*Condescending in favour of the progress of the legal profession!
By Hameed Ajibola Jimoh Esq.
The legal profession has brought a number of lawyers into the practice of the law in various capacities, from time immemorial. It is generally observed and expected that the legal profession is very important and would engineer positive changes in the society. It is then a justification for the saying that ‘to whom much is given, much is expected!’.
This also gives reasons for why the society always blames lawyers where things are wrong rather than directing their grievance to the appropriate place or person directly worthy of the blames. In-between these responsibilities placed on lawyers by the society are some few lawyers whose ‘tool’ is their ‘voice’ a lone rather than ‘action’ many of the times (with due respect to these lawyers). These lawyers could take over a period or hour to criticize a stagnant or unjust system without taking any action. After all, to these lawyers, such a situation does not require their intervention! Also, these lawyers see the wrongs in the society as none of their business! They feel the ‘ego’ accustomed to man and to a typical lawyer in the society as to ‘why should I condescend myself to the extent of engaging my time, efforts and energy on this cause’ that fetches me no personal benefit?!’ They sometimes enquire al beit ‘in a soliloquy’ ‘does that place food on my table’?! This paper is an appeal to lawyers in Nigeria generally to remember that the legal profession is a profession full of ‘missions’ especially to the society and Nigeria at large. So, this paper appeals to lawyers in Nigeria to always condescend in favour of the progress of the legal profession in Nigeria by doing all that they could do to ensure ‘social justice and justice for all as well as the protection and defence of the human rights of the citizenry and all that the legal profession stands for inclusive of the promotion of the rule of law’, in any capacity lawyers find themselves in the legal profession.
It is my humble submission and advice that: lawyers should take more proactive actions than more proactive voices in ensuring social justice. Also, lawyers are social engineers. Therefore, nothing is built with mere ‘voice’ without ‘action’. ‘Action’ shows seriousness. ‘Voice’ without ‘action’ might mean cowardice. I therefore view lawyers as gifts to the nation by God Almighty! In the presence and or existence of lawyers, the legal profession and the nation must or shall progress but in their absence, shall digress or fail! Lawyers are activists of social justice. Therefore, in my humble view, it is more of a lawyer in ‘action’ than in ‘voice’ alone.
It is also observed that some lawyers if not majority of them (with due respect to them) are always carried away with politics in the Nigerian Bar Association-herein after referred to as NBA- to such an extent that the resentment that they have for one another or for their supposed opponent(s) in the association beclouds their professional responsibilities to the society to such an extent that they turn themselves to ‘devil reincarnate’! They become ‘evil palace’! They place themselves in a position of self-acclaimed ‘godfatherism’! They turn themselves into ‘carbals’ in the association! The only focus they have is the ‘NBA’ and nothing more than ‘NBA’! They use the NBA to cover their professional incompetence! The society benefits little or nothing from them! They are lawyers that cannot be made as a pride of the society at large! They are indeed ‘opportunists’! They are hungry for ‘political power in the NBA’ whereas, the only thing that they know is ‘threat’, ‘intimidation’, ‘oppression’, ‘domination’, among others that they discharge at their professional colleagues all in the name of ‘we are the NBA’! It is a great pity that the legal profession has produced these kinds of personalities at the detriment of the society! This indeed is nothing far from the professional failure of the legal profession, with due respect! These kind of lawyers lose the right focus! Permit me to say that perhaps these are the kinds of lawyers that the society would sometimes refer to as ‘the solution to the ills in the society is for all lawyers to be killed’! Though, one would say that the proponents of this view took it too far, in real sense, ‘the victims know how much the situation pains them’!
Therefore, I humbly appeal to lawyers in Nigeria to reshape their focus towards social justice and should always take more ‘proactive actions’ than more ‘proactive voices’ in ensuring social justice, for in these ways, the trust and confidence of the society would be won with no iota of doubts or disappointment!
Finally, I humbly advise myself and the reader to champion our professional goals, ego and pride for the purpose of engineering positive changes in the society: wherever we are; any opportunity that we have; and in whatever capacity or status that we find ourselves. It shall be well with us all and it shall be well with us in the legal profession and it shall be well with the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
Email: hameed_ajibola@yahoo.com
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