As the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Uyo Branch commenced its 2025 Annual Law Week, renowned legal luminary and former Chairman of the NBA Lagos Branch, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, SAN, FCIArb (UK), delivered a stirring goodwill message urging members of the legal profession to stand united in confronting the pressing challenges facing the Bar. In alignment with the event’s theme, “Standing Together for the Legal Profession,” Akangbe emphasized the urgent need for collective advocacy, institutional reform, and the full implementation of the legal practitioners’ remuneration order.
In his message, Akangbe questioned the level of solidarity among legal professionals and challenged the silence that often surrounds critical issues within the justice system. He called on lawyers to move beyond rhetoric and take bold, principled action to restore the dignity and integrity of the profession. His address set a reflective tone for the weeklong event, encouraging conversations that could drive lasting change in the Nigerian legal landscape.
Read full statement below;
GOODWILL MESSAGE TO NBA UYO BRANCH ON THE OCCASION OF THEIR 2025 ANNUAL LAW WEEK
I extend warm greetings to the Chairman, Branch Executive Committee members , and the entire membership of the NBA Uyo Branch,
Your chosen theme, “Standing Together for the Legal Profession,” is both urgent and necessary. At a time when justice is too often delayed and dignity compromised, we must ask ourselves hard questions: Are we truly standing together? Are we doing enough to demand the full implementation of the legal practitioners’ remuneration order? Are we, perhaps in silence or self-interest, complicit in slowing the reforms we so desperately need?
This is a moment to reclaim the soul of our profession — not through rhetoric, but through action rooted in fairness, courage, and solidarity.
May your conversations this week move us closer to a Bar that reflects the very justice we claim to serve.
Warm regards,
Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, SAN, FCIArb (UK).
Former Chairman, NBA Lagos Branch
#ElevateTheBar #LOA #CapacityBuilding
