A lawyer must continuously engage in self-development – BarristerCEO

“I understand that extreme circumstances require extreme measures, but must the delivery of justice be halted in a bid to attain this? We should ask ourselves, who are the people that are severely affected by this strike? The Government or those whose court cases have been halted indefinitely?”

That was the opening salvo fired by Solomon Ita Enang, nicknamed BarristerCEO, while speaking with Rahila Dauda about the JUSUN strike and other matters.

Solomon Ita Enang who describes himself as realtor, entrepreneur, consultant and other allied matters, a single Nigerian male from Akwa Ibom state is a lawyer just like his father Senator Ita Solomon Enang.

The multi-linguist who speaks fluent English, Ibibio and French languages obtained his LLB from the University of Reading, England in 2016 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2017. He enjoys reading, sports, networking, and much more.

His father Ita Solomon Enang is the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs. He previously served as Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) from 27 August 2015 to 29 May 2019. He was admitted to the University of Calabar, Calabar in 1980 where he read Law, graduating in 1984. He went on to the Nigerian Law School, Lagos and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1985.

The long drawn battle has taken its toll but hope seems to be in sight as Nigerian state governors were said to have reached an agreement with the striking judiciary workers on judicial autonomy. Those who attended the meeting include Secretary of the Presidential Implementation Committee on the Autonomy of the Judiciary and Legislature, Ita Enang, who doubles as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs.

Members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria have been on strike since April 6, shutting down all courts across the country in agitation for the financial autonomy of the judiciary, particularly at the state level.

But expressing concern on the state of the nation particularly the plight of litigants in view of judiciary workers strike, the younger Enang said: “I believe everyone is entitled to air their views whenever they are disgruntled about certain actions or policies of the government. However, I believe the methods adopted in doing so should be carefully and consciously analysed.”

His statement resonates with the position of some lawyers who maintain that JUSUN was right to demand financial autonomy of the judiciary, but a continued blanket application of the strike would amount to the victimisation of the wrong party.

To buttress his point, Solomon Enang remarked: “Imagine those who have been arrested and charged but unable to make bail applications as a result of this strike, are they to remain in detention? What about those in other similar circumstances?”

The BarristerCEO, also expressed his displeasure over the prohibition of lawyers engaging in businesses not recognised by the Rules of Professional Conduct.

“I have always had a slight disagreement with Rule 7 of the Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC) 2007 which essentially prohibits lawyers from engaging in other business activities. By extension, the Public Service Rules and Regulations equally prohibit public servants from engaging in business. I believe this places lawyers, especially young ones at a disadvantage because a considerable number of lawyers are not well remunerated for theirlegal services; so why then limit their sources of livelihood?

“In the study or practice of law, one might discover that a lawyer is obligated to acquire knowledge about all aspects of life (whether engineering, maritime, medical, etc.) so as to adequately defend his/her client. Therefore, I humbly believe such rules are part of the reason for the alarming level of unemployment in the country because the establishment of business enterprises consequently creates employment for others. Currently, the onus of employment is placed on the government, which evidently is not yielding the desired results. I think we should really take a second look at these.”

On what Elite Lawyers Association does and stand for

The Elite Lawyers Association (ELA) is an umbrella organization for intellectual legal academics, practitioners and professionals alike with the aim to identify and ameliorate the knowledge and welfare of witty legal minds of great amplitudes. The ELA (Association) encompasses various professional and progressive services to its members/fellows/subscribers which include but not limited to; provision of professional legal services/retainerships, legal debates/essay competitions, scholarships and internship schemes, professional trainings/skills acquisition programmes, and more. Our primarily goal in the ELA is to ameliorate the overall knowledge, skills and welfare of the nation’s legal practitioners and professionals so as to align with global standards for international best practices. The Association is made up of the Elite Lawyers Academy (ELA), the Elite Lawyers Apparel (ELA) and the Elite Lawyers Athletics (ELA).

Why study law?

I studied law because of my passion for making the world a better and safer place for current and future generations. I believe that the best way to make our society a better place is by constantly improving the laws which govern same and I strive to contribute my quota towards the realizations of these goals.

Role models

My parents are my role models and I strive to be as exceptional as they are. I equally admire other prominent personalities such as Martin Luther King Jnr, Nelson Mandela, and more.

Biggest motivation

My biggest motivation is my zeal to relentlessly aid in the progressive advancement of our society. I wish to see a united world free of war, discrimination, massacre, and the likes.

Advice to young lawyers who are leaving the profession on account of poor pay and other challenges

My advice is to establish a united front in airing this dissatisfaction. Agreed that some law firms and ministries do pay lawyers considerable better than others; the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) being the apex body for legal practitioners should institute a benchmark for the remuneration of legal practitioners as such issues can only be effectively resolved from the top.

Handling challenges

The best way to handle challenges is by taking a deep breath and considering all possible variables and outcomes before deciding or embarking on one, as opposed to a knee jerk reaction.

A word for other young lawyers

My advice to every young lawyer is to continuously strive to be absolutely outstanding at any- and everything they do. A lawyer must continuously engage in self-development because the world is advancing rapidly, and one must advance accordingly.