Ubani blasts 2026 NBA Conference

PORT HARCOURT — A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr Monday Onyekachi Ubani, has criticised the organisation and quality of the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, describing the gathering as “lacklustre, uninspiring and deeply disappointing.”
Ubani, in an interim assessment of the conference, said the event had so far fallen short of the standard set by previous NBA conferences, particularly last year’s gathering in Enugu, which he described as one of the most memorable in recent history.
He attributed the disappointing experience to what he described as poor-quality conference materials, inadequate organisation, uncomfortable venues, weak programme delivery and the selection of some guests whose profiles, in his view, did not reflect the intellectual and professional character of the legal profession.
According to him, the conference bag supplied to participants was particularly disappointing, arguing that it failed to reflect the “dignity, class and intellectual character” expected of the largest gathering of lawyers in Africa.
Ubani also took exception to the choice of some speakers and participants, warning that the NBA must be careful not to sacrifice intellectual substance for popularity or entertainment.
He said the annual conference should provide lawyers with opportunities to engage with leading minds, challenge established ideas and interrogate contemporary issues affecting the law, society and the future of the profession.
“Entertainment has its place, but it must never replace intellectual substance,” he said.
The SAN also criticised the delivery of the presidential debate, saying although the concept was commendable, its execution was, in his assessment, below the expected standard.
Beyond the programme, Ubani expressed concern over the welfare of participants, citing difficulties with tea-break arrangements, lunch accessibility and the condition of some conference halls.
He said some of the halls used during the first two days were hot and uncomfortable, making them unsuitable for serious intellectual engagement.
According to him, issues such as food, ventilation, movement and general comfort should not be dismissed as minor details because they directly affect participants' ability to concentrate and benefit from conference sessions.
Ubani further used the conference to draw attention to Nigeria's inadequate convention infrastructure, arguing that the country needs purpose-built facilities capable of hosting large-scale national and international events.
He proposed the development of modern convention centres capable of accommodating at least 25,000 people, with adequate halls, air-conditioning, parking, security, sanitation, exhibition spaces, restaurants, reliable power supply and transportation facilities.
“We have the resources to actualise this dream. What appears to be lacking is the necessary vision, planning and commitment,” he said.
The legal practitioner urged the incoming NBA leadership to urgently raise the standard of future annual conferences, stressing the need for better planning, stronger organisation, careful selection of guests and greater emphasis on intellectual content.
He also appealed to the NBA to ensure that its annual conference remains attractive to younger lawyers, many of whom, he noted, attended the Port Harcourt event in large numbers after hearing glowing accounts of previous conferences.
Ubani, however, acknowledged that the conference still had time to improve, noting that the remaining days could provide an opportunity for the organisers to redeem the event.
He said his assessment was only an interim verdict and expressed hope that the subsequent sessions would offer participants a better experience.
“But as things stand today, my interim verdict on the 2026 NBA Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt is that it has been lacklustre, uninspiring and, in several respects, deeply disappointing,” he stated.
Ubani concluded with a call for the NBA to restore the conference to the level expected of the legal profession.
“The Nigerian Bar Association can do better. The Nigerian Bar Association must do better,” he said, insisting that the NBA’s annual conference must always reflect the best of Nigeria’s legal profession.
He added: “You may differ, it is your right. I have said mine, it is my right!”


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INTERIM REPORT ON THE 2026 NBA ANNUAL GENERAL CONFERENCE IN PORT HARCOURT

Those who attended the Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference in Enugu last year will recall that I wrote what many described as a scintillating assessment of that conference. My verdict at the time was unequivocal: the Enugu Conference would remain one of the most memorable NBA Annual General Conferences in recent history, particularly in terms of organisation, movement around the host city, environmental friendliness, traffic management and the warmth of hospitality. The only minus, minute though, was prominence given to new wigs over old wigs.

There is little doubt that the glowing reports and eulogies that followed the Enugu Conference from many participants contributed significantly to the tremendous increase in attendance at this year's conference in Port Harcourt. Younger lawyers, in particular, came in torrents, eager to experience what they had been told was the NBA Conference at its very best.

Sadly, my interim report so far is one of profound disappointment.
Unless the remaining days of the conference produce a dramatic and substantial improvement, the 2026 NBA Annual General Conference may go down as one of the most lacklustre and uninspiring conferences in recent memory.

My greatest disappointment begins with the quality of the materials especially the conference bag and the general organisation of the conference. The conference bag, rather than reflecting the dignity, class and intellectual character of the largest gathering of lawyers in Africa, resembled that of an ordinary market woman's bag.

More troubling is the quality and suitability of some of the guests invited to address or participate in the conference. There arecertain personalities who should simply not grace a programme organised for lawyers, irrespective of their popularity, celebrity status or social media standing. Lawyers are peculiar in every respect, and the NBA Annual General Conference is a serious professional and intellectual gathering. It cannot and should not be converted into a circus show. No amount of argument by the protagonists of certain guests can change this fundamental reality. The NBA must preserve the intellectual dignity and professional character of its annual gathering. The quality of our guests matters. We must never lower the standard, particularly in the selection of intellectual guests whose pedigree, scholarship, experience and antecedents are nationally and internationally acknowledged.

The NBA Annual General Conference should be a place where lawyers encounter the best minds, challenge established ideas, interrogate contemporary problems and leave with a richer understanding of the law, society and the future of our profession. Entertainment has its place, but it must never replace intellectual substance.
In this regard, this year's conference, from my personal observation so far, appears to have reduced aspects of the NBA gathering to something dangerously close to an unserious conference. The presidential debate was a beautiful concept but delivery was substandard in my respectful view.

Unfortunately, the deficiencies extend beyond the programme itself.
There is very little, at least from my experience so far, that has put a smile on several faces concerning the organisation of this conference. There were no properly organised and easily accessible tea break venue/s. Lunch arrangements were not centrally and conspicuously organised in a manner that would allow conference participants to access them without unnecessary stress. The halls used during the first and second days were hot, uncomfortable and unconducive for the serious intellectual engagements expected of such a conference.
These may appear to be minor details to some people, but they are not. The comfort and welfare of participants are integral to the success of any conference. A lawyer who is struggling with heat, hunger, congestion and confusion cannot fully concentrate on the quality of discourse taking place around him or her.

One major structural problem confronting the NBA Annual General Conferences is the absence of adequate convention centres across the country. A conference that attracts tens of thousands of lawyers cannot continue to depend on facilities that were never designed to accommodate gatherings of this magnitude.
This year's experience has once again reminded us that Nigeria must urgently begin to invest seriously in purpose-built convention centres. State governments must recognise that these facilities are not luxuries. They are essential infrastructure for hosting major national and international gatherings.
Nigeria should have modern convention centres capable of accommodating at least 25,000 persons at a time, with adequate halls, air-conditioning, parking facilities, security, sanitation, exhibition spaces, restaurants, reliable power supply and transportation arrangements.

We have the resources to actualise this dream. What appears to be lacking is the necessary vision, planning and commitment.

As we usher in a new NBA President this week, my sincere prayer is that we do not continue on this trajectory. If we genuinely desire to attract decent and serious-minded members of the Bar to the Annual General Conference, which remains the largest gathering of lawyers in Africa, then we must raise our standards.
We must plan better.
We must organise better. We must select our guests with greater care. We must prioritise intellectual substance over unnecessary spectacle. And we must insist on facilities worthy of the Nigerian legal profession.

This is only an interim report. Tomorrow and Friday may yet present a different experience and perhaps provide some redemption. I sincerely hope they do.
But as things stand today, my interim verdict on the 2026 NBA Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt is that it has been lacklustre, uninspiring and, in several respects, deeply disappointing.
The lawyers who came to Port Harcourt in large numbers, especially the younger members of the profession who had heard so much about the beautiful and memorable conferences in Abuja and Enugu last year, deserve better. This year's uninspiring conference should, I pray, be the last of its kind.

The Nigerian Bar Association can do better. The Nigerian Bar Association must do better. And the lawyers of Nigeria demand something better, more attractive, more intellectually rewarding and more professionally dignified.

Our Annual General Conference must never become an ordinary gathering. It is the largest gathering of lawyers in Africa, and it must always reflect the best of the Nigerian legal profession.

You may differ, it is your right. I have said mine, it is my right!

Dr. Monday Onyekachi Ubani(MOU) SAN