The Ikorodu Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) says it is donating about 10 per cent of its statutory entitlement from the National NBA to the Association of Lawyers with Disabilities in Nigeria (ALDIN).
The donation was announced in a statement issued by NBA Ikorodu Chairman, Mr Bayo Akinlade and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Wednesday.
Akinlade said: “In response to a recent publication announcing that ALDIN had set up a Fund Raising Committee for its members; NBA Ikorodu Branch decided to extend its own palliatives to members of ALDIN.”
According to him, the donation is long overdue.
“ALDIN has been marginalised for too long within the NBA, irrespective of the fact that they pay the same Bar dues with other lawyers and are made to compete with able-bodied members of the legal profession.
“I am hoping that my fellow brother NBA Branch Chairmen will make donations to ALDIN as we have done.
“All we did was to donate N50, 000 which was a little more than 10 per cent of what we received from the NBA National, so it’s like paying a tithe.
“We have freely received, so we should freely give,” Akinlade said.
NAN reports that the NBA Ikorodu branch had received the sum of N419, 850 as its statutory remittance from the National body, which was made public.
ALDIN membership consists of lawyers that are visually impaired, mobility impaired and hearing impaired, among other disabilities.