BREAKING: NBA President Backs Out Of Call To Bar Ceremonies Superintended By BoB Chair, Olanipekun SAN
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Yakubu Maikyau, OON, SAN has stated that he would be unable to attend and participate in the Nigerian law School Call to Bar ceremonies, which are scheduled to hold today, the 6th of December and tomorrow 7th of December, 2022.
In a statement made available to The Metro Lawyer (TML) news desk, Maikyau recalled the letter he had written to the Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN to recuse himself from presiding over the Call to Bar ceremonies, due to the unresolved issues of alleged professional misconduct of a staff of his chambers. Maikyau also recalled that this issue had preceded him but had neither been acknowledged nor deliberated on by the Body of Benchers, even when he drew the Chairman’s attention to his letter of 4th December, 2022 during the Body of Benchers meeting of the 5th of December, 2022.
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Stating that he would not in good conscience and in the above circumstances, be able to attend or participate in the Call to Bar ceremonies, Maikyau said, “The NBA under my leadership cannot be part of the ceremony superintended by the current Chairman of the BoB for all the reasons stated in my letter under reference. To do so will be to endorse, celebrate or condone a practice that I consider unwholesome and unprofessional, by virtue of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2007. The NBA under my leadership remains committed to the protection of the integrity of the Bench and the Bar and will not shirk that responsibility. I assure all members of the NBA that the sole motivation for my letter to the BoB is my conviction on the need to salvage the image, reputation, and integrity of the legal profession in Nigeria, which has been negatively impacted by the email by Adekunbi Ogunde, a Partner in the Law Firm of the Chairman of the BoB.”
While assuring all members of the NBA that the sole motivation for his letter to the BoB is his conviction on the need to salvage the image, reputation, and integrity of the legal profession in Nigeria, Maikyau stated that the NBA remains committed to the protection of the Nigerian legal space and shall spare no effort to stop any external incursions or actions amongst members that can destroy the law profession.
Read the full statement below…
