Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / NewStats: 3,152,706 members, 7,816,904 topics. Date: Friday, 03 May 2024 at 07:48 PM |
Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Politics / Don’t Shield Crooks, PMB Tells Lawyers (458 Views)
Fayose To FG : Don’t Shield Aluko From Trial / Those Against Buhari’s Ministerial Position Are Crooks – Presidency / Don’t Shield Crooks, PMB Tells Lawyers (2) (3) (4)
(1) (Reply)
Don’t Shield Crooks, PMB Tells Lawyers by seunwen2(m): 7:44am On Aug 24, 2015 |
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday implored lawyers in the country
not to sacrifice the integrity of the Nigeria’s legal system on the altar
of their clients’ misdeeds, no matter how
lucrative the briefs may be.
He said, as the vanguard of the defense of human rights, lawyers must
also view corruption as a gross violation of human rights. The president,
who stated this when he declared
the 55th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association
(NBA) open at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, called on
Nigerian lawyers to support his administration’s war against corruption.
This, he said, they should do in order to help the country return to the
path of rectitude by making Nigerian courts functional and effective
again.
Buhari said: “I am convinced that law, lawmakers, lawyers, law courts
and the law enforcement agencies all have pivotal
responsibilities to discharge if the change we seek is ever to materialize.
“As you all know by now, this administration has
taken on the challenge of improving security, fighting corruption and
revamping the economy, among many others. The fight against corruption
is in reality a struggle for the restoration of law and order.
“Corruption and impunity become widespread when disrespect for law is
allowed to thrive in society. Disrespect for law also thrives when people
get away with all sorts of shady deals and
the court system is somehow unable to check them. “The ability to
manipulate and frustrate the legal system is the crowning glory of the
corrupt and, as may be expected, this has left many legal practitioners
and law courts tainted in an ugly way.”
The president noted that in gatherings such as the conference, there
was no need to expatiate on the manner in which corruption and impunity
had damaged the country’s economy, saying he would rather dwell on the
role legal practitioners
should play in returning the country to the path of rectitude.
He said, “First, we need to make our courts functional and effective
again. This means that we must have lawyers who take the ethics of
the profession very seriously, lawyers who will not frustrate the course
of justice even though they defend their clients with all legitimate means
and resources.
“Nigeria needs ethical lawyers who always keep the end of justice in
mind and will never sacrifice the integrity of the legal system to cover
the misdeeds of their clients, no matter how lucrative the brief may be,”
President Buhari told the country’s lawyers. Urging the lawyers to view
corruption too as a gross violation of human rights, Buhari lamented that
for Nigerian masses, especially the millions still wallowing in poverty and
diseases, corruption is a major reason why they cannot go to school; why
they cannot be gainfully employed; why there are few doctors, nurses
and drugs in their hospitals and health centres; why pensioners are not
paid and why potable water is scarce.
The president continued: “In effect, corruption diverts public resources
meant for millions of people into the private pockets of a greedy few,
thereby causing a lot of suffering, deprivation
and death. In my view, there can be no greater violation of human
rights.
“Viewed in this way, I think we can all fully appreciate the gravity of
this oppressive and destructive evil. This should rouse us to fight it with
the same zeal and doggedness as we deploy
in the defence of fundamental rights.”
Buhari further urged Nigerian lawyers to work for a more efficient and
effective legal system, saying it would assist in attracting more
investments to the country and accelerating the pace of national
economic development.
He said, “Increased engagement with the outside world is called for as
we seek public private partnerships in our quest for enhanced capital
and expertise. There is no doubt that all these
depend on enforceable agreements and a reliable legal system.
“Contracts are only good to the extent that they are enforceable
without undue delay. If, by the default of lawyers or the law courts, it
is found that cases take ages to conclude or that the judicial system is
somehow corruptible, we obviously cannot attract the kind of
partnerships which we need or which our large vibrant economy would
ordinarily have attracted.
“The world today has been correctly described as a global village. Capital
and expertise are readily mobile. Comparisons will inevitably be drawn
between our country and others when the choice of where to do
business is being made.” Buhari noted that Nigeria’s current position in
terms of doing business is not good enough as the country’s process for
obtaining licences and
permits are too slow. He said, “It takes too long a time to enforce
contracts in our law courts and our regulatory
and administrative processes are not noticeably predictable or efficient.
In all these, lawyers have a key role to play, whether in the reform of
our laws and regulations or in the integrity of
our judicial systems. “It is my fervent hope that this conference and
other fora for lawyers and non-lawyers will closely and quickly work out
ways of making our legal system much improved in terms of integrity,
the human touch, efficiency and rigorous dedication to the cause of
justice.”
Buhari assured the lawyers that his administration will give its full
support to the implementation of the required legal reforms if it is
convinced that they are in the best interest of the country. leadership.ng/news/455847/dont-shield-crooks-pmb-tells-lawyers |
Re: Don’t Shield Crooks, PMB Tells Lawyers by olafum1(m): 7:48am On Aug 24, 2015 |
I dey fear lawyers like police now sef |
(1) (Reply)
DERMALOG Wins Frost & Sullivan Award For Biometrics In Nigeria And Africa / Jonathan, Diezani Under Probe Over $6m Mobile stages / Jonathan, PDP Votes Brought Oshiomhole To Power – Amori
(Go Up)
Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 15 |