Who I Am
I am Ebiere Emmanuella Ekpese (EEE)
• A graduate from Ebonyi State University, LL.B with Honours, 2010.
• Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus, BL., called to Bar, 14th February, 2012.
•Nigerian Institute of Advance Legal Studies, 2019.
• River State University, Port Harcourt, LL.M.
• Member, NBA Sagbama Branch.
• Member, NBA Section on Legal Practice.
• Member, NBA Section on Public Interest and Development law.
• Facilitator, NBA Women’s Forum, Sagbama Branch.
• Facilitator, NBA Continuous Legal Education Mentorship program.
I have served the Bar in various capacities, to wit:
• Member, Yenagoa Law Week planning committee 2014.
• Welfare Secretary, NBA Sagbama Branch 2015– 2017.
• Chairman, NBA Sagbama Welfare Committee 2017.
• Member, NBA Sagbama Branch Conference Planning/BayelsaNight Committee, 2017.
• Member, Eastern Bar Forum 2018.
• Member, NBA Sagbama Branch Conference Planning Committee 2019.
• Member, NBA Sagbama Branch Law Week Planning Committee 2019.
• Chairman, NBA Sagbama Branch Welfare Committee 2019 – 2020.
• Chairman, NBA Sagbama Branch Covid-19 Palliative Committee 2019.
• Secretary, NBA Sagbama Branch, 2020 – 2022.
• Member/Coordinator, NBA Technical Committee on Conference Planning (TCCP), 2021.
• Secretary, Local organizing Committee, Eastern Bar Forum Quarterly Meeting, April 2021.
• Secretary, Eastern Bar Forum (EBF) Welfare Committee, 2022 – 2023.
• Secretary, NBA Election Committee to Bori Branch, 2022.
• Member, NBA Section on Legal Practice 2022.
• Member, NBA Section on Public Interest and Development Law 2023 to date.
• Domestic Observer, NBA Sagbama 2015 INEC General Election.
• Facilitator, NBA Women’s Forum, 2022 to date.
• Facilitator, NBA Continuous Legal Education Mentorship program, 2023 to date.
• Alternate Chairman, NBA Sagbama End of Year Party, 2023.
• Secretary, NBA Sagbama Law Week Planning Committee, 2024.
What I want to Achieve.
The Assistant National Publicity secretary of the NBA is essentially an ‘enabler’, of the work program of the elected President, with respect to maintaining the vibrancy of the NBA Brand. Section 9(5) (j)(i)(ii) of the 2021 NBA Constitution (As Amended) reserves the following duties for the Assistant National Publicity Secretary:
• He/She shall assist the Publicity Secretary in the performance of his/her duties, and in the absence of the Publicity Secretary, act in his/her place.
• He/She shall perform all other duties as may be assigned to him/her by the President or the National Executive Committee or the Annual General Meeting.
The substantive position of the Publicity Secretary, under Section 9(5) (i)(i)-(iv) of the constitution is charged with ensuring adequate and prompt publicity of the association, presenting a good/progressive image of the association to the public; issuing releases and statements to the public on matters of general interest to the association, in consultation with the President of the Association or NEC; and other duties that may be assigned by the President or NEC.
The Strategic Reform Objective of my candidacy therefore is subsumed in two levels of engagement, to wit: REBRANDING and COMMUNICATION.
REBRANDING.
The rebranding strategies shall focus on retooling the brand persona of the NBA, across her online presence, marketing and membership (customer) services.
Working closely with the Publicity Secretary, President of the NBA, Secretariat and other stakeholders, implement the following actions;
• Continuing the user experience reforms now being implemented across all online channels of the Association; viz.:-
• Improving member engagements in the NBA website, ensuring ease of access to information and feedback for members.
• Expanding the utility of the Lawyers Portal under the NBA website. Deploy lawyers’ feedback chatbox feature under the Portal.
• Improve engagements of the Association with the public, on alternative Social Media Channels; Twitter and Instagram.
• Maintaining existing direct engagement platforms of the NBA Publicity Team. E.g. The Bar Center Social Media Groups.
• Periodic Media Engagement Events with the Press. Deploy virtual conferencing tools with Members.
COMMUNICATION.
The bedrock of the role of the publicity secretariat, is keeping members informed of the activities and events of the association. This will keep the association more in touch with the members. The association can do better with effective communications that are timely, responsive and helpful.
Working closely with the Publicity Secretary, President of the NBA, Secretariat and other stakeholders, implement the following actions; Internal Communications.
• Build, maintain and continue, new and existing e-mail lists for instant delivery of information for the benefit of the members of the association.
• Deploy new and existing help lines for direct communication with secretariat staff. Procure a Dedicated Toll Free Helpline for the use of the members through the year (Not just during election and conference periods)
• Keep members informed of all the opportunities available to them, from professional capacity development workshops, to necessary administrative support channels.
• Maintain prompt and effective communication with members about activities of the Association, her sections and fora.
• Maintain prompt and effective communication with members about activities of the Branches of the Association.
External Communications.
• Liaise and increase relations with other professional associations for the sake of improving relationships.
• In consultation with the office of the President of the NBA and Secretariat, continually issue timely press releases on topics of general interest to the NBA.
Increase Integration of Communications within NBA.
NBA today has evolved to the leading professional association in Nigeria. With many sections, fora, and specialized practice groups, her potentials as an influencer of are limitless.
These different groups within NBA present at different times, events that maintain the potential to be great successes if given more support. Increasing communication and support between different groups will ensure greater participation and ultimately benefit members of the Association.
Why Vote for Me?
My aspiration for office is propelled by a firm conviction that we all bear the responsibility of building the NBA into an enviable association. My motto is to Serve, service to humanity at large whilst passionately serving the NBA.
This I believe can be achieved when we stand on the shoulders of elders and foundations laid by past administrations. I believe that after service in office, the NBA would have become better by her processes of internal and external communication, and standards of public perception. We will do this by consistently demonstrating professionalism, speed and courtesy in the discharge of these duties in office. We will remain sensitive and alert to diverse national issues on which the Society expects lawyers to lead the charge in addressing same.
All this can be achieved speedily and efficiently with the use of technology; embracing our present day reality.
I have had experiences in both law practice and relationships with lawyers across the country. Having served at different capacity, I come fully equipped with personal organizational experience, exposure to operations within the NBA, and an understanding of public relations in a professional context.
I have led teams and have l served with effective team players, and have as well accomplished innovative milestones and assignments.
Ebiere Emmanuella Ekpese,
Sagbama Branch.
April 2, 2024.
