Archbishop of the Metropolitan Sea of Lagos, his Grace Most Rev (Dr) Alfred Adewale Martins has urged lawyers to positively influence the perception of citizens, as recent occurrence has made society lose faith in the profession.
He said this at the 2023 New Legal Year Mass and yearly General Meeting organised by National Association of Catholic Lawyers (NACL), Lagos Archdiocese.
He explained that many citizens feel the justice system does not work due to recent judgments, but urged them to correct such perceptions.
The Bishop applauded them, saying they are willing to imbibe the virtues of God in their careers, while also urging them to exercise their duties without fear or favour, adding that people look to them trusting that good governance would be enhanced.
President, NACL, Florence Atuluku, said it is time for lawyers to reflect on their roles in the society as their profession stands at a crossroad of moral and other forms of decadence, adding that they must seek ways to make a difference.
For Catholic lawyers, she admonished them to leverage their faith to be the instrument of change in ensuring equity, justice and fairness.
“What we see happening in the legal profession reflects all that has gone wrong in society. So, it’s time for everyone to take ownership roles to ensure justice is done without fear or favour and work hard to restore confidence in the legal profession and Judiciary,” she said.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Anthony Idigbe, said the legal profession plays a major role in nation building as it ensures differences in the society are harnessed towards a common goal and conflicts that arise naturally are resolved.
On the various tribunal verdicts, he said the constitution provides mechanisms for resolving disputes so those procedures should be exhausted in the quest for justice and it is expected that society accepts whatever the outcome is.
“If despite the final resolution of these disputes there is resistance in society in terms of acceptance, then that could be a sign that the profession is not living up to its obligations or there is a perception problem with the public.
“So that needs to be managed in two ways. Perception problems can be managed through activities around marketing and enlightenment. If it’s an actual challenge, then we need to do more around capacity building and training to ensure the quality of the judgment that comes out of the judicial system would be accepted by society,” he said.
Another SAN, Godwin Omoaka, expressed optimism that the new legal year would result in a proactive judiciary that is responsive to the needs of Nigerians and is critical to socio economic development.
He suggested that the judiciary would get it right as there are qualified professionals in the sector.
