PREAMBLE

Dearest Colleagues,

My name is Rapuluchukwu Ernest Nduka. I have been cleared to contest for the office of the Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association.I was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2005. I currently hold:

i. Bachelor of Laws degree (LL.B), from Abia State University.

ii. Master of Laws degree (LL.M) in Information Technology & Telecommunications Law from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom.

iii. Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Cyber Law from the University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa.

The attendant skills garnered from these studies are well suited for the office of the Publicity Secretary especially in a technologically-driven society.

EXPECTATIONS FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PUBLICITY SECRETARY

The Nigerian Bar Association needs a Rebranded Bar that can boast of a Positive Public Perception. The Office of the Publicity Secretary of our great Association is provided for
in Section 8(5(j) of the extant 2015 Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association, as amended. From the provisions of the above section of the Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association, it can be gleaned that the Publicity Secretary is expected to lead a team that will:

1. Efficiently bridge the communication gap between the Leadership and the Membership.
2. Make members of the NBA and the Public “see” a good, progressive and strong Nigerian Bar Association.
3. Make members of the NBA “see and feel” the Nigerian Bar Association work for their benefit.
4. Make members of the NBA “see and feel” that the NBA actually cares for them.
5. Make members of the Public “see and feel” the NBA act/work for the interest of the general public.
6. Ensure that members of the NBA are always promptly made aware of the activities of the association and that of its leadership.
7. Provide a bridge between the members of the Association and the leadership of the association.
8. Revive the spirit of comradeship through effective communication among members of the Association

MY PACT WITH THE BAR

1. EFFICIENT PUBLICITY TEAM. I will put together a Publicity Team that will not just
comprise of the National Publicity Secretary and the Assistant Publicity Secretary.The team will bring together and liaise with all the Publicity Secretaries of all the branches of the NBA. The NBA is not just about the national leadership, rather the branches must be carried along. That way, we can be sure that any information about the association gets to the branches and definitely to the members of those branches.
2. AMPLIFYING THE VOICE OF THE BAR. In presenting an image to the public, the main expectation of the public from the NBA is to see the Bar fight for them, or speak up for the public. Press releases that are merely circulated by bloggers are definitely not enough. The main stream media should have screaming headlines about the intervention of the association on national issues. That is the main image the public wants to see. This is an area that must be worked on. The Publicity Team will go into some kind of partnership with major news channels that will amplify the voice of the Bar when the Bar takes a stand against several ills in the society.

3. PROVIDE NBA BRANCHES WITH WIDE PUBLICITY FOR THEIR VARIOUS ACTIVITIES THAT HELP PROMOTE THE RULE OF LAW. For example in recent times, some legal practitioners have been victims of police assault and their branch of the NBA have taken steps to deal with the offending Police unit. Unfortunately, those steps are under-reported and the perception is that the NBA is doing nothing. But where the steps taken by a branch in Anambra State (as an instance) is publicized, the Police in Kano (as another instance) will get to hear about it and know that the Bar will not take such infractions lightly. Thus while the activities of the national leadership is constantly published, the activities of the branches especially as it relates to the promotion of the rule of law, will also be given wide publicity.

4. CREATE SEVERAL PLATFORMS THAT WILL GIVE THE PUBLICITY TEAM THE REQUIRED
OPPORTUNITY TO INTERFACE WITH THE VARIOUS BRANCHES. That way, the activities of the leadership of the national body can be passed across to the branches while
the branches can also get the publicity team informed about their own activities and same publicized.

5. PERIODIC NEWSLETTERS: Introduce periodic Newsletters (online and hard copies)
that will constantly show the various activities of the leadership of the NBA. These newsletters will be done in such a way that the activities of the leadership of the NBA are summarized and put together in formats that will catch the attention of the very busy legal practitioner.
It is obvious that going through a lot of information (heaps of document) can be
daunting especially in the current ever busy business climate. I know that a lot of persons do not have the time to go through NEC bundles and several documents that are made available by the leadership of the association. In most cases, it is the bloggers that sieve out the information in those documents. Sometimes, the information they glean from the documents are wrong and these are passed across to members of association and the public. This will be part of the duty of the publicity team. The publicity team will step up and bridge that gap. The team shall ensure some synergy with the bloggers, so that information about the association would be appreciably synthesized.

6. FEEDBACK CHANNELS. Provide effective feedback channels. Legal practitioners have alot of expectations from the leadership of the NBA. Without a feedback  channel, people will only complain without the leadership getting to know about such expectations. A few writers may write and circulate their thoughts. One-day National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings are not enough to discuss the issues plaguing the Bar and the nation. They are not enough to receive complaints and expectations from all the branches of the NBA talk less of individuals. The publicity team under my watch will create feedback channels that are constantly monitored to receive these thoughts from members of the association and provide answers. This will be enhanced through the existing NBA website communication channels and various social media platforms. The publicity team will have some persons dedicated to those channels and will direct same to the staff or executive that is responsible for the said inquiry or complaint.

7. PROPER SYNERGY: Create a proper synergy between the Publicity Team and all law related blogging platforms and news outlets. When there is a proper synergy,it will be easier for the publicity team to ensure that the information being disseminated by these news platforms are prompt and accurate, and that they project a good image of the association. This will eliminate fake news.

8. WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS: Maximize the efficiency of existing social media platforms of the NBA. The Publicity Team will ensure that Website is user friendly with a team that promptly responds to inquiries and complaints. The Websites and Social Media Platforms will be constantly updated.

9. ERADICATE FALSE NEWS: I will ensure the eradication of false news in relation to the
activities of the Association. The publicity team under my watch will give no space for false news to thrive. There will be accurate information at all times available to members of the Bar and the public at large.

SUMMARY
The Nigerian Bar Association needs a Rebranded image. The perception of members of
the Association and the entire public has to be realigned positively. A vote for me will
guarantee that the afore-mentioned ideals are attained.

I promise to have a team that will constantly remind me of the afore-mentioned
assurances because the Bar deserves the best.

Rapuluchukwu Ernest Nduka (Ph.D)