Anti-Corruption, Legal Fight for Lawyers — NBA President

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), stated on Monday that the fight against corruption is a legal battle that must be fought by lawyers.

In his speech at the 2023 Nigerian Bar Association Section on Legal Practice (NBA-SLP) annual conference, themed “Legal Practice without Borders,” held in Abuja, Maikyau emphasized that it is not true to say that lawyers are hindering the fight against corruption in the country.

He explained that the NBA’s new rules on professional conduct place every lawyer at the forefront of the fight against money laundering and other corrupt practices.

Maikyau highlighted the responsibility of lawyers in shaping the country’s development and called on senior lawyers to remove barriers around themselves to enable young lawyers to access them and build their knowledge.

While stressing the importance of cross-border charging of legal fees by Nigerian lawyers, Maikyau cautioned legal practitioners not to make legal fees their sole motivation in serving their clients.

He urged lawyers to position themselves for global recognition and relevance in legal practice. He also pointed out that Section 2 of the Legal Practitioners Act protects the legal space.

“We need to open up our legal space. We need to protect the legal space for the younger generation and compete favourably with our colleagues from other parts of the world,” he said.

To leverage Nigeria’s position as the largest economy in Africa, the NBA established the African Continental Working Group to enable the legal profession to take advantage of the country’s status, Maikyau explained.

Regarding legal fees, he mentioned that the NBA’s remuneration order for 2023, which has been gazetted and circulated, will guide lawyers on how to charge legal fees across borders.

He emphasized the need for ethical and professional conduct when determining legal fees.

In his speech, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, called on lawyers to demonstrate honesty, fairness, transparency, and professionalism in their services to clients. He stressed that legal practitioners should not sit back and watch the country deteriorate.

Chief Ferdinand Orbih (SAN), Chairman of the NBA-SLP, highlighted the noble resourcefulness that the legal profession brings to resolving complex challenges at every stage of societal growth and development.

Chief Paul Harris Ogbole (SAN), Chairman of the planning committee of the conference, stated that the focus of the event is to examine the practice of law in Nigeria within an increasingly globalised and internationalised environment.

He emphasized the importance of exploring new areas of legal practice within globally accepted ethical boundaries.