By Adenike Ayodele
Former Lagos State Governor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Babatunde Fashola, on Tuesday called on members of the legal profession to play a more active role in addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.
Fashola said the responsibility should not be left solely to politicians and security agencies.
The learned silk made the call while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch Law Week, at the Marriott Hotel, Lagos.
Speaking on the theme, “Law, Leadership and the Ballot: Governance Beyond Politics”, Fashola urged lawyers, judges and policymakers to become more involved in justice administration and security matters.
According to him, attorneys-general, as the chief law officers of the federation and the states, must be more visibly engaged in the national conversation on security and justice administration, particularly at a time of rising criminality.
Fashola said the fight against crime required a coordinated approach involving the executive, legislature and judiciary, with lawyers playing a central role in shaping and enforcing effective legal responses.
He questioned the current structure of public accountability in security matters, arguing that responsibility was often shifted entirely to presidents and governors while legal institutions remained in the background.
The former Minister of Works and Housing stressed that effective crime control must go beyond rhetoric to include prevention, detection, prosecution and conviction, noting that weak enforcement of laws continued to undermine public safety.
He linked insecurity to broader governance challenges, warning that without a strong rule-of-law framework, efforts at economic and social development would remain limited.
Fashola also advocated stricter enforcement of laws governing vehicle registration, saying anonymity on public roads created opportunities for criminal activity and weakened law enforcement capacity.
He maintained that identifiable vehicles were essential for modern policing and that number plates should be treated as tools of accountability rather than mere administrative requirements.
He challenged members of the NBA to move beyond discussions and take practical steps toward legal and institutional reforms that would strengthen governance and public trust.
Reacting to the Law Week theme, “Altering the Status Quo: Going Against the Norm”, Fashola urged participants to rethink the use of the term “status quo” in court proceedings, recommending simpler alternatives such as “current situation” to improve clarity and reduce conflicting interpretations of court rulings.
Earlier, the Chairman of the NBA Ikeja Branch, Mr Adeniyi Quadri, described the theme as a call for bold thinking and institutional reform in response to Nigeria’s governance and security challenges.
The Chairman of the Law Week Planning Committee, Mr Chukwudi Enebeli (SAN), said the programme was designed to stimulate critical conversations on governance, accountability and national development. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa