The Nigerian Bar Association has released the notice of 2021 Annual Bar practicing Fees and its attendant benefits.
The Association made this known in a statement signed by the president, Mr. Olumide Akpata to all Nigerian Lawyers.
Read the full statement below:
4 January, 2021
To: All Lawyers in Nigeria
Distinguished Colleagues,
PAYMENT OF 2021 ANNUAL BAR PRACTICING FEES AND ATTENDANT BENEFITS
It is with joy that I write to you all today. I am grateful to our Maker for keeping us all alive and in health to witness a new year, the challenges of the past year and the attendant public health crisis notwithstanding. I believe that with lessons learnt, we will all come out stronger. I therefore wish you all the best that this year has to offer.
On Practicing Fees
As you all know, with each new year comes the need to pay our Annual Bar Practicing Fees (“BPF”) by all lawyers enrolled at the Supreme Court of Nigeria. This payment usually commences from 1st January and ends on 31st March every year. The same applies this year by virtue of Rule 9 (1) – (3) of the Rules of Professional Conduct. I therefore ask that you all to pay the BPF within this period.
Benefits of Paying
Payment of your BPF is a requirement to maintain your practice licence, retain your name on the roll of legal practitioners, and to be in good standing. Extant laws make it a professional misconduct not to pay within the applicable period. But beyond the aforementioned, and in line with the promises I made to the Bar, upon payment of the BPF and Branch Dues as and when due, members will be entitled to two (2) free packs of stamp and seal (48 stamps in all). Other benefits of paying within the prescribed period include:
• Automatic Life Insurance cover of up to N2 million;
• Permanent/total disability insurance cover of up to N1 million; critical illness cover of up to N500,000.00 and a limited accidental medical expense cover;
• Being eligible for the health insurance, access to finance and other welfare programmes to be set up by the NBA;
• Meeting the eligibility requirements for Notary Public Application;
• Meeting the eligibility requirements for Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Application;
• Being eligible to vote and be voted for at all NBA National and Branch Elections; and
• Eligibility for Letter of Good Standing from the NBA.
Further to the above, upon filing processes in our Courts, proof of payment of BPF is sufficient in lieu of the stamp and seal receipt. It is therefore important to retain proof of payment. For those who require additional stamps and seals, your local branch will afford you the requisite information relating thereto, which is indeed not different from what has always been done.
Please note that the provisions of Rule 10 of the Rules of Professional Conduct remain in force, and as such, the stamp and seal still remain a compulsory requirement for signing and filing legal documents.
Mode of payment and other relevant information
Payment can be made online or at any branch of Access Bank. Those who wish to pay online should log into their membership portal on https://nigerianbar.org.ng/membership-portal and follow the instructions.
Those who wish to pay using the manual process should pay into the following account using a
customized or other teller provided by the bank:
Account name: Supreme Court of Nigeria (BPF)
Account Number: 0000976716
Bank: Access Bank
When completing your payment forms (whether online or at the bank), please indicate your full details (including your name and unique Supreme Court Number) for ease of identification. For instance, your name should appear as “Abubakar Emeka Tunde” and not as “Abubakar E. T” or other formulations.
Members should also indicate their branch names and branch codes on the payment tellers. The branch codes for Branches of the NBA are contained at the end of this notice.
Schedule of Fees Payable
The schedule of BPF per year of call is as follows:
• Senior Advocates & Honourable Benchers – N50,000
• Legal Practitioners of 15 Years & above post call – N25,000
• Legal Practitioners of 10-14 Years post call – N17,500
• Legal Practitioners 5-9 Years post call – N10,000
• Legal Practitioners of 1-4 Years post call – N5,000
NBA Branches and Codes
S/N Branches Code
1 Aba Branch 1
2 Abakaliki Branch 2
3 Abeokuta Branch 3
4 Abuja Branch 4
5 Ado-Ekiti Branch 5
6 Afikpo Branch 6
7 Agbor Branch 7
8 Aguata Branch 8
9 Ahoada Branch 9
10 Akure Branch 10
11 Asaba Branch 11
12 Auchi Branch 12
13 Awka Branch 13
14 Badagry Branch 14
15 Bauchi Branch 15
16 Benin Branch 16
17 Birnin Kebbi Branch 17
18 Biu Branch 18
19 Bori Branch 19
20 Bwari Branch 20
21 Calabar Branch 21
22 Damaturu Branch 22
23 Dutse Branch 23
24 Eket Branch 24
25 Ekpoma Branch 25
26 Enugu Branch 26
27 Funtua Branch 27
28 Gboko Branch 28
29 Gombe Branch 29
30 Gusau Branch 30
31 Gwagwalada Branch 31
32 Ibadan Branch 32
33 Idah Branch 33
34 Idemili Branch 34
35 Ihiala Branch 35
36 Ijebu-Ode Branch 36
37 Ikeja Branch 37
38 Ikere Ekiti Branch 38
39 Ikirun Branch 39
40 Ikole Ekiti Branch 40
41 Ikom Branch 41
42 Ikorodu Branch 42
43 Ikot Ekpene Branch 43
44 Ile-Ife Branch 44
45 Ilesa Branch 45
46 Ilorin Branch 46
47 Isiala Ngwa Branch 47
48 Isiokpo Branch 48
49 Iwo Branch 49
50 Jalingo Branch 50
51 Jos Branch 51
52 Kabba Branch 52
53 Kaduna Branch 53
54 Kafanchan Branch 54
55 Kano Branch 55
56 Katsina Branch 56
57 Lafia Branch 57
58 Lagos Branch 58
59 Lokoja Branch 59
60 Maidiguri Branch 60
61 Makurdi Branch 61
62 Mbaise Branch 62
63 Minna Branch 63
64 Mubi Branch 64
65 Nnewi Branch 65
66 Nsukka Branch 66
67 Obollo Afor Branch 67
68 Offa Branch 68
69 Ogoja Branch 69
70 Ogomosho Branch 70
71 Ogwashi-Uku Branch 71
72 Ohafia Branch 72
73 Oji River Branch 73
74 Okene Branch 74
75 Okigwe Branch 75
76 Okitipupa Branch 76
77 Oleh Branch 77
78 Ondo Branch 78
79 Onitsha Branch 79
80 Orlu Branch 80
81 Osogbo Branch 81
82 Ota Branch 82
83 Otukpo Branch 83
84 Owerri Branch 84
85 Owo Branch 85
86 Oyo Branch 86
87 Pankshin Branch 87
88 Port Harcourt Branch 88
89 Sagamu Branch 89
90 Sapele Branch 90
91 Sokoto Branch 91
92 Suleja Branch 92
93 Ughelli Branch 93
94 Umuahia Branch 94
95 Uyo Branch 95
96 Warri Branch 96
97 Wukari Branch 97
98 Yenagoa Branch 98
99 Yola Branch 99
100 Zaria Branch 100
101 Degema Branch 101
102 Saki Branch 102
103 Ukwa Branch 103
104 Ungoggo Branch 104
105 Oron Branch 105
106 Igarra Branch 106
107 Sagbama Branch 107
108 Anaocha Branch 108
109 Keffi Branch 109
110 Udu Branch 110
111 Barnawa Branch 111
112 Bukuru Branch 112
113 Effurun Branch 113
114 Epe Branch 114
115 Mbano-Etiti Branch 115
116 Okehi Branch 116
117 Okrika Branch 117
118 Omoku Branch 118
119 Onueke Branch 119
120 Otuocha Branch 120
121 Wzeagu Branch 121
122 Uromi Branch 122
123 Ikare Akoko Branch 123
124 Ilaro Branch 124
125 Shendam Branch 125
Distinguished colleagues, the Bar is all we have, and we must do all within our power to ensure we continue to uphold the tenets of our profession. On our part, we will continue to make the Bar work for all.
Yours faithfully,
OLUMIDE AKPATA
President
