Today’s opening plenary, titled “It’s the Economy, Stupid!”, set the tone for a
thought-provoking week here in Port Harcourt.

The session featured eminent speakers, including Dr. Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili (renowned economic policy
expert, former Vice President of the World Bank Africa Region, and former Minister of Education), Hon. Bunmi
Ojo (Minister of Interior), George Etomi (Senior Legal Practitioner), and Seun Okinbaloye (as moderator).

Key Highlights:

• The Minister of Interior outlined reforms within his ministry, including the clearance
  of debts and the resolution of a 200,000-passport backlog within two weeks. He underscored that Nigeria
  has the intellectual capital to succeed, provided there is drive, and emphasized that economic revival
  must follow the sequence: Research → Design → Build → Sell. He concluded that “the economy is
  not stupid — our choices have been.”
• Dr. Oby Ezekwesili critiqued the implementation gap in government policy, stressing
  that while policies may be sound in principle, poor execution has worsened inflation, which
  disproportionately hurts the most vulnerable. She urged that reform strategies must consider their
  social impact.
• George Etomi warned about the erosion of democratic guardrails, noting with concern
  that the judiciary was arguably more independent under military rule than in current democratic
  governance. He lamented that governance has been stalled by premature politicking despite two years to
  the next election.

The audience engaged directly when Seun Okinbaloye posed three pointed questions:

1. Is Nigeria better today than two years ago?
2. Are we on the right track with Tinubu’s policies?
3. Is your hope renewed?

The response was a resounding “No.”

Dr. Ezekwesili closed with a challenge to lawyers: to critically examine their role in shaping Nigeria’s
political behaviour and to help dismantle the entrenched notion that politics is a pathway to wealth.

The session ended with a call to action: lawyers were encouraged to use their voices under the hashtag
#NewVoiceofReasoning.

At BJ Attorneys, we align with this challenge. The legal profession must continue to safeguard democratic
values, interrogate policy, and drive reforms that are not only sound on paper but effective in impact.

Stay tuned as we bring you more live insights from #NBAAGC2025.

#BJAttorneys
#NBAAGC2025
#StandOutStandTall
#NewVoiceofReasoning