The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) on Monday said the newly inaugurated Bar Council will present an opportunity for constitutional heads of the legal profession and members of the Bar to meet and deliberate on pertinent issues affecting the legal profession in the country.
Speaking while inaugurating the Council in Abuja, the AGF said the General Council of the Bar (“Bar Council”) was established by the Legal Practitioners Act and saddled with functions as may be prescribed by the Act and the Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association and stressed the need to reinvigorate the Council by ensuring that necessary structures are put in place to allow it perform optimally.
He said, “the gathering of the leading lights in our noble profession is quite pivotal, as it is geared towards strengthening the capacity of the Nigerian Bar Association to deliver on its mission and core values, as well as expanding the frontiers of the fundamental essence of the legal profession in Nigeria”.
He called on members of the Bar Council, which comprises all the Attorneys General of the States, 20 members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Attorney-General of the Federation who shall be the President of the Council as enunciated in Section 1 (2)( a-c) of the Legal Practitioners Act 2004, to be committed and focus on the development and sustainability of the legal profession, rather than on issues that perpetuate distrust or disunity.
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While reminding the NBA of its mandates which include the promotion and protection of Human Rights, the Rule of Law, and Good Governance in Nigeria, he said a critical look at the composition of the Bar Council shows that the NBA requires the backing of the Bar Council in achieving the foregoing mandate.
“A body which consists of all the Chief Law Officers in the Federation, cannot simply be ignored by any leadership of the NBA which is truly desirous of making significant impact on the administration of justice and promotion of the rule of law generally in Nigeria”.
The Bar Council, Malami said, should be seen, as a vehicle or platform for driving the developmental agenda of the NBA, implementing NBA resolutions, and influencing government policies in view of its composition by the Attorneys-General who are strategically positioned to influence their Excellencies the President and State Governors.
He urged the NBA to consider the Bar Council as an alternate Board of Trustees or advisory body, a link or liaison with the Federal Executive Council, State Executive Councils, National and State Assemblies, Nigerian Governors Forum, Conference of Speakers of State Assemblies, etc.
The Minister advised that the NBA leadership, serving as a vehicle of social conscience, should not seek to isolate its members in government who are positioned to drive its success, adding that, “We must work collectively to build an enviable legal profession that will be beneficial to us all”.
The AGF admonished members of the Council to show commitment and dedication to the statutory duties of the Council, especially with regards to making and reviewing rules of professional conduct under Section 12(4) of the LPA as well as the rules of account to be kept by legal practitioners under Section 20(1)(a) to (e) of the LPA.
Meanwhile, the NBA President, Mr Yakubu Maikyau (SAN) said in his speech that there was an absolute need to provide regulations that will guide the conduct of legal Practitioners towards the fight against corruption, money laundering, terrorism, economic crimes, and other criminal activities.
He said the legal profession while maintaining the privileges conferred on it by the statutes, self-regulates its conduct to make it accountable in the fight against the menaces that have bedevilled the nation.
Maikyau urged all members of the Legal profession to familiarise themselves with the Legal Practitioner Acts (LPA) and the Constitution of the Association which, he noted, “remains the principal legal framework governing the operation of our Association.”
