At the heart of the 2025 Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference in Enugu, an electrifying panel session titled “Dirty Money” will confront one of the most complex challenges of our time — the pervasive influence of illicit financial flows and their corrosive impact on justice, governance, and global stability.
Anchored by Faithvin Nwanchor, a relentless gender advocate whose fearless leadership in Ebonyi State has reshaped the fight against exploitation and violence, the session promises a perspective that blends compassion with the rule of law.
Nwanchor, renowned for pioneering the domestication and amendment of the VAPP Law, will set the tone as Session Coordinator, highlighting the human cost of “dirty money” when financial crimes intersect with human rights violations.
Guiding the discourse as Moderator is Professor Ernest Ojukwu, SAN, a towering figure in Nigeria’s legal landscape. With decades of service as a teacher, reformer, and co-chair of the NBA’s Anti-Money Laundering Committee, Ojukwu brings unmatched authority to a session that interrogates how legal ethics and the RPC 2023 framework shape the profession’s response to financial crimes.
From the heart of Nigeria’s intelligence community, Felix Obiamalu, General Counsel of the NFIU, will offer insider insight into how financial intelligence drives the country’s fight against money laundering, terrorism financing, and proliferation crimes.
His experience in steering compliance reforms and aligning Nigeria’s AML/CFT posture with global standards ensures a grounded perspective on the international dimension of “dirty money.”
Adding the firepower of commercial litigation and arbitration, Olabisi Makanjuola, Partner at Olaniwun Ajayi LP and immediate past Chairman of the NBA Lagos Branch, will delve into the role of the Bar in dismantling corporate fraud, white-collar crimes, and regulatory breaches.
Known for his fearless advocacy and visionary leadership, Makanjuola represents the bridge between institutional reform and practical enforcement.
The global angle will be brought into sharp relief by Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu, an international development lawyer with thirty years’ experience. As Founder of the African Center for Governance, Asset Recovery, and Sustainable Development, and a leading voice in illicit financial flows recovery, she will spotlight the interplay between international cooperation, sustainable development, and the law’s evolving responsibility in fighting corruption and crime.
Together, this stellar panel will interrogate whether the Rules of Professional Conduct, 2023 (Part II – NBAAMLC) truly equips the profession to combat the scourge of illicit financial practices—or inadvertently hinders the fight.
The session promises to be a masterclass in thought leadership, blending policy, advocacy, litigation, intelligence, and international law. For delegates, Dirty Money is not just a panel — it is a wake-up call, a reminder that the battle against financial crimes demands vigilance, integrity, and collaboration across borders and institutions.
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