On the 15th of December 2025, the Federal High Court celebrated its new legal year of 2025/2026. As usual, who is who in the legal profession was there. The Bar was represented by its President. The Chief Justice of Nigeria was at that occasion. The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court led the Hon Judges of that court. The Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria BOSAN, was represented by Chief Godwin Kanu Agabi the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In short, who is who in the legal profession was there at that occasion. The speeches by each speaker were electrifying, and they all spoke about the need for justice to be served in the most undiluted manner. The need for judicial reforms and judicial boldness were beautifully couched, canvassed and emphasized. The ills of our justice systems were appropriately diagnosed by those who are too familiar with the cancerous illnesses that the legal profession and the judicial system suffer in Nigeria.
When it comes to fine speeches, we are just the best. But we need much more than fine speeches at public gatherings. I think we all know the problems facing us in the legal profession. The major problem for those who have responsibility to put the fine fine speeches into practice is the ability and boldness to walk the talks. The problems of forum shopping and conflicting judgments ably identified at that occasion have been with us for too long now that today we should not be talking about it. We should do away with it and those involved should be shown the way out of the legal profession.
Today, the issue of perceptions of judicial capture by state actors has assumed much more than perceptions. It is gradually becoming the reality of our systems. The judiciary seems to be in a total quagmire of liberating itself from those illnesses going by some decisions that led credence to the beliefs that judicial independence only exists in theory. Today,, some judgments defied both logic and jurisprudential reasoning, undermining good logic rooted in justice and good conscience.
Some judgments create more problems than solving it. Some judgments put roadblocks in the attainment of undiluted justice. Some judgments are rooted in caricature adjudications. Delay justice and abuse of judicial processes are becoming increasingly prevalent in the legal profession in Nigeria. The legal profession has become worse hit in legal abracadabra than in some most morally depraved institutions.
Improprieties of extraordinary abnormalities have become the norms rather than an exception. So for me we have talked enough. There must be practical implementations of our fine fine talks. NJC should as a matter of urgency deal with judicial officers that give conflicting decisions and then show them the way out of the justice system. NBA should publicly go after all its members that engaged in forum shopping and filing of frivolous processes and get them debarred without further delay. Those who are not ready to abide by the code of conduct in the legal profession are not fit to remain in the profession. LPDC should be strenghtened and properly funded to under the task flushing out bad eggs amongst us. There should be no sacred cows.
Admissions to law school must be thoroughly reviewed and people with character deficiencies should not be admitted to the Bar. NBA as a professional association of lawyers must run its affairs transparently. NBA too should look inward in the running of its affairs. Until NBA assumes a full fledged professional association and stop wearing the colour and attributes of conventional partisan political parties, it cannot play the much needed role of a leading light of the society. Over the years NBA and those in charge of it have become more interested in self serving interests than the interests of the vast majority of members.
NBA is almost turning to personal fiefdom and estate of emerging godfathers that representatives in various statutory institutions are chosen not necessarily on the basis of integrity and capacity but on political grounds and or on the basis of you support or you did not support me syndrome. Many who gave their all in all in the services of the association have been pushed to the position of oblivion and irrelevant. NBA faces existential challenges and crisis. Major events of NBA are not being attended by many older lawyers again. The nobility of the NBA is in jeopardy.
Sometimes I wonder why we tolerate so many darknesses in NBA. It is time for us to interrogate the usefulness of NBA to the overall good of Nigerian lawyers. NBA appears to be useful only to those who now parade themselves as the godfathers of NBA. That should not be. NBA there must examine itself for its speeches at all public functions to be taken serious by those it is meant to police.
The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.
