Saiyou, NBA Chairman Says ‘Yenagoa Bar Center, A Priority Project’

U. Saiyou, Esq is the newly elected Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA Yenagoa Branch says his plans is to start the Bar Center. In this interview with our Managing Editor, VICTOR OROYI, he spoke on what he will be remembered for after his tenure. Excerpts.

What are your plans for the Bar Centre to come up in Bayelsa state?

It is a priority project for my administration, so what we did as we came on board in June, we set up the Bar Centre Project Committee and they are currently working on the project. In life, the most difficult part is to start and immediately you do this, you would get help from unexpected sources and that is what we have not done.

If at the time, the ground breaking ceremony was held some 6 to 8 years ago and the foundation was laid, even if it was just digging the foundation, then it has started, the entire Bar would have known that we have started something but we couldn’t do that, it is not as if the funds are available but we are hoping that the moment we start, something positive would happen.

Prior to this date, we have been looking up to the government to build a bar center for us but we can see that the economy is not favourable and we know that government cannot do everything for us so we want to take a bold step by starting the project, laying the foundation and starting the building and when the government sees that we have started, they will support us.

We also have other people who will support us through financial donations to ensure that the foundation is dug and laid, with God’s favor we would achieve our objective.

What is the impact of a Bar Center in Yenagoa?

The vision we have is that the Bar Center would also have an event center, when members of the Bar are getting married or they have any other social events where they need a venue, the event center would be given out at subsidized rates.

It would be an opportunity to help ourselves as lawyers and our relatives who may like to use the place for their events. It would also be for public use, it is not going to be just for business but to reach out to people.

In the next two years, when you are leaving office, what will you be remembered for by NBA, Yenagoa branch?

I am trusting God that at the end of this tenure, our executive members would be remembered for this Bar Centre Project which we started and hopefully completed, even if it is not completed but at least we started it and took it to a reasonable level. We would also be remembered for capacity building of lawyers which we have started.

In all our meetings, we dedicate at least twenty minutes for capacity building, where we bring professionals to talk with our lawyers. In our first meeting, we brought a medical personnel to address us on healthy living which was so impactful, in the second meeting, we were taught Civility and Chivalry, it was also quite enriching. In our meetings aside the wining and dining, we ensure that anyone who attends the meeting and is willing to learn will be trained which is part of our capacity building project.

We intend to bring the National Bar to come and run programs for us and various sections of the association to run programs for us which has never happened before.

In the last few years, there has been a strained relationship between the Bar and Government. Will your tenure be always willing to speak for the people on issues affecting them?

One of my promise is that we would always speak the truth at the Bar, it would not be confrontational but if what government wants to do or is doing at any point is not citizen friendly, we would speak for the citizens.