Yakubu Maikyau takes over from Olumide Akpata as NBA president

Yakubu Maikyau, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has been sworn in as president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

On July 17, Maikyau was elected president after polling a total of 22,342 to defeat Joe Gazama, who secured 10,842 votes, and Jonathan Taidi who had 1,373 votes.

Maikyau was sworn in on Friday at the 62nd annual general conference of the NBA held at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

He took over from Olumide Akpata to become the 31st president of the association. His tenure would elapse in 2024.

In his inaugural speech, Maikyau said his primary call is “service to the cause of justice”.

He said: “The discharge of this duty will naturally lead to the socio-economic and political change we desire in Nigeria; engender the recovery, reformation and repositioning we need as a nation; improve the productivity, prosperity and empowerment within the polity and guarantee the well-being of the entire citizenry, lawyers inclusive.”

Maikyau was born on February 6, 1965, in Kebbi state.

He obtained a bachelor of law (LLB) degree from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna state in 1989, and proceeded to the Nigerian Law School, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Maikyau was called to the Nigerian bar on December 12, 1990.

After completing the mandatory National Youth Service Corps programme in 1991, the senior advocate went into private law practice and joined the law firm of Messrs. Danladi Bamaiyi and Company in Sokoto, where he spent about 12 years and rose to become the head of chambers.

In 2003, he founded his law firm – Y. C. Maikyau & Co. – with offices in the FCT, Sokoto and Kebbi states.

He attended the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London, between 2013 and 2014 where he obtained a diploma in International Commercial Arbitration, and was subsequently admitted as a fellow of the Institute (FCIArb) in September 2014.

In November 2021, he was admitted as a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators (FICMC).