Legal luminary and former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Lagos Branch, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, SAN, FCIArb(UK), has issued a clarion call to members of the NBA Ijebu-Ode Branch to use their voices and platforms to restore justice and uphold the rule of law in Nigeria. Delivering a goodwill message during the branch’s 2025 Annual Law Week, Akangbe charged the legal community to resist the growing trend of impunity by those in power and to remain steadfast in their duty as defenders of justice.
Speaking in alignment with the Law Week theme, “Law and Governance: The Nexus,” Akangbe noted that Nigeria’s legal framework is often manipulated to serve the interests of the powerful, while the masses suffer the consequences of selective justice. He urged lawyers not to stand by in silence but to demand accountability and champion the true purpose of the law — as a check on power, not a tool for oppression.
Read full statement below;
I extend warm greetings to the Chairman, Executive Committee, and the resilient members of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ijebu-Ode Branch, as you celebrate your 2025 Annual Law Week.
The theme, “Law and Governance: The Nexus,” could not have come at a better time. We live in a country where those in power treat the law as a weapon against the weak and a shield for the rich. The ruling class obeys the law only when it suits them and flouts it with impunity when it does not. This must stop.
We must remind ourselves: the law exists not to oppress the people, but to limit the excesses of power.
I urge you to use this Law Week as a platform to demand accountability, uphold the rule of law, and reclaim justice for the people.
May your deliberations be rich, your voices unshaken, and your impact enduring.
Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, SAN, FCIArb(UK)
Former Chairman, NBA Lagos Branch
