A Legal Practitioner, Olasupo Ojo has stated that it is legally wrong to equate the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the “Bar” as one and the same, noting that there is a difference between the two.

This is contained in a statement issued by him which was made available to newsmen.

Besides, he noted that the Bar enjoys statutory flavour while NBA is a body regulated by CAMA.

The statement reads:

BETWEE.N THE “NBA” AND “THE BAR”

I have noticed expressed confusion in the use of the NBA and the BAR as if they are alternative reference to the same entity. This is due to the myth created round the NBA for many years which is very fraudulent and very unfortunate.

There is a clear difference between “THE BAR” and the Nigerian Bar Association “NBA”.

The BAR refers to the Legal Profession as defined by the Legal Practitioners Act while the Nigerian Bar Association is an association of persons in the Legal Profession.

Therefore, THE BAR is greater and wider than the NBA.

While the BAR is a statutory creation, the NBA is created by some lawyers who registered it as an Association under CAMA. Let’s be properly guided.

The General Council of the Bar is a creation of Statute but the NEC of NBA is a creation of the association called NBA in its constitution.

The use of the word “BAR” in the registered name of the NBA does not give the NBA any statutory flavour at all.

While the NBA is an association regulated by CAMA, the Legal profession is regulated by the Legal Practitioners Act.

It is therefore intellectually fraudulent or lazy for anyone to equate the association called NBA with the profession called the “BAR”.

Need to dig deep so as not to continue in blissful ignorance.