Alex Enumah in Abuja
Immediate past Governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aminu Tambuwal, has lamented the inability of Nigeria to latch onto the huge resources in the country in finding lasting solutions to the socio-political cum economic challenges confronting the country.
Tambuwal, who is currently representing Sokoto South at the Senate, noted that the factors responsible “for this nauseating state of affairs are multifarious” and were firmly camped into social, political, economic and, to a lesser extent, cultural framework.
His remarks formed part of a speech he delivered at the 2023 Law Week of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abuja branch also known as Unity Bar.
He said, “The fact that Nigeria is richly blessed with human and material resources is no longer in the realm of debate and so is the reality that the country has refused, neglected or utterly failed to harness these enormous resources.”
Notwithstanding the current situation, the Senator, who is also a lawyer by training, argued that lawyers could change the narrative by coming up with necessary reforms, adding that members of the profession have now dominated all facets of governance from the executive to the legislature and the judiciary.
“By their peculiar training, skills and knowledge, legal professionals are versatile and suited for multitasking. Under Chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, the structure of government is delineated into the Legislature, the Executive and Judiciary and it is indisputable that legal professionals more than any other professionals possess the versatility to operate with distinction in all the three arms and nearly exclusively in the Judiciary.
“Beside their critical role through direct participation in government and governance as functionaries, legal professionals in private practice at the Bar play enormous roles in the administration of justice, promote the rule of law as social activists, offer of services through the Legal Aid Council, through the offer of pro bono services to the less privileged members of the society, conflict resolution in the community, ombudsman among others,” he said.
Stating that lawyers as social engineers had over the years played impactful roles through governmental and non governmental institutions in reforming Nigeria’s socio-political economy, he charged them to do more, adding that “society expects no less of them”.
Chairman of the 2023 Law Week Organising Committee, Mr Moses Ebute, SAN, noted that the annual event served as a platform for knowledge sharing, meaningful discussions, and fostering a greater understanding of the legal landscape.
