New Year Tribute To An Endangered Specie.

New Year Tribute To An Endangered Specie.

By: Auta Nyada

It is often said that the webs of our lives are of mingled yarn, good and ills together. 2021  seems to have come with one too many of those ills and challenges for our noble and great profession, leaving us in the class of endangered species, yet we are here, we made it, we surmounted the year with faint smiles, pockets of laughter and sheer courage.

2021 chronicled some heart wrenching occurrences, it was as though the kraken was released against the Bar: There was the JUSUN strike and its accompanying Greek gift. There were meaningless killings, kidnapping, myriads of health challenges, mental tortures,  and innate fears - just to mention but a few.  Some were more devastating than others. For instance, Ndionyemma Nwankwo Esq., former Owerri Bar Chair, was hacked down at his office in Owerri,  Darlington Chidume Odume gunned down in Amaifeke in Orlu,  Paul Duru Esq attacked and shot whilst on a trip, all in Imo state.

In Warri, we lost Nkiru Agbasu Esq., a young female lawyer, killed by armed robbers; in Lagos we lost Barr Adaeze Destiny Ikpeama apparently from domestic violence: In Isu - Onicha in Ebonyi we lost Ogbonnaya  Ajah Esq., killed by gunmen and 

Bernard Okpe Esq in Karu in the FCT stabbed by unknown people; to mention but a few.

For those alive the anticipation of hurt has become worse than the hurt itself. In Ekiti, lawyers are paying ransom with client's fees; some Lawyers have fled North East while others have depopulated from Kaduna State. There are States in which Judges are afraid of taking on cases: In Imo State no judge dares do an IPOB trial. 

In Borno State, Judges cannot do Boko Haram trials. Governments in the South East cannot properly setup Judicial Commission of Inquiry on violence because no Judge wants to be involved. In much of North West it has become an anathema for Magistrates to sit over issues relating to bandits without being cleared to do so. The list is unending.

I have not recounted our losses and plights because I am a harbinger of bad news. I have done so to make us realize where we have come from, all  we have been through and appreciate the fact that we are still here, standing, having persevered, having lost, having strived  and having found a way to survive, while managing a smile as we soldier on.

 Guess what?  Irrespective of the downs, the distorted plans, the fractured hopes, we did not lose our identity nor did we lose our age long traditions., We somehow managed to hold/host dinners across the land with renewed hopes for a better future, we held seminars and ensured that we learnt, unlearnt and relearnt; against the odds we gathered together as Africa's largest Bar and conferenced. We pulled through, a testament to our doggedness

A new dawn is here with new opportunities and possibilities; with a chance to hit the reset button and start right. 2022 holds a lot of great tidings for us as a profession and for our dear country. But for these gains to be made manifest, we all owe ourselves the duty of being faithful, loyal and honest. We can no more afford the painful and expensive luxury of sitting on the fence. We must all hold our leaders accountable, even if they be our kinsmen, siblings, parents and associates. Likewise, we must always be vocal and active against injustices, especially those meted out to the indigents. After all, to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains but to live in a way that enhances the freedom of others. 

Notwithstanding the ills and challenges in our yarn, I dare to believe in a Country that can work for all, just as the Bar now works for all. I dare to hope and trust that our kids will have a better tomorrow. I dare to hope for a Legal profession where the rule of law truly works, and our Courts are restored to being the last hope of the common man. I hope for a country that affords its citizens protection against bandits, criminals and Terrorists, without requiring them to seek for security clearance before going about their daily legitimate businesses.

Fellow seniors and colleagues, 2022 is a year of great hope, if we all choose to make it work. Like Cassius said in Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Ceasar’ it is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves and our choices. For this reason, we should elect not to dilute the power of a new season by dwelling on the hardships or sentiments of yesteryear. We should further elect a mindset which seats well with our hopes, therefore, going forward we must shun ethno/religious sentiments, we must not be scared to speak truth to power, we must refuse to file frivolous applications in exchange for temporal pecuniary benefits, we must not give or take bribes, we must not be accessories to blundering our justice system under any guise, we must show compassion to those who have fallen by the wayside, because time and chance happens to us all but above all we must to our own selves be true.

 May I request that we observe a minutes silence for all our colleagues who departed the world in 2021. May we never lose sight of their finer sides, and may we emulate and/or perfect the ideals they stood for.

Permit me to conclude by challenging us to do all we can in our little circles of influence to ensure a better Bar and a better Nigeria that works not for a microscopic few, but for all. Finally & most importantly please remember, whatever happens through out the year, keep moving, for the greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. Happy New year and here's wishing us all a more rewarding year ahead.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria

God bless the NBA

And God bless Humanity

Auta Nyada