PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
29th August 2026
₦350 MILLION IMO GOVERNMENT SUPPORT TO NBA: CEHRAWS DEMANDS TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND PROTECTION OF BAR INDEPENDENCE
The Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS) has expressed serious concern over reports that the Imo State Government has released ₦350 million to the six branches of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Imo State to support lawyers attending the 2026 Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
According to the information made public by renowned human rights lawyer, Chinedu Agu, Esq., a Solicitor, Notary Public and former Secretary of the NBA Owerri Branch, the reported allocation comprises ₦100 million for NBA Owerri Branch and ₦50 million each for the other five branches.
CEHRAWS acknowledges that professional development is important and that government support for lawyers to participate in professional conferences is not inherently objectionable. However, the reported scale and timing of the intervention, particularly against the backdrop of persistent challenges within the justice sector, raise legitimate questions about public expenditure priorities, transparency, accountability and the independence of the legal profession.
Our concern is therefore not that lawyers are receiving support. Rather, it is whether ₦350 million of public resources could have been deployed in a manner capable of producing a more enduring impact on justice administration in Imo State.
A conference lasts a few days; a functional justice system serves citizens for generations.
CEHRAWS is particularly concerned about reports of inadequate court infrastructure, poor working conditions, inadequate office facilities, unreliable power supply and transportation challenges confronting some judicial and law officers in the State. If these reports are accurate, government must explain why such pressing justice-sector needs have not received comparable urgency.
The Imo State Public Procurement Law provides important safeguards in this regard. It requires persons involved in public procurement to be guided by honesty, accountability, transparency, fairness and equity, while expressly providing that persons entrusted with public funds must ensure that their utilisation is judicious. The Law further establishes procedures intended to promote transparency, accountability and proper management of public resources.
These principles compel government to answer legitimate questions concerning the reported expenditure.
What is the precise legal and budgetary basis for the ₦350 million?
From which budgetary provision was the money released?
What criteria were used to determine the amounts allocated to the respective NBA branches?
What accountability mechanism has been put in place to ensure that the funds are utilised for the stated purpose?
These are not hostile questions. They are legitimate questions in a democracy where public funds belong to the people.
CEHRAWS is equally concerned by allegations contained in the public commentary that the timing of the intervention coincides with ongoing conversations concerning the leadership of the Imo State Judiciary and reports that NBA branch chairmen were allegedly approached to endorse a letter concerning the Chief Judge appointment process.
We emphasise that CEHRAWS has not independently verified these allegations and therefore does not present them as established facts. However, given the sensitivity of the issues involved, the allegations deserve clarification from the relevant authorities.
Of particular concern is the allegation that NBA Mbaise Branch was reportedly denied its ₦50 million allocation after its Chairman allegedly declined to endorse the said letter on the ground that it did not represent the position of his branch.
If this allegation is correct, why was an allocation reportedly intended to support lawyers attending the Annual General Conference linked, directly or indirectly, to the endorsement of an institutional or political position?
Government must provide a clear answer.
Public resources must never become instruments for rewarding compliance, punishing dissent or influencing the independent position of a professional body.
The legal profession occupies a unique position in Nigeria’s constitutional democracy. The NBA is not merely another beneficiary of government programmes. It is an essential institution within the justice system and a critical voice in defending the rule of law, human rights and constitutional governance.
Its independence must therefore be protected.
CEHRAWS is concerned that excessive financial dependence on government may create real or perceived conflicts of interest and weaken the ability of the Bar to speak truth to power. Government support should never become government influence.
The NBA must therefore jealously guard its independence and ensure that no financial intervention compromises its constitutional and professional responsibility to hold public authorities accountable.
At the same time, CEHRAWS urges the Imo State Government to reconsider its priorities within the justice sector.
If hundreds of millions of naira can be mobilised within a short period for conference support, government should equally demonstrate the capacity and political will to address the infrastructure and welfare challenges confronting those who administer justice every working day.
Why should court buildings reportedly struggle with leaking roofs, damaged ceilings, inadequate facilities and poor accessibility?
Why should some Magistrates, Customary Court Chairmen and Court Inspectors reportedly operate without functional official vehicles?
Why should some law officers in the Ministry of Justice reportedly lack basic office equipment, including computers, furniture and other essential tools required for effective legal work?
Why should judicial premises continue to experience inadequate power supply when alternative energy solutions could significantly improve the administration of justice?
These are not merely welfare issues. They are justice-delivery issues.
A poorly equipped courtroom ultimately affects the judge, the lawyer, the court staff and, most importantly, the litigant whose constitutional right to access justice should not depend on the quality of the physical environment in which justice is administered.
CEHRAWS therefore calls on the Imo State Government to:
1. Publicly disclose the legal, budgetary and administrative basis for the reported ₦350 million intervention;
2. Publish details of the allocations and disbursements to each NBA branch;
3. Clarify whether any conditions were attached to the release of the funds;
4. Explain the circumstances surrounding the reported non-payment of the NBA Mbaise allocation, if confirmed;
5. Categorically assure the public that no public funds were used to influence or procure support for any position concerning the leadership or administration of the Judiciary;
6. Subject the expenditure to appropriate financial and audit scrutiny to establish accountability and value for money; and
7. Urgently increase investment in court infrastructure, judicial facilities, power supply, transportation, office equipment and the working conditions of judicial and law officers across the State.
We further call on the NBA leadership and all its branches in Imo State to maintain the highest standards of institutional independence and transparency in their dealings with government.
CEHRAWS recognises that lawyers deserve opportunities for continuing professional development and that government may legitimately support such initiatives. However, public support must never compromise professional independence, and professional development must not become a vehicle for political influence.
The central issue before the people of Imo State is therefore not whether lawyers deserve assistance. They do.
The issue is whether public resources are being deployed transparently, judiciously, accountably and in the broader public interest.
As the concerns publicly raised by Chinedu Agu, Esq. have now generated wider public discussion, CEHRAWS believes that the appropriate response is not confrontation or dismissal, but transparency, clarification and accountability.
A government that has nothing to hide should have nothing to fear from legitimate questions about public expenditure.
A conference may last a few days. A functional and independent justice system serves generations.
Signed:
Okoye, Chuka Peters
Executive Director, CEHRAWS
cehraws@gmail.com | +234(0)808-035-1242(WhatsApp only)
Facebook: @cehraws
