Date: 2014-11-27

Former Kwara State Governor, Dr Bukola Saraki’s first daughter, Miss Oluwatosin Halimat, wife of the All Progressives Congress (APC’s) Presidential Aspirant, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Jennifer Jamilah  and grandson of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Adedamilotun Oluwapelumi Aderemi and 3, 432 successful candidates were on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively, called to the Nigerian Bar in Abuja.‎

The new lawyers were the successful candidates in the August 2014 bar final examinations of the Nigerian Law School.

Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed and other prominent APC chieftains honoured Saraki’s daughter on Wednesday at the call to bar ceremony held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

The Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Olanrewaju Onadeko said four of the successful candidates came out with first class, 96 in second class upper division, 620 placed in second class lower division while 2, 697 were in pass grade.

Onadeko advocated a two-month intensive preparatory programme for the intending call- to- bar candidates as he said, “this will reduce the alarming rate of failure recorded as years go by.”

According to him, the Nigerian Law School had taken pro-active‎ measures to safeguard its campuses in Kano and Yola by installing high perimeter walls with security barbed wire on top.

He said arrangements were at the final stage for the installation of CCTV cameras in all campuses of the school in view of the daunting challenge of insecurity in the country.

He said the problem of over admission by law faculties in the country has almost been surmounted following the synergy between the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Council of Legal Education.

He advised the new wigs to comply with the norms and ethics of the legal profession as the legal profession in Nigeria, had always been known to produce eminent international jurists, scholars and legal experts all over the world, with strategic positions.

In his speech, the Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Chief T. J Onomigbo Okpoko (SAN), called on the new wigs to adhere to the rules of professional ethics, which regulated the conduct of lawyers and the conduct of law business by members of the profession.

“It is obligatory that the new wigs and members of the profession by their action or inaction enhance the honour of the law profession and the dignity of its members by their words and action, whether in public or private life,” Okpoko ‎stated.

He reminded the new wigs that the membership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) was compulsory for all lawyers under the Legal Practitioners Act, just as he advised them to respect the court and never to engage any judge or magistrate in hot exchange of words or engage in what might appear to be a quarrel with adjudicators or colleagues.

Onomigbo attacked the recent behaviour of members of the National Assembly as demeaning and noted that it was not the behaviour of a lawyer.