I Am Stepping Forward On The Basis Of Strength & My Passion To See The Legal Profession Better ; It Is Not About My Status -- Dr Ajibade, SAN

I Am Stepping Forward On The Basis Of Strength & My Passion To See The Legal Profession Better ; It Is Not About My Status  -- Dr Ajibade, SAN

I joined this profession in 1989 with great aspirations for myself and the profession. But over time, I have seen a consistent decline; decline such that lawyers are now treated with utmost disrespect in society.

I have seen a situation where our justice sector has become dysfunctional and our clients are beginning to query the utility of using our services because we are incapable of delivering a service, either at all or within a reasonable time. We are incapable of delivering a service that is predictable.

We are now in a situation where you tell your client that this is definitely the position, only for you to recant and say the judge decided otherwise, even though the law appeared to be clear.

I have consistently maintained that something is fundamentally wrong with our justice system and it must be fixed for the good of our society. Fortunately, I am not a lone voice on this subject matter. 

While I heartily commend the current NBA leadership for its untiring efforts and giant strides, I strongly believe that it is no longer productive for me continue to grumble from the sidelines about the state of out teeming young lawyers, our profession and the justice sector; it is now time for us as lawyers to join hands together to reform our sector and protect our society. I honestly believe I have what it takes to continue from where the current leadership stops and to move the profession higher..

Dear learned friends, let’s unite and do better

Dr Babatunde AJIBADE, SAN, FCIArb