… Fashola, AGF, Benchers Call For Urgent Reforms
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has expressed deep concern over the declining ethical standards in the legal profession, warning that urgent intervention is needed to restore discipline and integrity.
Speaking at the inaugural Annual Lecture of the Body of Benchers and the public presentation of a report on the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee, Justice Kekere-Ekun stressed that the profession must rise to the challenge of maintaining its sanctity.
The report, titled 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, highlighted critical issues affecting the legal profession, including professional misconduct and lax disciplinary measures.
Justice Kekere-Ekun stated that the Body of Benchers, as the apex institution overseeing legal ethics in Nigeria, must take decisive steps to ensure accountability among lawyers.
“The responsibility of upholding the legal profession’s sanctity rests heavily on its shoulders, and I have no doubt that the body will continue to rise to the occasion,” she said.
She further emphasized that the enforcement of professional discipline through the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee must be pursued with fairness, transparency, and unwavering commitment.
“The enforcement of professional discipline among legal practitioners is a vital function that must be carried out with fairness, transparency, and unwavering resolve,” she added.
Justice Kekere-Ekun proposed that the annual lecture be institutionalized to serve as a platform for setting benchmarks for legal ethics and driving justice sector reforms.
Delivering the inaugural lecture, former Lagos State Governor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Babatunde Fashola, criticized the current one-year Law School training, arguing that it does not adequately prepare lawyers for real-world practice.
Fashola warned of the dangers posed by poorly trained legal practitioners, stating that incompetence and a lack of ethical grounding compromise the entire justice system.
“A poor-quality lawyer, law teacher, prosecutor, judge, legal adviser, or law officer compromises the entire system of administration of justice, where the stakes are very high in terms of lives and livelihoods,” he stated.
He proposed that post-university training for solicitors and advocates should be handled by accredited law firms, while the Law School should remain a certification and examining body.
Fashola also condemned the growing trend of forum shopping—where legal practitioners manipulate the judicial process by filing multiple suits in different courts to secure favourable judgments.
“The public space is full of reports of multiplicity of suits and suggestions of forum shopping, aided by legal practitioners in manifest abuse of the judicial process,” he noted.
“What does it take to bring these lawyers to book, and what kind of consequences are they subject to?”
The Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), represented by the Solicitor General of the Federation, Beatrice Jeddy-Agba, underscored the critical role of the Body of Benchers in preserving the legal profession’s integrity.
“As legal professionals, we must ensure that we protect the law,” Fagbemi stated. “We must embrace change but do so with vigilance.
The legal profession is not only a cornerstone of our democratic system but a vital force in shaping the direction of our national development.”
The Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Adegoyega Awomolo (SAN), reflected on the evolution of the legal profession since the Body’s establishment in 1971, noting the impact of technology and globalization on legal practice.
Awomolo also raised concerns about the declining standard of legal education, suggesting that the qualifications required for Law School admission should be reconsidered, including the possibility of making law a second-degree program in Nigerian universities.
“There are common arguments that the standard of lawyers being produced today is lower than it was when the Body was established,” he said. “Perhaps the minimum qualification and age should be reconsidered.”
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