The Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law (SBL) is one of the specialist sections of the NBA that was set up primarily to engender the professional development of Nigerian commercial lawyers and thereby raise the level of business law practice in Nigeria. The Section which was created alongside the Section on Legal Practice, following the approval of the NBA National Executive Committee
(NEC) and pursuant to the resolution of the NBA Annual General Conference held inEnugu in 2003, was inaugurated on the 9th of December 2004 by the then President of the NBA, Chief Bayo Ojo, SAN. The SBL has at its apex a Council which is currently chaired by Mr. Gbenga Oyebode MFR and consists of 15 (fifteen) othermembersall of whom are seasoned Commercial Law Practitioners drawn from diverse legal backgrounds. The SBL has Twenty One (21) Committees, specifically established to cover existing and new areas of commercial law, with a view to enhancing commercial law practice among Nigerian lawyers and Law firms. In accordance with Article 2 of the Section's Bye-Laws, any member of the Nigerian Bar Association shall be eligible for membership of the SBL, upon payment of the Section dues for the current year to the Section Treasurer. He or she shall then be enrolled as a member of the Section. The objectives of the Section on Business Law are clearly stated in Article 1 of the Section's Bye Laws as follows:
To promote the delivery of qualitative business services to the public
To promote and provide Continuing Legal Education (CLE) to members of the Section
To promote uniform study on the common interest of business law practitioners locally and internationally
To guide, assist and organise enlightenment programmes for the Section’s Committees, Legislative bodies and/or parastatals in deliberation, drafting and enactment of legislations pertaining to commercial and business issues in Nigeria
To undertake such related activities as may be approved by the Section’s Council from time to time. To promote the exchanges of views and information among the Section and other like-minded bodies as to the laws, practices and procedures affecting the Section, locally and internationally.
