By Peter Adelowo
Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has called on the nation’s judiciary to remain steadfast in the face of blackmail.
Shettima made the call while officially declaring open the maiden Body of Benchers Annual Lecture and public presentation of the report of the directions of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, in Abuja
Shettima stated that as custodians of the law, the third arm of government must shun the temptation of tinkering with justice to serve parochial interest.
He acknowledged that the judiciary has lived up to its duty, recalling how the court upheld the mandate entrusted to President Bola Tinubu in the face of political blackmail.
The Vice President reminded the judiciary that it is an essential pillar of Nigeria’s sovereign existence because a nation is only as accountable, fair, and orderly as the people who make, enforce, and interpret its laws.
“In reality, justice is just as essential to the most voiceless individual. It is the clearest affirmation that a nation is not governed by a mob. That is why we recognise that the mandate entrusted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was affirmed by a judiciary that did not yield to the weight of vested interests—a judiciary that understood that the fate of a nation is too sacred to be intimidated by any party or bartered for compromise,” he said.
Sen Shettima reassured the judiciary of President Tinubu’s resolve to maintain cordiality among the three arms of government.
In her remarks, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun observed that the sanctity of the profession in Nigeria rests solely on the shoulders of the body, even as she expressed hope that the body would rise to the occasion.
“It is gratifying to note that this annual event was conceived to serve multiple purposes including illuminating the workings of the body of benchers both nationally and internationally to foster greater understanding of its critical role in legal practice and professional discipline”, she said.
In his keynote address 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,” former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), said the annual lecture of the Body of Benchers is a golden moment to start a new journey for the Nigerian Legal system by demonstrating that there are internal self-correcting mechanisms that ensure that the dispensation of justice is speedy, credible and reliable.
On her part, the Solicitor General of the Federation, Mrs Beatrice Jeddy-Agba, who represented the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), stressed the important role played by the Body of Benchers in the advancement of the legal profession and in shaping the direction of practice and upholding the rule of law in the country.
Speaking on the significance of the Body of Benchers Annual Lecture, Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), said aside from providing a platform for introspection on changes in society, especially those occasioned by technological innovation and expanding boundaries of human rights and its enforcement, the annual lecture would contribute immensely to finding solutions to contemporary challenges affecting the foundation of the legal profession in Nigeria and beyond.
