The leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has strongly refuted the demand by the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ibas, for a refund of N300 million following the relocation of its 2025 Annual General Conference (AGC) to Enugu State. The NBA’s stance was articulated in a statement released on Monday by the chairman of the conference planning committee, Emeka Obegolu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
In his statement, Emeka Obegolu dismissed Ibas’s demand, clarifying that the N300 million provided by the Rivers State Government under the administration of the then Governor, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara, was considered a donation and was not linked to any form of hosting rights agreement. The NBA maintained that the funds were a form of support, commonly sought from various organizations and state governments to offset the significant costs associated with hosting the AGC.
The NBA emphasized that the initial decision to host the 2025 AGC in Port Harcourt, made in August 2024, did not involve any bidding process or the payment of hosting rights. The association clarified that host cities do not possess any inherent “hosting rights,” and the NBA never guarantees that the conference will be held in a particular chosen city based on financial contributions.
The statement further explained that approaching government bodies and state governments for financial support is a standard practice for the NBA’s Conference Planning Committee due to the substantial expenses involved in organizing the AGC. Such support, the NBA asserted, is typically unconditional and not tied to any specific hosting rights or obligations.
