Rivers tackles NBA over N300m hosting grant

Rivers State Government yesterday insisted that the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) must refund the N300 million it received or face a lawsuit.

It countered the NBA’s claims that the money was “an unconditional gift” and not tied to the hosting of its Annual General Conference (AGC) in the state.

The AGC, to be held from August 22 to 28, was originally billed for Port Harcourt, the Rivers capital.

The association later chose Enugu as the host city in protest against the declaration of emergency in the oil-rich state.

The state government vowed to deploy all legal processes to retrieve the state’s resources if the NBA failed to willingly refund the money.

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Sole Administrator, Hector Igbikiowubo, insisted that the records of the government showed that the N300 million was tied to the hosting of the AGC in the state.

The statement said: “The government rejects the NBA’s allegation that the N300million payment made by the state was a ‘gift’ unrelated to hosting rights for the NBA AGC 2025.

“For clarity, the Rivers State Government’s records show that the payment of N300 million to the NBA was made with the mutual understanding that Rivers State would host the 2025 edition of the NBA AGC.

“The Rivers State Government entered into this arrangement with the NBA in good faith, with the understanding that hosting the conference in the state would attract significant economic benefits to our state, positively and directly impact the businesses of our people.