Interim Verdict: 2026 NBA Conference a disappointment — Ubani

Respected silk, Dr. Monday Onyekachi Ubani, SAN, has expressed disappointment with the organisation and quality of the proceedings at the ongoing 2026 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, describing the gathering so far as lacklustre and uninspiring.

In an interim assessment of the conference, Ubani said unless there was a significant improvement in the remaining days, the event could rank among the least memorable NBA annual conferences in recent years.

He contrasted the Port Harcourt conference with last year’s gathering in Enugu, which he said was widely praised for its organisation, traffic management, ease of movement, environmental friendliness and hospitality.

According to him, the positive reviews of the Enugu conference may have contributed to the large turnout at this year’s event, particularly among younger lawyers eager to experience the NBA’s annual gathering.

Ubani, however, said his experience in Port Harcourt had so far fallen short of expectations.
He expressed particular concern about the quality of conference materials, including the conference bag, which he said did not reflect the dignity and intellectual character expected of the gathering.

The senior lawyer also questioned the suitability of some of the personalities invited to participate in the conference, arguing that the NBA should preserve the professional and intellectual character of its annual gathering.

He said the conference should provide lawyers with opportunities to engage leading intellectuals, examine contemporary issues and exchange ideas on the future of the legal profession.

“The NBA Annual General Conference should be a place where lawyers encounter the best minds, challenge established ideas, interrogate contemporary problems and leave with a richer understanding of the law, society and the future of our profession,” he said.

“Entertainment has its place, but it must never replace intellectual substance.”

Presidential debate, welfare arrangements
While acknowledging that the presidential debate was a commendable initiative, Ubani said its execution, in his view, fell below expectations.

He also identified what he described as shortcomings in the welfare and comfort arrangements for participants, including the organisation and accessibility of tea-break venues and lunch arrangements.

Ubani further complained about heat and discomfort in some of the halls used during the first two days of the conference, describing the environment as unconducive to serious intellectual engagement.

He said such issues should not be dismissed as minor details because the comfort and welfare of participants were important to the success of a major conference.

“A lawyer who is struggling with heat, hunger, congestion and confusion cannot fully concentrate on the quality of discourse taking place around him or her,” he said.

Calls for modern convention centres
Ubani also renewed his call for greater investment in purpose-built convention centres across Nigeria, noting that the NBA annual conference attracts tens of thousands of lawyers.

He said facilities used for such gatherings were often not designed to accommodate conferences of that magnitude.

Nigeria, he argued, should develop modern convention centres capable of accommodating at least 25,000 people, with adequate halls, air-conditioning, parking, security, sanitation, exhibition spaces, restaurants, reliable electricity and efficient transportation.

He said the country had the resources to develop such infrastructure but appeared to lack the necessary vision, planning and commitment.

Ubani urges incoming NBA leadership to raise standards

As the NBA prepares to usher in a new president, Ubani urged the incoming leadership to raise the standards of the annual conference, particularly in planning, organisation, intellectual content and facilities.

“We must plan better. We must organise better. We must select our guests with greater care. We must prioritise intellectual substance over unnecessary spectacle and insist on facilities worthy of the Nigerian legal profession,” he said.

Ubani stressed that his assessment remained an interim verdict and expressed hope that the remaining days of the conference would bring improvement.

“But as things stand today, my interim verdict on the 2026 NBA Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt is that it has been lacklustre, uninspiring and, in several respects, deeply disappointing,” he said.

He said the large number of lawyers who travelled to Port Harcourt, particularly younger lawyers who had heard favourable accounts of previous conferences in Abuja and Enugu, deserved a better experience.

Ubani maintained that the NBA, as organiser of what he described as the largest gathering of lawyers in Africa, must ensure that its annual conference reflects the highest standards of the Nigerian legal profession.

“The Nigerian Bar Association can do better. The Nigerian Bar Association must do better. And the lawyers of Nigeria demand something better, more attractive, more intellectually rewarding and more professionally dignified,” he said.

He added: “Our Annual General Conference must never become an ordinary gathering. It is the largest gathering of lawyers in Africa, and it must always reflect the best of the Nigerian legal profession.”

Acknowledging that others were entitled to hold contrary views, Ubani concluded: “You may differ, it is your right. I have said mine, it is my right.”

The NBA Annual General Conference is the association’s flagship event, bringing together lawyers from across Nigeria for professional discussions, continuing legal education, networking and consideration of issues affecting the legal profession and the country.