Don’t Treat Senior Lawyers With Kid Gloves — Rtd Justice Taiwo Tells LPDC, NBA
- Insists there shouldn’t be sacred cows addressing petitions, misdeeds
A Retired Justice of the Federal High Court (FHC), Justice Taiwo Taiwo, has accused the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) of undue pampering of senior and powerful lawyers in the country.
According to him, treating petitions involving this group of lawyers with kid gloves is certainly not the way to go, insisting that heavens will not fall if the two bodies seriously take up the challenge of sanitizing the nation’s law practice.
Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Law Weekly programme anchored by Shola Soyele, the retired Justice urged both organisations to step up their game and ensure there are no sacred cows.
He stressed the need for them to be firm when it comes to handling petitions against Senior and powerful lawyers, saying; “The LPDC, that committee, is not working the way it should work when it comes to things like that.
“We have seen cases involving very senior lawyers and petitions are written, the thing will not see the light of the day.
“The NBA must rise up to this occasion to make sure that lawyers, no matter who, the heavens will not fall.
“Let us open the backside of the Ostrich or the Turkey and let people see what A or B are doing. If it’s a disservice to the legal profession, the NBA must say something about it.
“Don’t let’s deceive ourselves, the NBA is not doing enough, especially when it comes to very senior lawyers, they won’t do anything. It’s a matter of rub my back, I rub your back.
“It’s a matter of ‘you cannot offend so and so’. Why can’t you offend so and so? If the person is going to rubbish your profession, you must be able to tell the person what you are doing is wrong”.
On the issue of conflicting judgments, the retired judge said the disturbing development has become rampant due to a lack of synergy and communication among judges.
For him, there has to be a way out of this quagmire that continues to give the public a bad impression about the nation’s judiciary, adding; “I believe that there should be a situation where judgements are circulated all over”.
