Judiciary’s Integrity Must Be Sustained For Nat’l Devt – Shettima

The Vice President of Nigeria, Sen. Kashim Shettima says the foundation of every great nation is built on institutions that uphold the justice sector for national development.

Shettima who made the call at the public presentation of the report of the Directions of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee held at the Body of Beechers Complex in Abuja, said as the highest institution of the legal profession, he is honoured to witness the historic event.

The Vice President said the pursuit of justice does not happen in a vacuum but, shaped by the gatekeepers and personnel of the law, which is why the Body of Benchers is an essential pillar of our sovereign existence.

“Permit me, therefore, to reiterate that His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has demonstrated that the best way for our tripartite system of government to function is when we do not treat one another as enemies, but as allies dedicated to the advancement of our democracy; he added.

In a keynote address, the Chief Justice of Nigeria CJN, Justice Kudirat Kekere-EKun lamented over the downturn in the adherence to ethical principles in the legal profession, saying the legal profession was not only dwindling but, facing serious challenges.

The CJN, however canvassed for an urgent need for legal practitioners to rededicate themselves to the fundamental values of ethics, discipline and professional responsibility

stressing that it is instructive to note that the BoB as the apex institution of the legal profession in Nigeria, is uniquely positioned to lead in this regard.

“The enforcement of professional discipline among legal practitioners, through the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC),is a vital function that must be pursued with fairness, transparency and unwavering support.”

In a remark, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Abdulateef Fagnemi said the annual lecture was aimed at addressing critical issues and addressing ways of deepening professionalism through introspection and maintaining the highest ethical standards.

The AGF, who was represented by the Solicitor General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary of the ministry Beatrice Jeddy-Agba said the initiative is commendable aimed at streathening the operational capacity of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee LPDC, to maintain the integrity of the Legal Profession.

“As Steward’s of the Legal Profession i urge us all to rise to the occasion guided by the values of fairness, accountability, efficiency as our roles as the benchers comes with enormous challenges and there is need to safeguard the future of our profession.”

Earlier, the Chairman, Body of Benchers, Adegboyega Awomolo lamented over the low quality of lawyers produced in recent times and urged all higher educational institutions to rise to their core mandate of putting together all necessary legal framework to ensure that only seasoned lawyers are admitted into the law school.

Awomolo, added that plans were underway to sanitize the legal profession through the various reforms of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) to sustain the ethics of the legal profession in line with global best practices.

The maiden edition of the annual lecture, with the theme”Half-A-Century of the Body of Benchers: The Past, The Present and the Future of Maintaining the Ethics of the Legal Profession in Nigeria “was delivered by a former Governor of Lagos State Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN.

Garry Ochigbo, Edited By Blessing Nyor