"Olumide's Performance in Various Assignments for the Association Are Exemplary" – Prof. Azinge Speaks, Endorses Olumide Akpata for 30th NBA President
As members of a noble profession, I believe that we owe to ourselves a sacred duty of fidelity to truth and objectivity, especially when matters of leadership of the Bar are at stake. It is in keeping with that duty that I hereby register my unreserved endorsement of, and support for, the quest of Mr Olumide Akpata to serve as the President of the NBA from 2020 to 2022.
For obvious reasons, the resilience of legal practice in this country and, by necessary extension, our Association, has been extraordinarily tested in recent times. The many faultlines in the way that we have run our Association over time have been laid bare – from the near absence of safety nets to shield the vulnerable amongst us to the seeming oblivion to the urgent need to grow members’ capacities beyond the traditional areas of practice. To keep the NBA optimally relevant in the forseeable future, therefore, the next President of the NBA must be one who not only understands the Association’s shortcomings but has also demonstrated exceptional dynamism, innovation, altruism, empathy, tact, and–crucially–pragmatism in previous positions of service within the Association.
Whilst I hold every candidate aspiring to lead the Bar in deserved high regard, I have no iota of doubt that Olumide Akpata is easily the stand-out performer when it comes to transformational leadership. His performances in various assignments for the Association and in other professional capacities are truly exemplary.
I have been both an academic and a Bar man for a significantly long time in my life to know the difference between the promise of (experimental) leadership and the assurance of (demonstrated) leadership. Fairly and squarely, Olumide Akpata affords the Association the latter. This is why he has my vote and support, and I appeal to all who desire a modern, functional and well-serving Bar to elect him as the 30th President of the NBA.
–Prof. Epiphany Azinge, SAN
Former DG of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS)
