Side shows, particularly night parties, are the most looked after activity at any Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Rich branches, regional forum, Call mate/set and religious bodies, cash in on the AGC to reunite and bubble. It has been said that, conferees attend these parties more than they attend break out sessions.
But this year’s parties did not get the regular attention they deserve. This is because the “looting” of conference materials, took center stage and got more media milage than even the opening ceremony of the AGC.
The out gone President, Olumide Akpata, gave oxygen to its spread and in a bid to cast lawyers as hoodlums, uncultured, he inadvertently, scored own goal. His last AGC was a flop.
Akpata has penchant for insulting lawyers. After BoB meeting couldn’t discuss his letter against Chief Olanipekun SAN, Akpata granted an interview and called lawyers cowards.
Well, the verdict is out. His self and singlehandedly chosen TCCP chairman, couldn’t show organisational deftness. Will he have time to bounce back? I am reliably informed that he is interested in NBA 2024 politics.
The insistence by the past and incumbent president that “those caught on camera looting”, will be prosecuted though welcoming, but it wil be gross injustice,if the TCCP is not investigated to find out if their lapses were not responsible for the condusive atmosphere for the “looting”.
The venue was porous and non-lawyers, had access to almost all the tents. Could these non-lawyers be the ones that stole phones and other stuffs? It is inconceivable that a lawyer, who paid for his AGC, will come to Lagos, to steal a colleague’s phone and laptop.
Now you can see how this took the shine of our discussion about the parties?
The parties started on Friday two days before the opening ceremony but the real deal took of between Tuesday and Thursday. And yes, the parties were not just to welcome you to Lagos. The organizers, used it to guage the crowd and acceptance of their principal’s intention to contest election in 2024.
But the crowd in any party is not a true reflection of acceptance. Conferees were party crawling and on the average, one conference attended, three parties a night . But beyond coded political gathering and whispering that I am interested in 2024, these parties were soul-less.
They were in small halls (intentional), to give an impression that the crowd was massive. Drinks were shared on man-know-man basis, despite huge resources invested by the host.
Of all the parties I attended ( I attended 90% of them ), the one that got close to having a soul was YC Maikyau’s. I guess it was because it was a pre- inaugural party.
All others, apart from Class Reunion, Dinners were soul-less, an avenue to chop money without accountability and impress those members who were unfortunate not to have some 2024 politicans sponsoring them to the AGC.
Because the parties were soul-less, exposure of flesh and yet they refused to be taken to hotel rooms to be devoured, I left to organise The Sinners Assembly’s Cohiba right at Fela’s shrine. It was rejuvenating and true communion withe the gods.
