The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is the non-profit, umbrella professional association for all legal practitioners in Nigeria, including those admitted to the Nigerian Bar. Established in its modern format in 1959, the association's core objectives include the promotion and defense of the human rights, the rule of law, and institutional reforms within the administration of justice in the country.

The head of the association is the president, who serves as its chief executive officer, national representative, and ex-officio member of the National Judicial Council and the Body of Benchers. Following structural and electoral reforms, the president is elected through an electronic voting system by all verified, financially up-to-date members of the association. The president serves a non-renewable, two-year term.

As of July 2026, 33 individuals have served as national leaders of the association. The leadership succession is divided into two broad periods: the early organizational leadership (1959–1991), which saw the stabilization of the bar across regional branches, and the modern era (1991–present), which began with the election of the first female president and the subsequent adoption of universal suffrage and electronic balloting. Between 1992 and 1998, the national body faced a prolonged institutional crisis following the rowdy 1992 Port Harcourt Annual General Conference, during which the national executive was dissolved, leaving regional branches to manage affairs until the association's reconstitution.

Presidents The tables below follow the chronological succession of the national leaders of the bar. Prior to 1960, the national head was formally designated as the "Chairman."

Early leadership (1959–1991) No. Portrait President Term of office Primary branch SAN status Notes / Major events Ref. 1 Alhaji Jibril Martins 1959–1960 Lagos Served as the inaugural national leader during the formal independence transition period. 2 F. R. A. Williams 1960–1968 Lagos (1975) First formal President post-independence. Appointed among the foundation class of Senior Advocates of Nigeria in 1975. 3 Peter Thomas 1968–1969 Warri First President drawn from the mid-western region bar. 4 G. M. Boyo 1969–1970 Warri Contributed to regional bar expansions following the Nigerian Civil War. 5 Richard Akinjide 1970–1973 Ibadan (1978) Later served as the Attorney General of the Federation during the Second Republic. 6 Adebayo Ogunsanya 1973–1974 Lagos Oversaw early statutory amendments to the Legal Practitioners Act. 7 Mudiaga Odje 1974–1976 Warri (1978) Maintained bar independence during early military rule. 8 Nwakanma Okoro 1976–1978 Enugu (1978) Expanded administrative presence into Eastern Nigeria branches. 9 B. O. Benson 1978–1980 Lagos Standardized annual conference frameworks. 10 Adetunji Fadairo 1980–1982 Abeokuta Coordinated policy actions during the civil rule transition. 11 A. N. Anyamene 1982–1984 Enugu Focused on the professional welfare of junior practitioners. 12 Bola Ajibola 1984–1985 Abeokuta Resigned upon appointment as Minister of Justice; later elected a Judge of the International Court of Justice. 13 Ebele Nwokoye 1985–1987 Onitsha Navigated critical legal standoffs regarding military tribunals. 14 Alao Aka-Bashorun 1987–1989 Lagos Renowned for human rights advocacy and robust opposition to military decree overreaches. 15 Charles Idehen 1989–1991 Benin City Led initiatives for institutional Decentralization.

Modern era (1991–present) No. Portrait President Term of office Primary branch SAN status Notes / Major events Ref. 16 Clement Akpamgbo 1991–1992 Enugu Vacated the office upon appointment as Attorney General of the Federation. 17 Priscilla Kuye 1992 Lagos First female President of the association. Assumed office after Akpamgbo's departure. Her tenure was truncated by the 1992 crisis. National body dissolved due to institutional crisis (1992–1998); operations managed by local branch chairmen. 18 T. J. O. Okpoko 1998–2000 Warri Led the post-crisis reconciliation and administrative restoration of the national bar structure. 19 O. C. J. Okocha 2000–2002 Port Harcourt Modernized national administrative operational standards. 20 Wole Olanipekun 2002–2004 Ilorin (1991) Advanced strict compliance protocols governing the rule of law. 21 Bayo Ojo 2004–2005 Kaduna Resigned midterm following his appointment as Attorney General of the Federation. 22 Lanke Odogiyan 2005–2006 Kaduna Filled the unexpired term of Bayo Ojo. 23 Olisa Agbakoba 2006–2008 Lagos (1998) Pioneered civic coalitions and justice sector reforms. 24 Rotimi Akeredolu 2008–2010 Ibadan (1998) Later served as the Executive Governor of Ondo State. 25 Joseph Daudu 2010–2012 Kaduna (1995) Focused on corporate governance structures within the bar. 26 Okey Wali 2012–2014 Port Harcourt Expanded the infrastructural assets of the national bar secretariat. 27 Augustine Alegeh 2014–2016 Benin City (2007) Conceptualized and executed the comprehensive digitalization of NBA national voting systems. 28 Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud 2016–2018 Kano (2001) Campaigned on structural accountability under the "#BraveNewBar" framework. 29 Paul Usoro 2018–2020 Uyo (2003) Oversaw electronic bar verification and financial transparency tracking. 30 Olumide Akpata 2020–2022 Lagos First president in 3 decades elected from the outer bar (non-SAN class), drawing immense support from junior lawyers. 31 Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau 2022–2024 Kebbi (2011) Strengthened continuous professional legal education platforms. 32 Afam Osigwe 2024–2026 Abuja (2023) Focused on expanding pro-bono representations and institutional rule of law protections. 33 Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya 2026–present Lagos (2025) Second female President in NBA history and the first woman elected to the position in 35 years.

See also Judiciary of Nigeria Body of Benchers Senior Advocate of Nigeria Nigerian Law School

References

External links Official website of the Nigerian Bar Association