Mr. J.S Okutepa SAN offers an interesting perspective to the recent attitude of members seeking elective offices in the NBA in this post he made on his LinkedIn page:
As NBA elections for 2022 draws nearer, social media is awashed with news of good deeds of those who are nurturing the ambitions to run for one offices or the other. The hypocrisy of the messages one sees on daily basis is so nauseating that I feel terribly disturbed that the nobility of our association is being turned to what appears to be the ills of the conventional party politics in Nigeria.
Those whose credentials for unethical conduct are well known have suddenly turned to saints and angels.
Those who may have dealt treacherously with colleagues in professional respect have suddenly repented and become so saintly in actions and praise singing. Many colleagues have become sycophantic in praise-singing and actions on social media. But deep down in our hearts we know ourselves but do we have the capacity to decide right devoid of undue influences. That remains an issue. In all of these the nobility of the profession suffers. Lawyers are perceived as the enemies of Nigeria. In all of these real issues affecting the profession and members of the profession are not addressed. Rethoric has overtaken and overshadowed real issues. Nigerian lawyers are facing so many challenges that are not being addressed by their professional association.
All we do during our two yearly elections is the rituals of what I want to do. After the elections nothing again done until another two years. Like conventional Nigerian politics and politicians, NBA is becoming more sophisticated in political deceit than all Nigerian political parties combined.
In all of these life goes on as if all is well with the legal profession. Time for us to rise up and have clear defined code for NBA elections and hold violators of those code responsible and visit sanctions on them is now. But who can throw the first stone. I am just wondering. #lawyers #leadership #legalprofession
