The legal fraternity in Nigeria is grappling with the harsh realities of economic hardship, as highlighted by legal luminary Aare Afe Babalola during the 13th edition of the Annual Aare Afe Babalola Public Bar Lecture.
The founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), voiced concerns over the deteriorating financial status of lawyers, once considered prosperous professionals.
Babalola lamented the adverse effects of Nigeria’s battered economy, which he said has pushed lawyers below the subsistence level.
He attributed this downward spiral to a myriad of factors, including the agrarian nature of many states, inadequate infrastructure such as poor roads and lack of electricity, and a skewed ratio between producers and consumers in various sectors of the economy.
Moreover, Babalola decried the imbalance in societal values, noting a decline in altruistic tendencies and a surge in self-serving behaviors.
He observed a trend where the pursuit of personal gain outweighs the spirit of service and contribution to the collective welfare, echoing concerns about the skewed priorities plaguing Nigerian society.
In response to these challenges, Prof. Tunde Yebisi, Provost of the College of Law at ABUAD, delivered a lecture titled ‘The Judiciary, yesterday, today, and tomorrow,’ offering pragmatic solutions to enhance the judiciary’s efficiency and integrity.
Yebisi advocated adequate remuneration for judges, aligning their salaries with those of executive and legislative officials to ensure independence and impartiality.
Furthermore, Yebisi proposed the appointment of retired judges or Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to electoral panels to mitigate coercion, intimidation, and corruption.
He emphasized the importance of leveraging modern IT facilities to expedite the dispensation of justice and reduce case backlog.
Addressing the shortage of judges, Yebisi called for the recruitment of more judicial officers and the optimal utilization of existing resources to streamline court proceedings and address delays in justice delivery.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association, Ado-Ekiti Branch, Lawrence Fasanmi, hailed Aare Afe Babalola’s contributions to legal education and practice, underscoring the significance of the annual lecture in honoring his legacy.
Royal father of the day, Oba Oluwole Ademolaju, commended the NBA for instituting the annual lecture in recognition of Babalola’s exemplary leadership and tireless efforts in advancing the legal profession in Nigeria.
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