The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has denied claims that it sold the hosting rights for its 2025 Annual General Conference (AGC), insisting that the N300 million received from the Rivers State Government was a “gift” and not a transactional payment.
This clarification comes amid a heated row between the NBA and the Rivers State Government following the relocation of the conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu.
In a statement released on Monday, Emeka Obegolu, chairman of the NBA AGC planning committee, said: “At no time did the NBA sell the hosting rights for the AGC to any state. The money received from the Rivers State Government was a donation to support the success of the conference, not a payment for hosting rights.”
The Rivers State Government, now under the administration of sole administrator Ibok-Ete Ibas, had demanded a refund of the N300 million it reportedly paid for the event, accusing the NBA of breaching a hosting agreement.
“If the NBA is truly an organisation guided by principles, it should demonstrate such by returning the N300 million it collected for hosting rights,” the state government said in an earlier statement.
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Tensions escalated after the NBA cited “constitutional violations” and the imposition of emergency rule in Rivers as grounds for moving the AGC out of the state. President Bola Tinubu declared the emergency in March following political unrest and governance paralysis in the state.
The NBA’s decision has triggered backlash from the Rivers government, which views the relocation as politically motivated and a betrayal of its financial commitment.
As the controversy unfolds, legal observers and civic groups have called for greater transparency in how public funds are disbursed for sponsorships and donations to professional associations.