By Ise-Oluwa Ige

Abuja-THE National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is scheduled to meet next month, in Enugu. The NEC is the highest ruling organ of the association.

The meeting  is important for more reasons than one. First, the meeting will avail the NBA the opportunity to critically x-ray the major happenings in the polity with a view to coming out with an official position guiding the government of the day.

Besides, the NEC will use the forum to examine the merit  in the allegation of impropriety leveled at  the president of the NBA, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), in the printing of the  Bar Perspective and Bar Voice.

Some serving officers of the NBA, including Mr. Barth Okoye-Aniche, Chief Ganny Ajape and Steve Ononye, 3rd Vice President, Welfare Secretary and Assistant Financial Secretary  respectively, had accused the president  of awarding a contract to AKT Ventures Ltd, a company  in which himself, his wife, son and brother are directors and subscribers to the memorandum and articles of association.

The contract, which is allegedly worth N3.32million, was not in the budget of the association but that Akeredolu veered of the rules to not only award the contract to his company but also paid for same. The officers also demanded that Akeredolu should step down pending the investigation of their allegation. They  cited  reasons for making the demand including that the memo for the contract in question was raised by the publicity secretary, dated July 29, 2009 and approved on the same date.

They said the cheque for the  contract sum  of N3.32million was issued in favour of one Mr. Amos( a staff of the NBA), who cashed same and paid it into the account of AKT Ventures Ltd in both Zenith Bank and UBA Plc. They alleged that  the NBA president was also receiving money from some state governments in the name of the association without disclosure and converting same to personal use/benefits.