Olanipekun urges lawyers to build legacies, shun pull-him-down syndrome

The former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), on Monday, charged Nigerian lawyers not to engage in pull him down syndrome but to rather build on legacies already built by fathers of the legal profession.

He gave this advice while delivering his keynote address at the 70th anniversary of the Ibadan Branch of NBA, held at Afe Babalola Bar Centre, Iyaganku in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Olanipekun lamented that “Lawyers today are only good in pull him down syndrome instead of building on what the fathers of the legal profession had built in Ibadan branch 70 years ago.”

The former NBA president commended the Ibadan branch for helping in developing the Nigerian Constitution, declaring that the late Obafemi Awolowo was among the first to set up legal practice in the interior of Yorubaland in 1947.

He traced the history of the Ibadan branch to people like Harrison Obafemi (enrolled on January 16, 1924); S.A. Ogunleye (enrolled on January 3, 1953), and Omotola Adegunwa (enrolled on January 3, 1953), adding that “they were the men whose idea in 1954, crystallized into what we are celebrating today.”

Olanipekun further admonished members of the Bar profession not to engage in strife, blackmail, mudslinging, campaign of calumny, treachery or any attempt to pull anyone down.

“Flee from envy like a plague, for envy breeds hatred and unjustified contempt for others. Appreciate your colleagues, and peers, as well as senior members of the profession who have received God’s benevolence and pray that your own time will come.” He advised.

In his message, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), congratulated the Ibadan branch for producing legal practitioners who had helped the construction of the country to develop in the last 70 years.

He said, “As a bonafide member of this esteemed branch, I look back with deep gratitude on the formative years I spent within the Ibadan Bar, where I began my legal career, cutting my teeth in the noble profession that has since become the cornerstone of my journey.

“Over the years, the premier Bar has consistently stood tall among its peers, producing some of the most brilliant and highly revered legal minds, jurists, and practitioners that have contributed immensely to the growth of judiciary and the advancement of the rule of law in Nigeria.

“The legacy of excellence, diligence, and integrity that deserves to be celebrated, not just by members of the legal profession, but by all Nigerians.

“From its inception, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice branch has remained a beacon of legal practice and has contributed significantly to nation-building, Justice delivery, and the promotion of human rights”, the minister stated.