WorldStage— The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has launched a blistering critique against the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), describing its recently concluded 2026 Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt as a complete flop.
Speaking during a live media chat in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, Wike accused the legal association’s hierarchy of abandoning its primary responsibilities to play politics.
The Minister stated that the event, which historically gathers thousands of legal practitioners nationwide, lacked proper organisation and substance.
“Instead of concentrating on issues affecting the NBA, they started playing politics,” Wike remarked.
He further alleged that the leadership had allowed traders to take charge of the body, reducing a prestigious professional gathering into a mere commercial jamboree.
According to the Minister, the conference completely missed the opportunity to address critical challenges confronting the legal profession and the broader justice sector.
Instead, he argued, the organisers turned the convention into a marketing platform for opposition political parties and figures to sell their agendas ahead of future political cycles.
Justifying his conspicuous absence from the event, the former Rivers State governor revealed that he deliberately chose not to participate because he does not attend events devoid of professional value.
Wike also questioned the enduring legacy of the current NBA President, contrasting the association’s lack of institutional impact with his tangible developmental achievements in Abuja under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The Minister disclosed that he had directly confronted the NBA leadership regarding his lack of support for their tenure.
He specifically expressed deep dissatisfaction with the decision to invite a former governor of Rivers State, whom he accused of undermining the judiciary by shutting down and chaining state courts for nearly two years, to speak to an audience of legal professionals.
“When you see this kind of thing, you begin to wonder, what kind of NBA is this?” Wike questioned.
He concluded by slamming what he termed the hypocrisy within the bar, pointing out that while the association readily accepts state sponsorships for its activities, it paradoxically criticises government-backed infrastructure projects for judges as an interference with judicial independence.
