This iroko needs no introduction. He attended The Nigerian Law School, Lagos in 1986 and was admitted to The Nigerian Bar in October 1986. He won The Bola Ajibola Prize for Civil Procedure at The Bar qualifying Examination in 1986. He took Silk in in 2007 and was a revolutionary NBA President 2014-2016.
When our parts crossed, he seduced us with his charm, fatherly attention and his ears are always open to hear.
Kubwaexpress was the media platform used to mobilize successive protests against Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)’s poor service delivery. Lawyers frustrated by poor services at CAC, willing joined and for two days, CAC was shutdown. The first day was 100% but by the second day we recorded about 70% compliance.
Alegeh SAN was NBA president then. Afam Osigwe, SAN was the General Secretary, their combination has remained the best in the past 10 years of NBA. They radicalized NBA with Stamp and Seal, Universal suffrage and many others.
So we got a call from the GS that Mr. President wanted to see Ashimole Felix. I went with Ben and behold a smiling giant. He had earlier summoned the RG of CAC, heard CAC’s side of the matter. With his baritone voice he welcomed us. He said, I am your president, if you have any issue, come to me, NBA is here to protect you and all lawyers. I was ecstatic and we had a heart to heart talk on other issues and the next day, kubwaexpress went to work and lawyers responded, services were improved in CAC.
Furtherance to our meeting, Alegeh SAN nominated Ashimole Felix into the Anti-Corruption Committee of the NBA and his parting words were, “Che if you channel your energy into productive things, you will make an exceptional leader.”
Throughout Alegeh SAN’s tenure, lawyers welfare was not joked with. He increased the percentage remitted to branches from the BPF their members paid.
Anything I call him, with a chuckle which you can hear over the phone, he will call me Bishop of The Sinners Assembly and we playfully throw banters before going into the serious matter that birthed the call.
Augustine Alegeh, SAN is the father of modern NBA and greatly respected by all. In one election, we took different sides and my side lost. When I met him at NEC, guess what he said in Bini street language? “Che follow who know road.”
We are happy to follow who know road and kubwaexpress has been speeding without any accidents.
