Attorneys’ present of disgrace over baggage — Opinion — The Guardian Nigeria Information – Nigeria and World Information

Whereas the TCCP for NBA-AGC 2022  ought to have achieved higher by way of planning and logistic preparations, nothing seems to justify the disgrace some attorneys introduced upon the NBA and the complete Legislation Occupation by the behaviour exhibited on Tuesday, August 23, 2022 — preventing over convention baggage.

See: (1) “Attorneys Go Rogue At NBA-AGC 2022 Over Non-Distribution of Convention Baggage, Destroy Registration Cubicles” (August 24, 2022: TheNigeriaLawyer); and (2).

“Attorneys Stage Violent Protest at AGC over bag Assortment, Overpower Bouncers, Loot Convention Supplies” (August 24, 2022: BarristerNG).

Now, if the TCCP had promised convention baggage and didn’t ship in good time, there have been many different (lawful and honourable) choices for affected attorneys to have enforced their proper to have these baggage given to them. Behaving as thugs, frequent avenue louts and urchins, doesn’t inform a very good story about an in any other case gathering of supposedly noble, honourable and mild women and men.

By the best way, what’s a Convention bag, {that a} Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court docket of Nigeria struggle for, loot and destroy convention cubicles, and different supplies. Harking back to the October 2020 publish #ENDSARS palliative-looting protests in Nigeria throughout which Nigerian youths grew to become one thing else.

In my paper, I talked a couple of group of protesters I most popular to name “The Reprisal-Impressed Protesters” who unleashed a spherical of brutal mayhem and wanton destruction of properties, private and non-private. This set of protesters had focused public amenities for destruction, arson and looting and vandalization. I wrote about one more set: “The Possess-Your Palliatives Protesters”. This set of protesters focused primarily properties/warehouses housing any type of COVID-19 palliatives meant for the lots, in addition to homes/properties belonging to some public workplace holders.

The goal of this set of protesters was primarily to own what they noticed (rightfully or wrongly) as their very own possessions, their perception being that palliatives meant for the lots had been hijacked and saved away by egocentric, self-centred and insensitive politicians and political office-holders. See: “A Catholic Cogitation On The Freeze Order Towards Financial institution Accounts Of Alleged #EndSARS Protest Promoters” By Sylvester Udemezue (November 9, 2020: BarristerNG).

Discover time to learn the paper and see the attributes of these protesters after which, inform me if there’s any distinction between their conduct and what was witnessed on August 23, 2022, on the NBA-AGC 2022 floor amongst attorneys. What then is the distinction between attorneys and hoodlums, if attorneys might conduct themselves, at a slight provocation, as hoodlums?

In the meantime, I used to be not stunned by what occurred on August 23, 2022. Anybody who has intently adopted up on social media about how attorneys behave throughout NBA nationwide elections, wouldn’t be shocked at what occurred final Tuesday. Go on social media throughout nationwide elections to see the extent of cyber-thuggery and animalistic behaviour taking part in out amongst supposedly discovered gents. As soon as you aren’t on their candidate’s facet, come and see insults, abuse, malignant character assaults, and false marketing campaign of calumny they’d wage towards you. Even when you increase points, supported by verifiable info and proof, for dialogue, nobody needs to debate concepts and points. The one technique to keep out of their approach is to maintain mute. When you write an article on any subject, come and see insults, unprintable, sadly false, issues being stated about you. To close you up! To silence you!

Gents, it seems some space boys, thugs and louts have discovered their approach into the Legislation Occupation in Nigeria. How they received in, I don’t know. They simply fake to be gents within the universities and within the Legislation College. The second they turn into attorneys, paam! They begin behaving as avenue louts. A colleague stated to me, “(Udems,) I feel it’s a must to specific this concern strongly on the Legislation College. The authorized training course of ought to have the ability to fish out those that don’t have any enterprise changing into attorneys at that early stage”. I stated to him, that the Nigerian Legislation College was doing marvellously effectively in inculcating ethics and duty in aspirants to the Bar. Sure, as a Instructor, you may solely educate a horse the best way to the stream and the advantages of consuming from the stream.

As of the time of educating, the horse pretends to be listening and following. However, you see, after the horse leaves you, the trainer, you may’t observe the horse round to drive a horse to go there and take water from the stream. I imply, after Name to the Bar.

In a broadcast commentary, I wrote, “In my humble opinion, Nigerian Legislation College Lecturers are rather more than Lecturers; they’re mentors, inspirers, motivators, comforters, life-builders, counsellors, and partners-in-progress, comrades-in-arms with their college students…It should nevertheless be identified (and that is the best way I personally see it) that the principal object of training on the Nigerian Legislation College, is to arrange Bar aspirants to teach themselves all through their lives… On the Nigerian Legislation College, the academics open the door, however you could enter by your self”. (See: _” Nigerian Legislation College Program Is Not “Self-Taught”; However Instructor-Taught, Instructor-Pushed In Line With Modern Benchmarks And Worldwide Finest Practices”(12 July 2021: TheNigeriaLawyer).
 
Accordingly, nobody ought to blame the Legislation College for ugly conduct of any lawyer. In Act 1, Scene 4 of William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, King Duncan whereas enquiring in regards to the execution of the incumbent Thane of Cawdor, had advised Lennox, Malcolm, Donalbain and the attendants that “there’s no artwork to search out the thoughts’s building within the face.” What Duncan meant is that you just can not see by to what a person is pondering or has in thoughts, or the stuff he’s fabricated from, simply by his face; there’s no approach of telling what’s in a person’s thoughts. Therefore, Duncan stated he had misjudged the outdated Thane of Cawdor as a result of “There’s no artwork / To search out the thoughts’s building within the face”. What’s ironic about Duncan’s evaluation of Cawdor and Macbeth? Macbeth turned out to turn into Duncan’s final betrayer! Such is life!

Again to the difficulty, in equity to the NBA TCCP for AGC 2022, the roguish and animalistic behaviour displayed by some attorneys on the NBA-AGC 2022 on August 23, 2022, has solely little to do with any lapses (if any) on the a part of NBA Management or of the TCCP. Supposedly accountable attorneys ought to have expressed their grievances in an orderly, gentlemanly method, taking into account that most of the people was watching.

Thus, in my paper titled, “An Appraisal of Skilled Authorized Ethics and Correct Conduct for Attorneys In Nigeria”, I had written, “It’s due to this fact not shocking that very often, the general public judges the authorized career by the usual of its erring members, therefore the necessity for members of the Bar to be totally alive to those duties and tasks with the intention to examine the falling moral customary within the career, be examples to the society through which they discover themselves and in the end promote the honour and the Aristocracy of the career.

Self-discipline on the bar could be very important. It’s because offences, to which the police connect no
significance when dedicated by a medical physician, could also be attended to with humiliation and embarrassment when dedicated by a lawyer.

“Equally, a easy act of breach of the legislation by an accountant, which will not be thought of as something, could type banner headlines in newspapers and magazines if dedicated by a lawyer. This solely stresses the truth that society views attorneys as custodians of a excessive ethical worth and distinguished members of the society, whose conduct and actions ought to function a light-weight to the remainder of the society”. (see: Udemezue, S.C., “An Appraisal of Skilled Authorized Ethics and Correct Conduct for Attorneys In Nigeria” (2021) Vol. 21, No. 17, Jun 3, 2021, Authorized Ethics & Skilled Accountability eJournal.

Don’t get me mistaken. There’s little doubt that I put a measure of blame on NBA TCCP 2022 for not making enough preparations and early sufficient, to make sure related convention supplies received to delegates in good time. As we did through the NBA-AGC 2019, all Convention supplies ought to have been utterly distributed no later than Monday morning, on the primary day of the NBA-AGC plenaries.

To realize this, the TCCP should guarantee convention supplies arrived lengthy earlier than the earlier Friday and distribution must have began from the earlier Friday, on this case on 19 August 2022. If it have been so, there would have been little or no points. In 2019, we ordered over 12,000 convention baggage, and so on. They usually arrived greater than per week earlier than the beginning of the Convention.

Nevertheless, in a scenario through which this isn’t achieved, due to some ill-planning, or different unexpected logistic challenges, the query is, ought to attorneys who’re speculated to be Gents, Honourable and Noble, now throw warning to the wind and start behaving as untrained animals and ill-mannered space boys on the streets?
Nothing can justify such gross misconduct amongst attorneys.

I, due to this fact, counsel that the video of that ugly incident be totally examined. Anybody recognized to be among the many perpetrators of that shameful act ought to be dragged earlier than the LPDC with none delay.

Part 12(2), LPA, Cap L11, 2004 covers such gross misbehaviour by individuals who ought to know higher: Notorious conduct not in skilled respect however incompatible with the standing of a authorized practitioner. It’s one of many varieties of skilled misconduct for which a lawyer could face disciplinary actions earlier than any of the disciplinary organs of the Bar: (1). Authorized Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), (2). The Supreme Court docket: see part 13(1) LPA; or (3). Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN): see part 13(2) LPA.

Part 12(2) offers: “The place an individual whose title is on the roll is judged by the disciplinary committee to be responsible of misconduct not amounting to notorious conduct which, within the opinion of the disciplinary committee, is incompatible with the standing of a authorized practitioner, the disciplinary committee could, if it thinks match, give such a route as is authorised by paragraph (c) (ii) or (iii) of subsection (1) of this part; and any such route could, the place applicable, embrace a provision requiring the refund of cash paid or the handing over of paperwork or every other factor, because the circumstances of the case could require”.

Rule 1 of the RPC, 2007, can also be related: A lawyer mustn’t have interaction in conduct unbecoming of a authorized practitioner. A part of Rule 1(1) offers: “A Lawyer shall …preserve a excessive customary of
skilled conduct, and Shall don’t have interaction in any conduct which is unbecoming of a authorized practitioner”.
 
Sylvester Udemezue (Udems).
mrudems@yahoo.com.