The decision by the Nigerian Bar Association to move the Annual General Conference ( AGC) to Enugu from Portharcourt where it was previously slated to happen has come with far reaching consequences.
The Annual General Conferences of the Nigerian Bar Association is usually the most anticipated event among lawyers in Nigeria with an average of 15,000 lawyers (registered and unregistered) arriving the host city each year.
Many lawyers make plans several months before to ensure they experience a nice time which many see as a vacation opportunity.
The influx of lawyers every August provides an economic boom for those providing different services eg Hotels, taxis, food vendors, craft, book sellers etc in the host city.
Three days ago, the NBA as a result of the unconstitutional government in Rivers State, announced the change in venue to Enugu and this has generated an avalanche of heartbreak for those who have prepared to welcome lawyers to the Garden City in August.
Hotels are worst hit as they are expected to refund bills already paid by lawyers for reservations.
A hotelier Azubuike Ihemeje has lamented that the change in venue has put him in a position to refund twenty four million Naira.
He went on to say that “This reinforces my belief that politicians and their decisions are the greatest threat to common man
You’ll just be on your own, struggling to make ends meet and put food on your table
Voom! Politicians will come from nowhere, snatch, steal and destroy everything you’ve labored
They are the biggest albatross of our very existence and survival
But the worst is that they don’t even care about us
Very anyhow people like this!”
Other Hotels in Portharcourt are also experiencing the pressure to refund the money already paid.
As at the time the venue was changed, more than 9000 lawyers have already registered for the conference.
