These words contained in an article published on August 9, 2012 articulated the case for reform of the processes for leadership succession at the Nigerian Bar. Four years later, on August 1, 2016 and for the first time in a quarter of a century, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), concluded its leadership elections based on universal suffrage. Far from the fulfilment of a prophecy, the recently concluded NBA election was a belated effort by the Association to update its governance and institutional processes. It was long overdue.

Lawyers in the society are looked upon by the society for salvation. If anything goes wrong in the country, the society would ask, what are lawyers saying, because lawyers are the conscience of the society. Indeed, the umbrella body of lawyers, the NBA had spoken, protested, shown direction and resisted tyrannical governments, but that was many years in the dim past. The body is now cowed, pocketed and compromised.

THE 56TH annual general conference of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, which ended, last week, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State was characterised by frank talk aimed at building a stronger and more efficient Nigerian system. Out-gone National President of the body, Mr Austin Alegeh, SAN, set the ball rolling in his address at the opening ceremony, when he charged the Federal Government to fight corruption within the ambit of the law.

Former national coach, Toni Urhobo has dismissed claims by former Sports Minister, Bolaji Abdullahi that the present board of the AFN was responsible for the decline of the sport.

A stitch in time saves nine is a time worn expression but the extent to which we live by this dictum as a nation is to be seen in the way we address issues of national importance.