From Ann Godwin, Port Harcourt

Rivers State Government has countered claims by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) that the N300 million it received from the government was an unconditional gift not tied to the hosting of its Annual General Conference (AGC) in the state.

  But while expressing shock that NBA could go “begging” for support to organise its AGC, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, urged the lawyers to refund the money.

  Also, President of the African Public Interest Lawyers Union, Andrew Emwanta, called on NBA to refund the N300 million it received from the Rivers government under suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara for its 2025 AGC, to protect the integrity and image of the legal profession.

  The government vowed to deploy all legal processes to retrieve the money, if NBA fails to willingly make a refund. A statement by the media aide to Rivers government under Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), Hector Igbikiowubo, insisted that the records of the government showed that the N300 million was tied to the hosting of the NBA conference in the state.

  The statement reads: “The government rejects outright NBA’s recent claim that the N300 million paid by the state was a ‘gift’ unrelated to hosting rights for the NBA AGC 2025.

  “NBA’s unilateral decision to relocate the AGC 2025 against our mutual understanding and subsequent decision to withhold the N300 million paid for the purpose of hosting the NBA AGC 2025 in Rivers is unethical and amounts to a breach of trust.”

  The government threatened that if NBA fails to immediately refund the N300 million to it, it would be compelled to deploy all legal means to recover the property of the good people of Rivers.

  It stated: “We reaffirm our willingness to engage in partnerships with all professional bodies, including the NBA, but we will not accommodate exploitation of our people and the government.”

   Adegboruwa noted that lawyers in Nigeria pay their practising fees yearly and were charged for attending the conference; hence, no basis for going cap-in-hand for money to host a conference of lawyers.

   He added: “Lawyers are the conscience of the society, who are expected to champion the rule of law. Such an organisation should not be seen to be romancing with any government, socially in the face of suffering by the masses of our people due to wicked economic policies and human rights abuses by the government. After all, he who pays the piper calls the tune.”

   Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, yesterday, Emwanta said the gift, although termed “a gesture of support”, had become controversial due to the political developments in the state and the NBA’s decision to move the conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu.

  He said: “There is no proper way to do the wrong thing,” he said. “The proper thing to do, to save the image of our profession, is for that money to be refunded. It’s Rivers taxpayers’ money. If you are not doing business with them, return their money.”