Squib Interview: OKEY OWHONDA ESQ

On Friday the 27th June 2008, The Squib met with Mr. Okey Owhonda former chairman of the NBA Port-Harcourt branch and a leading candidate for the post of Secretary General of the NBA in the forth coming elections of the association in August. A veteran bar man, Owhonda in this engaging interview spoke about his aspiration to become the next General Secretary of the Nigeria Bar Association and what he hopes to achieve in office if elected.
Can we meet you sir?
My name is Okey Owhonda. I was born in 1963 and I am from Rumuigbo Obiakpor Local Government in Rivers State. I attended Federal Government College Warri. I proceeded to the University of Ife in 1979 and graduated in 1983. I went to the Law School and was called to the bar 1984. I did my Youth Service with the Legal Aid Council in Enugu between 1984-1985, thereafter, I returned to Port-Harcourt and joined the firm of Okocha and Okocha in 1985, and rose to become the deputy managing solicitor there. In 1988 I went back for Masters and graduated in 1989. I opened my own firm, Okey Owhonda and Co. about September 1994. The firm has grown now, to 11 solicitors and paralegals aside myself. I am married to Irene with whom I have 3 children.

You are a member of the NBA, do you also belong to any other professional bodies?
Apart from being a member of the NBA, I also belong to the International Bar Association and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association. I participate well and attend their conferences and their activities. I am also an active member of Jaycees, a leadership training association.

Your religion?
I am a Christian (Anglican communion)

You are aspiring to a post at the National level of the NBA, what are you antecedent at the NBA, asides being a member?
Aside being a member, I have tried to play a role at all levels. First, I have taken interest in the activites of NBA such that when I was called to the bar, from my first year at the bar, I have attended every bar conference, from 1985 to date. In my branch I have been a member of many committees, such as welfare committee, dinner committee and human rights committee, all this between 1985-1996. In 1996 I became the secretary of my branch
I was also a member of the decision and resolution to get the NBA back on track. That motion was moved by Chief Akuro George in Jos for the resuscitation of the NBA. The committee of chairmen and secretaries to the NBA was set up to achieve this purpose. I was a member of that committee and we rounded up our work, by organizing the Unity Conference of 1998, in Abuja, where new excos were elected. I was one of those given awards for contributing well to the growth of the NBA.
I have remained a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) from 1996 and since then have attended all NEC meetings of the NBA as a NEC member except the meeting in Yola in 1998. In 2000, I was appointed the Secretary of the Constitution amendment committee. It is on record, that, that committee has turned out the only successful amendment of the 1998 constitution so far. This feat was achieved under the chairmanship of B.M. Wifa S.A.N at the Calabar conference 2001.
I have never held any office just for the sake of it. In every opportunity I have been given to serve, I have worked for positive change. When I was secretary of Port-Harcourt branch we raised participation of our members in the branch activities to a high level. And when I was the vice chairman of the same branch we started developing the branch's permanent structure and institution like the human right scheme. When I became branch chairman from 2002 to 2004, everyone of the bar then, can attest to the fact that we served excellently well, we did not hold anything back. Am also a member of three very important committees of the NBA-Constitution review committee, National Law centre committee and National Privatisation committee. And I was also the alternate chair of the National Planning conference committee Port-Harcourt 2006
Now it's our intention, if elected, firstly that our secretariat will function efficiently and profusely, in keeping records, keeping minutes, summoning meetings, e.t.c. We will not provide excuses for not doing this, and for the very first time, everybody would see that the NBA can have an efficient secretariat.

How do you want to achieve that, even with the current structure?
To me the NBA, has enough staff and competent desk officers, to do the work.

So, you are saying we have adequate staff?
Owhonda: Yes, some are even lawyers, I think, it is an advantage for us to utilize them, one of the areas they have not addressed adequately is the conference planning desk, both locally and internationally. We should have a permanent conference department desk to organize conferences. We must be able to have plans for the next conference, immediately when one finishes.
I think, with the contribution of NBA to IBA, CLA, our association is not getting enough from them. They should be able to give programmes that would benefit our members. Our profession should be more developed, specialised and focused so that our practice would be more organized and we will earn better incomes. Barrister Chijioke Orji has brought up a programme of welfare for our lawyers in a document called MEMORANDUM FOR THE ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF LAWYERS, by the grace of God we shall resurrect that paper

Why do you think you can head the NBA's Secretariat?
I have served, in our branch as the secretary, vice chairman and chairman. I have also served as a member secretary and chairman of various national committees. I am a team player by nature, I know how to operate in a team environment, I also know that in NBA, once officers were elected the preliminary thing, they do, is to collate their ideas, I appreciate that the president of the organization is the leader so the leader, also ask the members to contribute their ideas. At that stage, we can use all these ideas, to contribute to the greatness of our bar.
When I became the chairman of our branch, I called our opponents, even though they are not part of the exco, collected their ideas, and adopted them as our own, so far, it would affect our member positively, so in a nutshell, I can operate under anybody, relate with anybody.
I have been a change agent and I know how to drive successful change. To succeed in bringing positive change to the people, the honestly of purpose driving the mission to serve the people and the capacity must also be there on the part of the leader. I humbly believe I have all these qualities. Experience has shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer why evils are sufferable, than to change, the system, they are used to. What that means is this-every group of human beings would rather stay with what they are doing now, if they can bear the inconvenience rather than change. My experience, in life generally, is that for you to effect change successfully, as a leader, you must have the vision and the mission, which is the good intention.

Lets assume, you win, what are we to expect at our NBA NEC meetings?
Owhonda: Everywhere we go on our campaigns, this question always comes up. The larger number of our members are yearning for the old days NEC meetings. We would take the advantage of what is happening now. Frankly speaking the pre-meetings documentation is better that what we used to have in the past, and we would adopt that, to have the documents in place, and make sure all members have their documents before the next NEC meeting but we will also make sure that decisions are made at the larger house, because some members are beginning to think, that only a small class of select people are the ones making decisions for the whole house.
We will also want to use NEC meetings as relaxation time for our members, in effect our Thursdays and Fridays for NEC meetings, will be fully utilized for NEC meetings. Another thing is also that, we are going to have calendars, at least for the next 2 years, and if possible identify the venues, so that members can have enough time to prepare their diaries.

If you become the next General Secretary what direction will you influence Exco to go with respect to national issues?
I believe that the NBA has a critical role to play in ensuring that constitutional democracy succeeds in Nigeria. And so the NBA must act as a watch dog. We (NBA) must speak out so clearly on the side of legality, justice and due process that the average man on the street, will see any lawyer and imagine he had seen another Gani Fawehinmi. It is the failure of the NBA, that has led to the presence of all those unscrupulous people, claiming they are fighting for human rights, whereas they are fighting for their pockets. So in a nutshell if we are elected into office I will serve the NBA to regain her voice.

If you become the General Secretary of the NBA and you are now given government appointment, will you take it?
People who know me, know me for my passion for the bar. They also know that as matter of policy, I have set out the first 25 years of my career for the bar, which has brought me to the position I am so far. I would have been lured into partisan politics before now but I chose to stay in my profession. I was one of those who in 1997/1998 included that clause in our constitution, that nobody who holding any national office in the NBA, should go for any political position. So I can not go against that clause. I think it is immoral. I am also against partisan politicians holding offices in the NBA. In my branch, you can't be a card carrying member of a political party and hold any of our offices at the same time. We have a case Chinwo vs Owhonda & 2 ors pt 1064 of NWLR still pending in the Supreme court on this issue.
We won in the High Court, even at the Appeal court over this point and under my chairmanship, the rule was included in our bye-laws.

How do you rate your chances of getting elected, if cleared to run?
Our chances are quite high. First our colleagues have quite appreciated our past records of service. Secondly, those who have served with me can attest, to my passion for the bar and my commitment. More importantly, we didn't just join the race. Before we did so we consulted widely, and we are still reaching out to every branch for support, without undermining any quarters and we have been getting good response. With all this we are believing God to win this election.

I was told that under the presidency of Agbakoba, that the Secretariat has become 'ethnicised', that is people of his ethnic group have taken over the secretariat say, what should we be looking for under you?
When I became the chairman of my branch a question was put to me that, supposing a judge of my ethnic background is involved in corruption, as the NBA chief, can I support his removal? Then I answered that, I know that corruption has no brother, a corrupt judge is a disgrace to the bar. One corrupt judge at least puts 200 lawyers out of work. If we win and enter office, we will not remove anybody, doing well at his or her work but if we notice that any staff is working below acceptable standards we will disengage such. So our main concern is merit and competence of our staff and not their ethnic backgrounds.