I woke up this morning with heavy heart. The legal profession which pride itself as a noble profession and honourable profession is fast becoming something else in Nigeria. The ethics of the profession which placed obligations on lawyers to be the leading light in the society appear to being observed in breach in most cases and in all dimensions. Integrity and honesty are fast falling apart in the legal profession and have become essential commoditie. The code of conduct is not only being followed in breach but it is being openly desecrated with impunity of arrogance.
Today legal practitioners in most cases do what they like not what is permitted or allowed by professional ethics and the code of conduct and there are no consequences for such breaches. We have become used to abnomalities in the legal profession. In those days growing up in the profession, there were elders whose words were respected. These elders were honest and respected by all. They lived lives that were almost like deity. Lawyers respected them and when they see evil they will not condone it. They speak out. They correct those who do evil. The Bar and the Bench respected them. These then elders were not of double standards.
Today I am wondering why are our elders in the profession are keeping quiet in the face of deteriorating ethics in all dimensions at the Bar and on the Bench. Our elders have become so invicible and blind to all sorts of unethical conduct and have watched the dilution of the standards of conduct in the legal profession to the shame and reproach of the profession. Too many things are wrong with the profession now. It is affecting the society negatively. Our professional association seems to be in quagmire of integrity too. Too much selfish interest to the detriment of the nobility of the legal profession.
The legal profession is even unable to conduct its own affairs decently and in line with agreed principles. Today we see all sorts of characters in the legal profession demeaning the nobility of the legal profession and I am wondering why are our elders are not calling us to order. We have degenerated in professionalism and integrity in the legal profession so much now that we elevate indiscipline to exercise of fundamental rights and disrepect for ethics to exercise of a right of expression and association to the detriment of once noble profession.
Today most lawyers engaged in unethical conduct and abberations to the detriment of nobility of the legal profession and purity of justice and those who have responsibility of calling them to order hail them and instigated them based purely on primodial partisan selfish interests.
Honestly intergrity is doomed in the legal profession in Nigeria to the detriment of respect for the nobility of the legal profession. But we need our elders to help us restore the nobility of the legal profession. Our elders must do something. What I see in most cases now are not I grew up to meet. Today things have changed for bad.
Dishonesty and selfish interests have all been elavated to the ethics of the legal profession contrary to the codified code of conduct. Most litigations that have destroyed the basic foundations of the rule of law and democratic growth and developments are products of the legal profession. And yet our elders are not doing anything about it.
I appeal to our elders to call a meeting to discuss the future of the legal profession in Nigeria. The keeping quiet of our elders is doing more incalculable damages to the nobility of the legal profession. The younger generation needs the guardiance and directions of the elders of the Bar for the bar to regain almost its lost glory. This is my appeal.
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