By Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja
Dear Prof. Odinkalu, Sir,
Many thanks for your recent article on the subject matter of the independence of the Nigerian legal profession. It is published online at ttps://lawandsocietymagazine.com/how-to-stand-tall-for-an-independent-bar/
The current leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association-NBA is compromised and lacks the moral authority to lead an independent Bar because of the saga of the ₦300,000,000 received from the Rivers State government of Governor Fubara.
As an alternative, many Nigerian lawyers had hoped that Chief JK GADZAMA SAN and his NLS would provide a welcome relief.
However, the Federal High Court, Abuja, is now looking into the debacle of the last NLS election of public officers that held in July 2025.
Ironically, Chief JK GADZAMA SAN ran the NLS on the platform and promises of righting the wrongs that the NBA’s electoral process was fraught with, such as rigging and other allegations.
So as it stands now, institutionally, the Nigerian legal profession is IRREDEEMABLY FLAWED.
It appears that the remedy is to adopt the South African model to an independent legal profession.
In South Africa, they have six professional Associations of lawyers apart from the Bar Association and Law Society of South Africa, respectively.
They established a professional Association of independent lawyers. Their website is available online at https://www.ialpsa.co.za/
This is the kind of professional association led by lawyers such as Femi Falana SAN, who are the true embodiment of the virtues and qualities of independence of the Nigerian legal profession.
Lawyers who can speak truth to power and demand accountability from officials of any government in power, as did the late Chief Gani Fawehimi, SAN.
The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.
