The Rivers State Government has demanded a refund of N300 million from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) following the association\u2019s decision to relocate its 2025 Annual General Conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu.<\/p>\n
In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday, the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), described the NBA\u2019s reasons for the relocation as \u201cmisleading, uncharitable, and unbecoming of a professional body.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The statement, signed by his media aide, Hector Igbikiowubo, challenged the NBA\u2019s moral high ground, noting that while the association has every right to choose its preferred venue, it must also return the funds already paid by the Rivers State Government for hosting rights.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhile we respect the NBA\u2019s right to choose its conference venues, we find it curious that the association, despite its so-called principled position, failed to address the refund of the N300 million already paid by the Rivers State Government,\u201d the statement read. \u201cIf the NBA truly stands on principle, it should demonstrate the same integrity by promptly returning these funds rather than benefiting from a State it now publicly discredits.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Reacting to the NBA\u2019s claim that its decision was influenced by concerns over the rule of law under the current Rivers administration, Ibas maintained that the relocation was based on political sentiment, not legal fact.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe NBA\u2019s statement overlooks the constitutional basis for the current administration in Rivers State. The declaration of a state of emergency was a necessary response to the breakdown of public order and democratic processes,\u201d Ibas said.<\/span><\/p>\n He further referenced the recent Supreme Court ruling in <\/span>Suit No. SC\/CV\/1176\/2024<\/span>, which nullified local government elections conducted in violation of the Electoral Act. According to him, the court\u2019s position affirms the legal standing of the transitional measures currently in place in the state.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe Sole Administrator\u2019s mandate is to oversee a transitional period that ensures the return of full democratic governance in line with the Constitution. To suggest that this intervention \u2018flouts the rule of law\u2019 is not only incorrect but ignores the Supreme Court\u2019s validation of key decisions made during this period,\u201d the statement added.<\/span><\/p>\n Calling for constructive engagement, Ibas urged the NBA and other stakeholders to support efforts aimed at stabilizing the state.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cRivers State is undergoing a necessary phase in its democratic journey. Rather than stoking tensions, the NBA should engage constructively and support peace and progress,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n The ball is now in the NBA\u2019s court, with the Rivers State Government expecting a prompt refund\u2014or at the very least, accountability.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Rivers State Government has demanded a refund of N300 million from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) following the association\u2019s decision to relocate its 2025 Annual General Conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23363,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[10124,10356,10369,10564,369,755],"class_list":["post-23361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-fubara","tag-hypocrisy","tag-ibas","tag-n300m","tag-nba","tag-rivers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23361"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23361"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23361\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23362,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23361\/revisions\/23362"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}