The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has voiced profound concern over the deterioration of ethical integrity within Nigeria’s legal profession. She lamented the steady erosion of professional discipline, emphasizing that adherence to ethical tenets—a fundamental pillar of the legal system—is increasingly under threat.
Justice Kekere-Ekun expressed her reservations on Wednesday during the public presentation of the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) Report, held at the Body of Benchers’ Complex in Abuja.
Call for Ethical Reawakening and Stringent Disciplinary Measures
To counteract this decline, the CJN advocated for an urgent recommitment to the core values of ethics, discipline, and professional responsibility among legal practitioners. She underscored the necessity of reinforcing accountability mechanisms, urging the LPDC to enforce disciplinary measures with transparency, impartiality, and unwavering determination.
“The Body of Benchers, as the supreme institution overseeing the legal profession in Nigeria, bears a profound responsibility to safeguard the integrity of legal practice. Upholding the sanctity of this noble profession rests upon its shoulders, and I have no doubt that this body will continue to rise to the challenge.”
Justice Kekere-Ekun further emphasized that disciplinary enforcement within the legal profession must be pursued without bias, ensuring that those who deviate from established ethical norms face appropriate consequences.
A Platform for Intellectual Engagement and Legal Reform
Presiding over the inaugural Body of Benchers Annual Lecture and the public unveiling of the Body of Benchers Law Report, the CJN commended the Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), alongside other members, for their visionary leadership in initiating the lecture series.
She described the lecture as a critical intellectual forum aimed at:
Encouraging robust legal discourse on the evolving role of the Body of Benchers in regulating the profession.
Evaluating the challenges and ethical shortcomings within Nigeria’s legal system.
Strengthening public trust in the judiciary through enhanced professional discipline and legal education.
Justice Kekere-Ekun called for the institutionalization and expansion of the lecture initiative, stating that it should serve not only as a platform for discourse but also as a mechanism for setting clear ethical benchmarks.
She emphasized that the forum must contribute to:
Codifying professional ethics for legal practitioners.
Enhancing continuous legal education to keep lawyers abreast of evolving jurisprudence.
Advancing judicial reforms that fortify the credibility of Nigeria’s legal framework.
The maiden edition of the annual lecture was themed:
“Half a Century of the Body of Benchers: The Past, The Present, and The Future of Maintaining the Ethics of the Legal Profession in Nigeria.”
This initiative, she noted, should endure as an instrument for fostering legal excellence, ensuring that the legal profession upholds its foundational principles while adapting to modern-day challenges.
