ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
To build a vibrant judicial system in Nigeria, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) must groom younger lawyers, Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has counselled.
He gave the advice during the NBA Bayelsa Night celebrations organised at the sidelines of the 2021 NBA Annual Conference in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, a statement by his media aide, Doubara Atasi, said on Thursday.
Ewhrudjakpo urged experienced hands in the legal profession to see mentoring of young lawyers as a responsibility that must be performed in the interest of the profession and humanity.
He maintained that grooming a fresher in the legal career to master the ropes quickly was the only guarantee for an enlightened NBA in Bayelsa and the country at large.
Ewhrudjakpo, who commended the organisers for putting the ceremony together, encouraged the young lawyers to be fearless, courageous and determined, charging them not to be in a hurry, but to be patient enough, to learn from their seniors and principals.
Ewhrudjakpo said: ” I want to talk to our young lawyers, especially those who have just cut their legal teeth, that the legal profession is a noble profession.
“You can’t get to where you want if you are patient, courageous and determined. So, I want you to patiently learn all the ropes.
“For those who are senior lawyers, know that the cock which crows today was once a chick. Therefore, we owe ourselves a duty to encourage our younger ones.
“If we don’t teach them very well, they will become half-baked lawyers.I therefore charge every senior lawyer to try as much as possible to with patience teach those under your tutelage, so that we can bequeath a vibrant, learned and intellectual bar.”
Also speaking, Bayelsa State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Biriyai Dambo, SAN, lauded the Yenagoa and Sagbama branches of the NBA for their show of unity and urged them to sustain the prevailing oneness.
In a similar vein, the Chairman of the occasion, Mr Iniruo Wills,
commended the NBA in Bayelsa for the progress it had made so far and called for more support by all stakeholders.
In their separate remarks, the Chairmen of the Yenagoa and the Sagbama branches of NBA, Mr. Ukumbiriowei Saiyou and Mr. Adereyai Ebinyo, promised to redouble their efforts at projecting and protecting the interest of the a ssociation at all times.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the Organising Committee, Chief Dennis Otiotio, said the ceremony had been jointly put together by the Yenagoa and the Sagbama branches of the NBA in conjunction with Aiteo Group to showcase the rich culture of the Bayelsa people.