Kanu Agabi SAN Reignites Hope For A Better Nigeria At Unity Bar Law Week

Two-time Minister of Justice and former Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Kanu Godwin Agabi SAN, has asked Lawyers not to despair in the face of the country’s ongoing challenges.

Mr Agabi who spoke at the opening ceremony of the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Abuja branch Law week, likened insecurity, rule of Law and human rights, the theme of the conference, to the biblical tower of Babel.

“It is said that when that tower reached its highest point, it took one year to carry bricks from the bottom of the tower to the top. Imagine that you are on a building site and it will take one year to carry bricks from the bottom to the top”

“When those bricks fell, the Babylonians mourned the bricks, but when the builders fell and died, they did not mourn them. In those days in Babylon, bricks were worth more than life. And that is where our country is” he said.

He continued, “In our country, power is everything, wealth is everything and life is nothing. And that is why we have chosen to speak about human rights and insecurity.

Agabi enjoined Lawyers to remember the underserved and less privileged. “Our profession, the legal profession, is the profession of the good Samaritan. That is what it is. Our road leads to the house of mourning and we must be reconciled to that”

“Let the heart of every lawyer be in the dock with those who are in peril. That is where our hearts ought to be and we are not going to despair”.

Asking Lawyers and Nigerians in general to keep hope alive, Agabi told the story of the bird which resolved to dry the sea after it lost its eggs to it, until the Lord came by and commanded the sea to give up the eggs.

“That is where we are. The eggs of our morals and security have been swept into the sea, but we will not despair”. he said.

“The Lord is on his way to Nigeria”. We will give up insecurity. We will give up corruption. The eggs of our morals are going to be recovered”.

Agabi reiterated that Nigerians are good people. “We are very patient, resilient, hardworking, humble, persevering and yet, we remain in slavery”.

“What more have we? We have hope. That is what we have. We continue to pray and that is the greatest weapon we have”.

“This problem that we have is a problem of just a few people. We are not like that nation which out of it, the Lord could not find 10 good people. We are not Sodom, we are not Gomorrah. This is Nigeria, it is a good nation. Our problem is caused by 10 bad people. We are a nation of good people,” he concluded.