Special Goodwill Message To My Branch, NBA Bwari Branch (Cradle Bar) On The Occasion of her Annual Law Week, 2022

There is always joy when you look back and discover that , your foundational Branch remains a key player in the Bar community.

The topic and the keynote speaker must have been chosen by the wisest men in this legal profession. I, Clement Ugo Chukwuemeka am not surprised to see the quality and caliber of discussants.

Bwari Branch, in the last Ten years has demonstrated capacity of standing amongst the oldest branches of NBA, chilling comfortably with the big boys branches in area of advocacy.

The above is demonstrated in the novel and epoch Theme chosen for this year’s law week. While lawyers are running away from condemnation , responsibility and blames, the leadership under the captainship of the pilot, Monday Adjeh refused to exonerate lawyers in the problem bedeviling the Nigeria space, hence the choice of the law week topic across the NBA community: THE STATE OF THE NATION, Where are the lawyers?

Lawyers in Nigeria have disappointed the Nigerian society; I can attribute all these to the lackadaisical approach of lawyers towards human rights abuses, exoneration of being the chief pressure group in the land and above all, reluctance in holding leaders accountable to their disrespect to rule of law and protection of life and property, not leaving out the religiosity monster amongst colleagues.

You can not be a judge of a court without firstly, being a lawyer! The Bench and the Bar must agree that lawyers have failed this nation and begin to thinker very quickly the solution and mechanisms as the way forward for Nigeria .

The sub-theme of the event can be seen as catalyst towards achieving a state of the nation where all amenities for survival abound. Can the lawyers perform optimally without first imbibing the ethics of the profession? Can we actualize a good state of the nation without proper administration of justice founded on the principle of rule of law? The absence of the above can never guarantee us the Dinner topic which is Unity In diversity ! We must act now.

The topic no doubt will keep all Nigerians, especially lawyers in a state of reclaiming our nation . We lawyers are responsible to the woes of this nation and it is high time we began in earnest to tell ourselves the truth about our responsibility as the soul of the nation. If we rise up today to say bad governance shall be over , it shall be so.

It is so because , the leaders of the nation submits to us to adjudicate on their existence . We owe the society a duty to do justice and when we begin to deliver meritorious judgement and lawyers that appear before the Judex maintains a high moral standard for the good of the nation , be rest assured the bad state of the nation shall be eroded and the new order of goodness shall be our portion moving forward .

In conclusion, I must thank the organizers and I sincerely felicitate with the NBA Bwari Branch as it holds her Law week. I appreciate the leadership for choosing a Democrat like me, Senator SHEHU SANI to be the keynote speaker. I cannot thank the Chairman enough for this wonderful topic, coming at a time where ethical value of a lawyer before the society is eroding by the day.

Lawyers must lead this discussion and reclaim our lost glory. In the next one month, lawyers shall be electing their leaders; we owe ourselves the duty to look inward and vote for the right candidates that could look the government of day in the face and speak truth to power as well as activate the pressure group mantra to salvage our nation.

May I wish the Chairman, Branch Executives and members of the Branch a successful Law Week.

Finally, I wish the members and participants a fun filled day .

God bless NBA Bwari Branch

God bless the Nigerian Bar Association

God bless Nigeria.

Clement Ugo Chukwuemeka, Esq.

Immediate Past Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Bwari Branch, Abuja

(A cleared Aspirant for the office of the 2nd Vice President Of NBA )