OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SERVANT (CHAIRMAN)
2025 NEW YEAR MESSAGE TO MEMBERS.
Dear Respected
Leaders,
Elders,
Seniors,
Colleagues,
Gentlemen of NBA, Isiokpo Branch,
It gives me immense joy and pleasures to welcome each and every one of us to this
brand New Year 2025. We cannot but give gratitude in praises to our Omnipotent,
Omniscience and Omnipresent Father in Heaven for His grace, kindness, mercy and
benevolence to us and our families in the year 2024 that has just gone by.
As we know, all around the world, today is a day of hope and expectation, a day for
family to gather, a day for prayers, a day to think about love, peace, unity and progress.
I am therefore highly enthused to wish all of us and our families a happy and blissful
New Year full of love, happiness, peace, unity and success in our personal and
professional lives.
As we bid goodbye to 2024 and today welcome 2025, it is time to cherish the memories,
learn from the past, and step into this 2025 with hope, joy and open hearts. Whether
we are celebrating with friends, sharing laughs with family or enjoying a quiet moment
in the closest of our homes, New Year is all about reflecting on the past and getting
excited for what is to come.
Four months ago, I took up the mantle to lead NBA, Isiokpo Branch as the Chief Servant
(Chairman) after the successful election albeit initial hiccups. And on assumption of
office, we reviewed the pattern of administration in NBA, Isiokpo Branch. We set new
objectives and priorities for the upcoming period and committed ourselves to implement
them. To this end, we validated the work of standing Committees as specified in the
Uniform Bye-Laws for Branches provided in Part 1 of the Third Schedule of the
Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association 2015 (as amended 2021). We also formed
new ones and we assigned specific missions and tasks to all Committees including the
Executive Committee. Of great innovation is the constitution and inauguration, for the
first time in NBA, Isiokpo Branch, of Advisory Committees to advise the Executive
Committee and members of the Committee have expressed their willingness to help
Executive Committee to their best ability.
My dearest great personalities and gentlemen of our dear Family Bar; the NBA, Isiokpo
Branch (a.k.a ISOBAR), we are not unaware that the past year was a very challenging
one, although it was also eventful in so many ways as the year mean one thing or the
other different from each and every one of us. We were unable to achieve, for obvious
reason, one or two things customary to NBA nationwide, yet we have set our goal to
achieve same in the shortest possible time.
NBA ISIOKPO BRANCH LAW WEEK/DINNER: It is now commonplace that NBA
Branches nationwide have institutionalised Law Week programmes as annual rituals.
Yet, there is not set period that every branch must celebrate the rituals as each branch
usual has the latitude to decide which month of the year to engage in the programme
of Law Week. It is therefore our believe and assurance that before the end of the first
quarter of this year, NBA, Isiokpo Branch shall have her Law Week programme
organized and executed.
NBA ISIOKPO BRANCH WEBSITE: It is the desire of the present Executive
Committee under my watch that the Branch website would have been operational as
at today to enable the Branch conduct all necessary transactions of the Branch online.
However, while we are happy to announce that the Branch has paid the developers in
full, we just need little patient to get all necessary facilities in place so as to have a
more workable and secure website. Thus it is our hope that before the end of the first
quarter of this year, the website will be fully operational which will also enable us do
membership verification and pay our dues online, get customized identification cards,
as well having our meetings and other activities in a manner to allow our members in
diaspora join virtually.
NBA ANNUAL GENERAL CONFERENCE REGISTRATION: As we all know, in our
last general meeting of 28th November 2024, we all agreed to have our registration for
the forthcoming 2025 NBA Annual General Conference (NBA-AGC) holding in Rivers
State to be done in group registration. We further agreed that the Executive Committee
provide a dedicated bank account number for the purpose.
We wish to appeal that while we await for the NBA-AGC registration platform to open
for registration, the Executive Committee will try its best to ensure that the Dedicated
Bank Account Number is made available before the 10th January 2025.
NBA ISIOKPO BRANCH BAR DUES AND WELFARE LEVY: While we encourage all
our members to try their best to meet up with the payment of their Practicing Fee as
required by the NBA National, we implore all of us to also understand that payment of
the Branch Bar Dues and Welfare Levy are as necessary and important as Practicing
Fee as finance remain the fulcrum of the smooth administration of every association.
In the meantime, we wish to state that after a consideration of the economic realities
in Nigeria and despite the inflation which has caused administrative cost to go high,
the Executive Committee approved that amount payable as Bar Dues and Welfare Levy
remain as they were last year. Thus the payment schedule, in accordance with year of
call to bar is as follows:
YEAR OF CALL BAR DUES WELFARE LEVY.
All monies are payable as follows:
1. For Bar Dues pay into: First Bank of Nigeria Account Number 2022441494 with
the name Nigeria Bar Associ ation, Isiokpo Branch.
2. For Welfare Levy, pay into: First Bank Account Number 2026947956 with the
name Nigeria Bar Association, Isiokpo Branch Welfare Account.
NBA ISIOKPO BRANCH INSURANCE POLICY: The Welfare Committee of NBA
Isiokpo Branch shall swing into action immediately to contact the Insurance Company,
study what has been done so far since the beginning of the Policy in NBA Isiokpo Branch
and report to the House at the January General Meeting of the Branch.
HOSTING OF NBA ISIOKPO BRANCH GENERAL MEETING: As agreed in the General Meeting of 28th November 2024, a new hosting list and or pattern of hosting of our general meeting shall be made known and posted on our WhatsApp group before 10th January 2025.
NBA ISIOKPO BRANCH LIBRARY: A close observation shows that the NBA Isiokpo Branch Library located at our OCJ Okocha, SAN Bar Centre at the High Court Premises Isiokpo is underutilized. To this end we request any member who has any person who is not only computer literate but ICT compliance to recommend same for immediate employment as librarian for effective functioning of our Library.
CONCLUSION: Today is a hopeful day. As we celebrate the beginning of the New Year, albeit not unaware that 2024 was difficult for many of us, we must also look forward to this year with the knowledge that brighter days are ahead of us, that
although our challenges are great, each of us has the courage and determination to rise up and meet them. It is that spirit that has kept our dreams alive for generations, and it is that same spirit that will keep our dreams alive for generations to come.
On behalf of my family, the Executive Committee and indeed the entire members of NBA, Isiokpo Branch, I wish all of us the best life has to offer in this year. May the New Year bring us new opportunities to grow and thrive and in fact be a turning point in our life, filled with success, happiness, good health, prosperity and beautiful moments.
Happy Prosperous New Year!
•SIMPLE I. DIOHA, ESQ.
Chief Servant (Chairman)
NBA, Isiokpo Branch
1 st January 2025
NBA Isiokpo Branch’s New Year Message To Members.
