The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ibadan branch is set to commemorate its 70th anniversary with a week-long celebration, featuring a distinguished lineup of legal luminaries and high-profile events.
Former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, GCON, will officially open the anniversary activities and 2024 Law Week on 13 December at the Afe Babalola Bar Centre in Iyaganku, Ibadan.
The programme, meticulously crafted by the Law Week and 70th Anniversary Planning Committee, chaired by Mutalubi Ojo Adebayo (SAN), promises a rich array of activities showcasing the legal profession’s depth and breadth.
Spiritual events will commence with a Jumat Service at the Senator Ishaq Abiola Ajimobi Memorial Mosque on Friday, 13th December, followed by an interdenominational service at St. Anne’s Church, Molete, Ibadan on 15 December.
Renowned legal expert Babatunde Fashola, SAN, former Lagos State governor, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address during the opening ceremony. Zacheaus Adedeji, Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), will present a lecture on “Tax and its Administration in Nigeria” on Monday, 16 December.
The lecture’s plenary session will feature distinguished discussants, including Abiola Sanni, SAN, Dean of the University of Lagos Faculty of Law; Akinmade Ajibola, Chairman of the Tax Appeal Tribunal’s South Western Zone; and Sola Awakan, Chairman of the Oyo State Board of Internal Revenue. Dr. Wale Akinlabi will moderate the session.
A Health Walk is also included in the programme on Saturday, 14th December, adding a wellness dimension to the celebration.
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, will serve as Guests of Honour at the opening ceremony. Justice I.S Yerima, Chief Judge of Oyo State, and Ibrahim Lawal, branch chairman, will host the distinguished guests.
Prominent legal personalities will offer goodwill messages, including legendary patron Afe Babalola, SAN, and Folake Solanke, SAN, the first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Abiodun Aikomo, Oyo State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, is also expected to address the gathering.
The event will attract a constellation of legal dignitaries, including Afam Osigwe, President of the Nigerian Bar Association, presidents of various judicial courts, and numerous senior legal practitioners.
