Abuja -The Chief Judge of Kogi, Justice Nasiru Ajanah, said on Monday that lawyers in the country should shun materialism and embrace integrity in the performance of their duties.
Ajanah made the appeal in Abuja at one of the sessions of the ongoing 55th annual conference of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), holding in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the session was: “Public Perception of Lawyers: Is the esteem justified?“
He said that people have different perception of lawyers and urged them to guard their profession jealously at all costs.
He said that lawyers should also resist all forms of temptations irrespective of the situation they might find themselves in the course of their duties.
“Some perceived lawyers as those who tell lies, some hold them in high esteem; some perceive them as those that interpreted the law and the defender of human right.
“Some see lawyers as the people who use the knowledge of the law to promote injustices, others see them as those that encourage corruption and impunity,’’ he said.
Ajanah said that what was needed of every lawyer was to guard the job with all sense of integrity.
According to him, the business of every lawyer is to maintain law and order to avoid anarchy in the system.
He admonished the lawyers to do their jobs with all sense of confidence for people to take the rule of law more seriously.
Gov. Adams Oshiomhole of Edo, who was the Chairman of the session, urged judges to do their work with all sense of fairness by ensuring that the law was not subjected to abuse.
“The judges should approach the law with all sense of fairness and translate judgment to justice; they should live by principle guiding their profession.
“They should be careful in their dealings and avoid subjecting the law to abuse which could render the rule of law useless,’’ Oshiomhole said.
Mr Rotimi Amaechi, the former governor of Rivers who is also a co-Chairman of the session, advised lawyers to always bring their charges down when dealing with the public.
Mr Patrick Ikwueto (SAN), who also spoke on integrity, said that all lawyers must be familiar with the rules that govern the society.
“Lawyers should do everything that will make people not to have negative thought about them, they must understand that there are rules in the modern society and know them.
“A lawyer must be seen as a social vanguard to re-engineer the society,’’ Ikwueto said.
Mr Tony Ejinkonye, a director from the Abuja Chamber of Commerce, who spoke on a theme: “The indispensable role of lawyers in business transaction’’ said that lawyers were indispensable in the business atmosphere.
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According to Ejinkonye, the lawyers understand the laws regulating taxes more than the owner of the business.
He urged them to always assist business managers and advise them on how to manage their businesses.
Mr Austine Alegeh, the NBA President assured that the association would work on some lapses perceived in the profession. (NAN)
Lawyers should embrace integrity, shun materialism, says Kogi CJ
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