By Vera Osokpo
Ebullient Lawyer Chief Abdullai Tony Dania has congratulated Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, FCIArb (UK), on her election as President-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association, saying her win is well deserved.
In his goodwill message, Dania also extended congratulations to the newly elected members of the NBA National Executive Committee, expressing confidence that they would help strengthen the legal profession.
He called on the incoming leadership to pursue bold reforms that would improve accountability, transparency and efficiency in the association.
He recommended a forensic review of NBA administrations over the past 16 years, saying such an exercise would help deepen trust and promote responsibility in the management of the association. Dania also proposed major changes to the annual Call to Bar ceremonies, including moving most pre-call and post-call processes online and decentralising the physical events to ease congestion in Abuja.
According to him, assembling more than 7,000 Nigerian Law School graduates, together with their families and friends, creates significant financial, logistical and security pressure.
Even so, he praised the Body of Benchers, the Council of Legal Education, the Nigerian Law School and other stakeholders for managing the July 2026 Call to Bar ceremonies successfully.
He further commended the online enrolment system introduced after the Call to Bar, describing it as a welcome step toward modernising the administration of legal practice in Nigeria.
Dania also applauded the NBA Electoral Committee for running a peaceful online election and announcing the results within 24 hours.
He said the process shows that electronic voting can work in Nigeria and urged INEC to learn from the NBA’s digital model in order to improve transparency, cut costs and boost confidence in the electoral process.