CLOSING STATEMENT ON MY CAMPAIGN FOR THE NBA PRESIDENCY, 2022:MY LIFE OF SERVICE TO THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION*

*CLOSING STATEMENT ON MY CAMPAIGN FOR THE NBA PRESIDENCY, 2022:

MY LIFE OF SERVICE TO THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION*

By

*Joe-Kyari Gadzama OFR, MFR, SAN*

(Chairman, NBA-Security Agencies Relations Committee)

Mary Akanbi

13th July, 2022

My Dear Colleagues,

Our great Association will be electing new national leadership in the next 72 hours. For the last two months, candidates for various offices, including my humble self, have 

earnestly campaigned for your votes.

For me, the window of this campaign period, is of immense value for it further afforded

me the opportunity to personally interact with most of you at the different branch levels

of our Association, feel and understand your challenges, and chart a practical way 

forward on same, while enjoying the benefit of your collective inputs.

I cannot, but from my heart of hearts, thank you all sincerely for the solidarity, unwavering support and warmth showed to me and the members of my campaign team everywhere we went. I understand that acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance. I, therefore, do not take your unwavering support for granted. Gracias, I say.

While I salute all my other colleagues for offering to serve our Association in the 

forthcoming elections scheduled for Saturday, July 16, 2022, I am not unmindful of the 

immortal words of John F. Kennedy when he said that “as we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” 

I therefore consider it important that I leave you with this closing statement and more.

importantly, my commitment to live by it. I remain irrevocably committed to a united and strong Bar as a critical bastion for the promotion of the rule of law, democracy, and the defense and promotion of the independence and integrity of the Bar and Bench in Nigeria. The thirty-six (36) years record of my Bar antecedents is verifiable. I have 

consistently served the NBA in several roles and various capacities including, but not limited to, the following: Pioneer Chairman, NBA-SPIDEL; Pioneer Vice-Chairman, NBA￾SLP; Pioneer Council Member, NBA-SBL; Pioneer NBA Golf Captain; Chairman, NBA 

National Electoral Committee (1998); Pioneer Chairman and leader, Nigerian Law School

Class of 1986 which recently donated a twin Ultra-Modern Moot Court to the Nigerian Law School, Bwari Campus; Past Chairman, NBA- Abuja [Unity Bar]; Chairman, 

Conference Planning Council, Jos, Plateau State (2004), and Member, National 

Executive Committee of the NBA from 1998-2016, 2018 till date. 

In seeking to lead the Bar at this critical time, the focal points of my manifesto stand on two broad pedestals: continuity and innovation. There are lofty policies presently being implemented by the Akpata-led NBA which I will build on if elected. The free stamp and free access to legal online research tools are prime instances of these. Continuous 

positive and intentional efforts are the key to unlocking our potential for a greater Bar. I intend to continue and build on our present successes while hinging my efforts at 

innovation on three vital planks:

a. Leveraging on Technology, Artificial Intelligence & Capacity-Building to enhance the 

global competitiveness of the Nigerian Lawyer. Our members need to have the relevant tools to help them survive in a world that is globalizing legal services.

b. Gender Equity: As your President, I will work with you to entrench gender equity in both our profession and our country. The NBA-Women Forum will be given all the 

necessary support for it to successfully execute its mandates. In this connection, I will draw from my experience and practice at J-K Gadzama LLP where over 60% of our 

workforce is made up of capable women.

c. Institutional Mentorship and Support for Young Lawyers: Dear Young Lawyers, I will 

continue to fight for you. As NBA President I will work will all organs of our Association 

to put in place a Bar-wide regime of structured mentorship for young lawyers. 

For me “mentorship and support for young lawyers” is not a vote-getting cliché. It is the future of our profession, and it is what I routinely do. I draw daily inspiration from the over 200 alumni of the J-K Gadzama LLP’s “Hon. Justice Chukwudifu Oputa JSC (Rtd) 

Professional Training and Mentoring Programme for Young Lawyers” which is presently in its 7th Edition and our Annual Public Lecture Series, presently in its 14th Edition. With your support, we can replicate these humble efforts on mentorship and continuing legal 

education throughout the NBA.

Above all, Nigeria as a state is at crossroads facing several challenges such as insecurity, poor economy, terrorism, corruption, bad governance and impunity, to mention but a few. I am that lawyer that can lead the Bar to help out the country out of this quagmire.

I therefore invite you to join me in this quest to build AN ALL-INCLUSIVE BAR! I thank you 

all for your attention. God bless the Nigerian Bar Association.

Dated: Wednesday, July 13, 2022.