusanya said her administration would continue to engage stakeholders and pursue initiatives aimed at strengthening the NBA while ensuring that members remained at the centre of its activities.
She added that lawyers should expect a clear focus on measures designed to help them earn better, live better and practise better.
