Agbakoba Joins Bakare In Rejecting Confab Allowance

A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), on Tuesday declined to accept any form of remuneration/financial benefits from the ongoing national conference.

Agbakoba, a former President of the Civil Liberties Organisation, and one of the delegates representing the Civil Society Organisation, premised his action on the fact that the conference “is a call to service and an opportunity to chart a new course for our country.”

This was contained in his letter to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, at the conference venue on Tuesday in Abuja.

The letter, which was titled, “Acceptance of nomination as delegate to the national conference”, partly reads, “I write to accept my nomination as one of the 24 civil society group’s delegates at the national conference.

“I believe the national conference is a call to service and an opportunity to chart a new course for our country.  Regrettably, I will not be able to accept any form of remuneration/financial benefits from the conference.”

Our correspondent learnt that more delegates, especially those committed to human rights activism and the less-privileged would donate their money to charity.

Agbakoba’s action came barely a day after similar declaration by the Pastor of Latter Rain Assembly, Tunde Bakare, that he would not receive the N12m to be paid to each of the delegates.

Bakare, representing Ogun State at the conference, had said he made the decision not to collect the money in order to dispel speculation that his motivation for accepting to take part in the conference was for monetary gain.

Each of the 492 delegates to the national conference would be paid N4m per month for the three month duration and this has been a subject of controversy with some Nigerians condemning the amount to be spent.