The Nigerian Bar Association has explained why singer Habeeb Okikiola, also known as Portable, performed at the association’s 2023 Annual General Conference on Thursday, refuting rumors that the musician was paid to appear.
During an exclusive interview with PUNCH on Friday, NBA National Publicity Secretary Akorede Lawal tied Portable’s participation at the event to artist Obi Cubana’s partnership with the show as the headline sponsor.
He went on to say that the latter’s Cubana Group brought Portable because he was one of his products’ (Odogwu bitters) brand ambassadors and because being the headline sponsor came with bringing a guest artiste to perform at the ‘Unbarred concert,’ which usually has lawyers of all levels to close the conference.
Lawal said, “We did not pay a dime to Portable for the concert. It is the largest gathering of lawyers anywhere in the world and so to that extent, we always write to sponsors to finance every level of our events.
“We have partners from America, Chile, and a host of other countries who pride in what we do and take it upon themselves to get the program financed annually.”
When asked if lawyers organized a walkout on Portable during the event, the publicity secretary replied, “No, they did not. The Friendship Centre is the traditional meeting spot for all lawyers to unwind, network, and engage in other social activities.
“So, the concert was supposed to take place there, but we later told the lawyers that we would move it to the ‘Unbarred concert’ at the Velodrome of the National Stadium in Abuja because we don’t want two events taking place at the same time given that that place (Friendship Centre) had already been decorated to promote their brands.
“They were the center’s headline sponsor, and that’s where the DJs and other social activities had been taking place since the event’s inception. So we shut down the place to have a unifying event,” he added.
He also thanked the Cubana Group for funding the occasion.
The 63rd conference, titled “Getting it Right,” took place from Friday, August 25 to Wednesday, August 30, 2023, with many activities planned.
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