Dear Nigerian Bar Association(NBA) President and NBA Port Harcourt Branch Chairman.

I am constrained to write you this open letter owing to imminent exigencies. It has become worrisome and a great set back for many lawyers particularly Young Lawyers to obtain their stamp and seal, a prerequisite for Legal Practice in Nigeria.

It is an established custom and rule of professional conduct for lawyers to pay their Bar Practising Fee (BPF) and Branch Dues on or before 31st March of every year to be qualified to carry on Legal Business in that year and this is consummated with the issuance of NBA Stamp and Seal. New entrants, particularly New Wigs are required to do the necessary registration with the Branch of their choice to entitle them to same privilege.

Worthy of mention is lawyers’ ceaseless commitment in keeping with this rule by complying with necessary payment of BPF and Branch Dues before the deadline of 31st March of every year. Regrettably however, is the frustration and serial loss of legal business suffered by lawyers due to the delay in obtaining their stamp and seal, the mark of authenticity on all legal document. It is sardonic to say that while there is a deadline for payment of BPF and branch dues, there is no deadline for issuance of stamp and seal for lawyers who have met the requirements.

Against this backdrop, clerical staff and executives of various NBA branches tend to be slothful in handling the processing of lawyers’ stamp and seal. They practically do same at their pace regardless of the adverse effect on the career of lawyers. The result is lawyers getting their stamp and seal months after the payments with attendant consequences.

The wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has in no little way exposed the systemic deficiency in this area of the NBA administration as lawyers are left stranded for months after payment of BPF and branch dues without getting their stamp and seal. This has heightened the penury brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is unimaginable that one could make these payments on the 26th March 2020 and we are few days into the month of June but no stamp and seal. As courts are under lock down with few exceptions for regular legal business, lawyers are stranded from carrying on soliciting business that would ordinarily have assisted in these challenging times.

A few excuses rendered by the paralegal staff and EXCOS are:

  1. Delay from the NBA National
  2. Delay in courier services
  3. Branch chairman is yet to sign the attestation(for new entrant), etc on his table

The above are not tenable as there administrative lacuna and courier companies in Nigeria are exceptional in service delivery particularly when told the urgency.

Finally, it is rather unfortunate that the delay in getting the stamp and seal has brought about the concept of “fast track”, which have lawyers pay extra cost to facilitate staff at branch level to speedily process and deliver their stamp and seal. This is appalling to say the least as the manufactured speed for fast track cannot be deployed for all others.

Mr President, NBA National and Mr Chairman, Port Harcourt Branch; to a greater Bar, I recommend the following:

  1. There should be timeline for collection of stamp and seal, say like one month after the necessary payment.
  2. Logistics should be settled with faster courier company with related service.
  3. Administrative, production, and processing should be effective to deliver stamps and seals to lawyers as far as practicable.

To a Greater Bar, Cheers!

 

By David Oheobe Ede ESQ, AICMC.