The Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ibadan Branch, Adekola Kareem, has explained the decision of the branch to boycott the traditional legal year service organised by the judiciary, saying the action followed concerns over the inability of the Bar to deliver a goodwill message at the event.
Kareem, who described the Ibadan Branch as the premier and largest branch of the Nigerian Bar Association in the country, disclosed this while speaking on the activities marking the commencement of another legal year.
According to him, the beginning of a new legal year has traditionally been marked by a legal year service involving the judiciary and the legal profession, but disagreements surrounding the arrangements for this year’s ceremony prompted the Ibadan branch to hold an alternative gathering at the Aare Afe Babalola Bar Centre in Ibadan.
He said the branch had resolved at its general meeting held on October 3, 2026, to boycott the service organised by the judiciary after the chairman of the branch was informed that the Bar would not be allowed to deliver a goodwill message during the occasion.
Kareem said the decision was not taken in isolation but followed the branch’s concern that its participation in the traditional ceremony should include an opportunity for the leadership of the Bar to address members and participants.
“My name is Adekola Kareem. I’m the chairman, the Nigeria Bar Association, Ibadan Branch. Premier and the largest Bar in Nigeria,” he said while introducing himself.
Explaining the significance of the occasion, he said, “Today’s mark opening of another legal year. That’s 2036/2027 legal year. At the inception of the year, we used to have legal year service, which we did today at the Aare Afe Babalola Bar Centre, Ibadan.”
He explained that the Ibadan branch decided to organise its own programme at the Bar Centre after it became clear that the branch chairman would not be permitted to deliver a goodwill message at the judiciary-organised event.
“We decided to do it this way because the chairman of the Bar was informed that we’ll not be able to make any goodwill message at the event organised by the judiciary and the Bar was not happy with that decision,” Kareem said.
According to him, the matter was subsequently considered by members of the branch, who took a collective decision at their general meeting on October 3, 2026.
“And we, the Bar, in our general meeting on 3rd of October, 2026, decided to boycott the year service. And the alternative is that we should have our own at the Bar Centre,” he said.
Kareem’s explanation, however, went beyond the immediate disagreement over the goodwill message, as he provided historical context on how the legal year had traditionally been marked through two major regional religious services in Ibadan.
He said he was later informed that the legal year tradition in the city had historically involved two major regional services — one at St. James Cathedral, Oke-Bola, and another at the Oja Oba Central Mosque.
“Later, I was informed that we used to have two major regional services. The first at St. James Cathedral, Oke-Bola, and the second one at the Oja Oba Central Mosque,” he said.
According to him, he was also informed about the different practices associated with the two religious venues, particularly regarding opportunities for speeches by representatives of the Bar and other institutions.
He said he was informed that the chairman of the Bar at the St. James Cathedral service had historically not delivered a speech, adding that his understanding of the practice was based on information made available to him.
“And I was informed that the chairman of Bar at St. James Cathedral had never delivered any speech,” Kareem said.
He noted that, as a Muslim, he did not have direct personal knowledge of the practice at the cathedral, but explained that the arrangement at the Oja Oba Central Mosque was different.
“Since I’m a Muslim, I wouldn’t know,” he said, before explaining the established speaking arrangement at the mosque.
According to Kareem, five individuals or representatives traditionally make speeches during the Oja Oba Central Mosque service.
He listed the first as the chairman of the Muslim Association of Nigeria.
“At Oja Oba Central Mosque, five individuals used to give speech there,” he said.
“One, the chairman of Muslims Association of Nigeria will make speech,” he explained.
The second speaker, according to him, is the chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association.
“Two, the chairman of Bar Association will make speech,” he said.
The third is the most senior judge present or associated with the ceremony.
“Three, the most senior judge will make speech,” Kareem explained.
The fourth speaker, he said, is the representative of the Oyo State Governor.
“Four, the representative of the governor of Oyo State,” he said.
The fifth speaker is the representative of the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland.
“And five, the representative of the Aare of Musulumi of Yorubaland will make a speech,” he added.
Kareem said the arrangement constituted part of the established tradition surrounding the legal year activities in Ibadan, particularly the service at the Oja Oba Central Mosque.
“That’s how we’ve been doing it. So that’s the tradition,” he said.
He explained that despite the importance attached to the tradition, the Ibadan branch decided to boycott the service this year because of the disagreement over the opportunity for the Bar chairman to deliver a goodwill message.
He stressed that the boycott was followed by an alternative gathering at the Aare Afe Babalola Bar Centre, where a good number of NBA members joined the branch leadership.
“But we boycotted and a good number of members were with us at the Bar Centre today,” he said.
The chairman, however, indicated that the current disagreement should not be interpreted as a permanent breakdown in relations between the Bar and the judiciary.
Rather, he expressed optimism that the outstanding issues would be resolved before the next legal year, paving the way for a return to a joint celebration involving the relevant parties.
Kareem said the branch was already looking towards reconciliation and harmonisation, with the expectation that the issues responsible for the disagreement would be settled.
“And by next year, we would have harmonised and settled all our dispute, and issues,” he said.
He further expressed confidence that the Bar and the judiciary would be able to resolve their differences and restore the traditional joint arrangement.
“And by the grace of God, we are going to have a joint one by next year,” Kareem said.
His comments therefore suggest that the Ibadan NBA’s decision to hold an alternative legal year gathering was intended to address the immediate disagreement while leaving room for reconciliation and restoration of the traditional joint celebration.
The chairman’s account also placed the 2026 legal year controversy within the broader historical framework of Ibadan’s legal year observances, highlighting the role traditionally played by both Christian and Muslim places of worship, the judiciary, the legal profession, the state government and traditional Muslim leadership.
For the Ibadan NBA leadership, the October 3 decision to boycott the judiciary’s ceremony and organise an alternative programme at the Aare Afe Babalola Bar Centre was consequently presented as a response to a specific disagreement over representation and participation, rather than a rejection of the legal year tradition itself.
Kareem’s assurance that the Bar expects to “harmonise and settle” the outstanding disputes before the next legal year further indicates that the branch hopes the 2026 disagreement will be resolved through dialogue, allowing the Bar and judiciary to return to a joint legal year service in the following year.
The development also underscores the importance attached by the Ibadan Bar to the established traditions surrounding the commencement of the legal year, particularly the opportunity for the leadership of the legal profession to participate formally in the proceedings.
While the 2026/2027 legal year was marked separately by the Ibadan NBA at the Aare Afe Babalola Bar Centre, Kareem’s remarks indicate that the branch remains committed to restoring the traditional collaborative arrangement once the issues between the Bar and the judiciary have been addressed.
“We are going to have a joint one by next year,” he reiterated, expressing hope that the coming legal year would provide an opportunity for the two sides to put the present disagreement behind them and resume their traditional joint observance.
