A member of the Nigerian Bar Association, Owerri Branch, Chigozie Victor Ezekiel, Esq., has fired a blistering open letter to the Chairman and Executive Committee of the branch, delivering a vote of no confidence in the Remuneration Order (Implementation and Enforcement) Committee and demanding its immediate dissolution.
In the strongly-worded letter titled “Vote of No Confidence in the Remuneration Committee and Demand for Its Immediate Dissolution,” Ezekiel did not mince words in expressing his “grave disappointment” over the Committee’s consistent failure to fulfill its mandate — nearly two years after it was inaugurated.
“I write this letter as a member of the Bar deeply concerned about the continued failure of the Remuneration Order (Implementation and Enforcement) Committee to discharge its responsibilities,” he began, lamenting what he described as a “critical need to standardize legal practitioners’ fees in Owerri Branch.”
A major trigger for the outrage appears to be the inaction following the publicly announced enforcement date of May 1, 2025 — a milestone that, according to Ezekiel, “has come and gone without any visible action, structure, or compliance framework in place.”
“This milestone has instead become a stark reminder of the Committee’s repeated failures and lack of resolve to implement the very mandate it was entrusted with nearly two years ago,” Ezekiel charged.
The scathing letter referenced the minutes of the branch’s Monthly General Meeting held on March 29, 2025, during which members reportedly expressed rising discontent over the pitiable fees lawyers continue to charge — some as low as ₦20,000 for multimillion-naira transactions. Such practices, he argued, “demean our profession and contradict the Remuneration Order, 2023.”
Despite “valid suggestions” from members — including centralized payment structures, deductions for administrative costs, and collaboration with land authorities — Ezekiel observed that “no single implementation milestone has been achieved by the Committee.”
The letter specifically indicted the Committee’s Secretary for admitting during the meeting that the Committee only “intends” to introduce a special seal for document authentication. Ezekiel called this nothing more than a “proposal that remains in the realm of intention, lacking execution, stakeholder collaboration, or operational detail.”
The Committee’s report, presented at the same meeting, did not fare any better. According to Ezekiel, the report was “rightly criticized for being omnibus and vague,” with members demanding a further review before any adoption could be considered.
“These are clear indictments of administrative failure,” Ezekiel declared, further criticizing the Committee for its inability to implement basic steps such as setting up the NBA account for fee processing, sensitizing stakeholders, or coordinating with the judiciary and land agencies.
He noted that even the Chairman of the Branch had to direct the Committee to “fine-tune” its report, an action he interpreted as “a clear admission that the groundwork was fundamentally defective.”
Blasting what he termed “two years of delay, inaction, and ineffective leadership,” Ezekiel stated categorically:
“It is therefore clear that the current Remuneration Committee has lost the confidence of the Bar.”
In what may spark widespread debate within the legal community in Imo State and beyond, Ezekiel submitted three key demands:
- A vote of no confidence in the current Remuneration Order (Implementation and Enforcement) Committee;
- An immediate dissolution of the existing Committee;
- And the constitution of a new, efficient, and reform-driven Committee, with defined timelines and deliverables. “We owe it to ourselves and to the future of the legal profession in Imo State to act decisively,” Ezekiel concluded. “Failure to do so will only perpetuate the erosion of professional value and public respect for our calling.”
As the legal community digests this open rebuke, the question remains: Will the NBA Owerri leadership act — or allow the credibility crisis to fester?
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