The chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ibadan branch, Adekola Kareem, has called on lawyers to uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of the poor and vulnerable.

Mr Kareem made the call at the 2026/2027 Legal Year event, organised by the Bar on Monday in Ibadan.

The chairman called on lawyers to be courageous, vibrant and committed to the pursuit of justice without discrimination based on religion, tribe or other considerations.

He described the NBA as the vanguard body of lawyers and urged members to aspire to promote the rule of law more effectively than in previous years.

“Our motto is the promotion of the rule of law.

“A lawyer must not be timid. A lawyer must be dogged, must be a freedom fighter, must not be docile, and must be vibrant,” he said.

He called on the executive arm of government to always regard the judiciary as a distinct government organ and avoid treating judicial officers as an extension of the civil service.

Doing so, he said, would be fundamentally wrong.

Mr Kareem further decried the inadequate manpower in the Oyo State judiciary, saying that the state currently had 28 judges, with each judge handling at least 400 cases.

He compared the state with Lagos State, which, he said, currently had more than 100 judges handling cases at the state judiciary.

“Our judges in Oyo State are handling about 400 cases each. They have to listen to witnesses and record their evidence; listen to lawyers and record their submissions; and then retire to their chambers to prepare rulings and judgements. That is no longer acceptable in 2026,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Kareem said the NBA boycotted the legal year because the organisers had not been allowing the Bar chairman to speak at the church service to mark the event.

He said a former chairman informed him that apart from the governor or his representative, the bar chairman and the chief judge were not permitted to speak at the church service.

Subsequently, Mr Kareem sought clarification from the chief registrar and the chief judge, and both confirmed he would not be permitted to make a speech.

He said the practice differs at the mosque, where the Bar chairman, Muslim Lawyers’ Association chairman, governor’s representative and the chief judge are allowed to speak.

An NBA member, Oludare Adebayo, who commended the branch, however, called on the Bar and Bench to find a lasting solution to the disagreement before it escalates.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Young Lawyers Forum, Tomiwa Fadeyi, urged senior lawyers not to maltreat, harass or underpay young lawyers.

He equally challenged the young lawyers to be ready to learn. 

(NAN)