The HEDA anti-corruption group has commended the decision of Yakubu Maikyau, president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), to boycott the call to bar ceremony over Wole Olanipekun’s unwillingness to resign as the Chairman of the Body of Benchers (BoB).

In a letter headlined ‘Solidarity with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Boycott of the Call to Bar Ceremony’, Olanrewaju Suraju, HEDA’s chairman asserted Mr Maikyau’s boycott was his way of standing for the truth and defending the professional integrity of the association, which has come under harsh criticism and may have lost its prestigious status.

“We cannot agree any less with you that the legal profession is gradually losing its respect and prestige earned over the years,” Mr Suraju wrote in his letter. “Incidentally, respectable legal icons have worked and some are still working very hard to instil the ethical standards the profession is known for and it will be very unfortunate to lose all that pedigree and sacrifices on the altar of reckless misconduct and favouritism.”

The HEDA chairman asserted that the position of the NBA towards Mr Olanipekun’s legal firm, accused of immoral and unethical conduct, was certainly praiseworthy.

“It is noteworthy that the current stance of the NBA against the alleged immoral and unethical conduct associated with the firm of the Chairman, Body of Benchers, goes with some backlash and criticism from the so called high and mighty in the legal profession and the society.’

With the understanding that the moral and ethical uprightness of the legal profession were key factors in upholding the rule of law, justice, and fairness in the society, Mr Suraju asserted that HEDA was ready to assist the NBA “in whatever capacity.”

Since a leaked email from Mr Olanipekun’s law firm assuring an international oil company that he would use his position as BoB chairman to influence courts and judges in Nigeria came to light, the well-respected lawyer has come under fire from his learned colleagues.

Senior Advocates of Nigeria under the Justice Reform Project (JRP), had written to Mr Olanipekun earlier in the year, urging him to step down from the BoB chair to allow unbiased investigations into the allegations of misconduct levelled against his firm.