Senior lawyer, Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, has warned that Nigeria’s legal profession is facing a grave crisis of confidence, saying partisan, sectional and personal interests are increasingly undermining professional integrity.
Okutepa made the remarks in a statement posted on his X handle, where he expressed concern over what he described as the weakening of law, integrity and professional courage within the legal profession.
He alleged that disciplinary processes were, in some instances, being misapplied to harass lawyers who seek to promote what they consider to be the proper course for the profession.
According to him, some lawyers entrusted with leadership responsibilities had allowed personal, sectional and partisan interests to overshadow the principles expected to guide the profession.
“When the custodians of professional integrity become participants in the erosion of that integrity, the profession loses not merely its direction, but its moral authority,” he said.
Okutepa said the growing perception that the legal profession is part of Nigeria’s wider governance challenges should not be dismissed outright.
He argued that the problem was not a shortage of capable and principled lawyers, but the failure of some professional leaders to uphold the standards expected of them.
The senior lawyer also questioned the ability of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, to effectively lead efforts to reform the profession.
He alleged that the affairs of the association were not always conducted in a manner consistent with the integrity and nobility expected of the legal profession.
“For me, Nigerian lawyers and the leadership of the profession must therefore recover their conscience, restore their independence, and place the dignity of the profession above personal ambition, factional loyalty and primordial interests,” Okutepa said.
He warned that a legal profession that loses its moral compass would find it difficult to credibly lead society in the pursuit of justice.
Okutepa said Nigerians were demanding justice across different aspects of national life, particularly in cases involving alleged wrongdoing by people in positions of power and private citizens.
“Nigerians want justice. Nigerians want immediate justice for wrongdoing of those in power and outside of power,” he said.
According to him, lawyers have a central responsibility to ensure that citizens can access justice and retain confidence in institutions established to protect their rights.
He urged members of the profession and its leaders to put justice at the centre of their actions, saying public confidence could only be restored through independence, courage and fidelity to professional ethics.
“I appeal to us in the legal profession to think justice and make justice possible for the people. That is the only way to restore confidence in our profession as lawyers,” Okutepa said.