By Adenike Ayodele
Mr Afam Okeke, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abuja (Unity Bar), has urged lawyers to defend judicial independence to restore public confidence in the judiciary.
Okeke made the call at the 22nd Anniversary of Fawehinmiism, hosted by the Ikeja branch of the association on Thursday in Lagos.
The Gani Fawehinmi Annual Lecture had as its theme: “Integrity Deficiency in the Justice Sector: Whither the Legal Profession.”
Okeke said the late Fawehinmi, a renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), embodied the very soul of integrity, courage, and justice in the Nigerian legal profession.
He raised three national issues that strike at the heart of integrity in Nigeria’s justice sector.
Okeke noted that many Nigerians no longer approach court judgments with confidence, but with suspicion.
He said some court decisions were often influenced by politics or connections, adding that when people lost faith in the courts, the rule of law weakens and society becomes vulnerable to self-help.
Okeke said unethical legal practices were becoming normalised.
He said abuse of court processes, frivolous injunctions, forum shopping, and deliberate delays are increasingly seen as a “strategy”, rather than misconduct.
He added that it was troubling that young lawyers were being mentored into this culture, putting the future of the Bar at risk.
He said the Bar must regain its moral authority through firm discipline and ethical leadership.
Okeke also raised the growing inaccessibility of justice for the poor, noting that legal aid was weak, pro bono work optional, and court processes intimidating.
He said Fawehinmi stood with the poor and the oppressed, adding that if Nigeria truly honoured him, access to justice must move from rhetoric to reality.
He asked whether the profession was ready to reclaim its role as custodians of justice rather than negotiators of power, choose integrity over convenience, and discipline itself before demanding accountability from others.
The legal practitioner added that Fawehinmi showed integrity was not a slogan but a daily choice, a choice to speak when silence is safer and to stand when compromise is easier.
Okeke concluded that the late legal icon’s memory could not be celebrated while his values were abandoned. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Ebere Agozie/Chinyere Omeire
