WORLD INDUSTRY LEADERS

•High Chief Prof Mike Ozekhome SAN Speaks at 2024 NBA Conference High Chief Prof Mike Ozekhome SAN, CON, OFR, a renowned human rights activist, constitutional lawyer, and nation builder, delivered a thought-provoking speech at the 2025 NBA Conference in Enugu. His talk centered on the accountability of lawyers in cases involving proceeds of crime. According to Ozekhome, a lawyer who knowingly receives professional fees from illicit activities should be held accountable. However, he emphasized that lawyers who are paid for legitimate services without knowledge of the funds' origin should not be targeted. *Accountability in the Legal Profession Ozekhome's statement highlights the importance of accountability in the legal profession. He stressed that lawyers have a responsibility to uphold the law and ensure that their services are not used to facilitate illicit activities. By holding lawyers accountable for knowingly receiving proceeds of crime, the legal profession can maintain ...

BY PROF. MIKE OZEKHOME, SAN, CON, OFR, LL.D Introduction The last may not have been heard of the somewhat controversial Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Programme which the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) appears determined to institutionalize, notwithstanding the resistance of not a few members of the Association whose voices have obviously been drowned. The pushback has however persisted despite the recent endorsement of the programme by the General Council of the Bar (GCB) which has thrown its considerable weight behind the on-going implementation of the Programme. Laudable as the Programme undoubtedly is however, lingering questions persist about the legal capacity of the GCB to enact the relevant enabling statutory provisions concerning the CPD. Such cannot be swept under the carpet, dismissed with a wave of the hand or wished away simply because of the programme’s salutariness and honest intendment. No. That would be ostrich-like and unbecoming of our noble profession who...