The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ijebu Ode Branch, called for greater accountability, transparency, and a return to fundamental character in leadership across the country.

Members of the bar and society lamented the fragile state of the rule of law in Nigeria as compelling discussions took place at the 27th Bar Lecture, a key event during the branch’s ongoing Annual Bar Week of the NBA in Ijebu Ode, themed “Law and Governance: The Nexus.’

Former President of the NBA Lagos Branch, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe (SAN), assessed Nigeria’s compliance with the rule of law and highlighted the vital role citizens play in holding government officials accountable to their constitutional duties. He stated, “Accountability and transparency are part of the measures for assessing how strong and how big the rule of law is.”

Akangbe criticised the “selective application” of law, branding it a clear “indication of a weakness in the rule of law”.

Akangbe’s call to action was unequivocal: institutions must be strengthened, and lawyers must relentlessly “keep pushing the boundaries and keep advocating for the rule of law.”

Chairman of the NBA, Ijebu Ode Branch, and Baagbimo of Ijebu, Prof. Fassy Adetokunboh Yusuf, adding to the discourse, underscored the inseparable bond between legal frameworks and effective governance.

Professor Yusuf’s address challenged society to confront the very essence of its formation and the role of laws in improving lives, posing a pointed question about the suitability and effectiveness of current leadership.

“There is no governance without law, and there is no law without governance,” he declared, illustrating the symbiotic relationship between law, governance, and society, as emphasised by Professor Babatunde Adetola, a Sociology lecturer at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye.

Professor Adetola, who delivered a powerful critique of Nigeria’s societal decay, traced it back to a fundamental lack of character.

He said: “Character is everything. It is the only thing that can preserve an individual. Why we are not making sufficient progress today is because many of us, from family to broader society, lack character,” Professor Adetola stated.
He offered stark examples of erosion across various professions, from doctors who “will inject you and kill you” to lawyers who “change the entire process to make sure you even go today.”

For Professor Adetola, the nation’s “so much confusion” stems from a lack of character, arguing that without a return to this fundamental virtue, “there is no way we can actually make progress as a nation.”

He further suggested that an overemphasis on professionalism without addressing the societal ideals that should underpin institutions makes them dysfunctional.

“Societies are not functional today because we lay emphasis on institutions without considering the ideation that should drive that institution,” he argued.

Bringing the discussion back to the practical challenges facing the legal profession, Otunba Olusegun Otayemi, Principal at Otayemi Law Office, highlighted the damaging issue of slow justice delivery in Ogun State.

While reaffirming the deep connection between law and governance, Otayemi delivered a harsh critique of the system’s outdated processes. He described as “wicked” the government’s failure to automate court proceedings, contrasting it sharply with the efficient recording of legislative sessions.

“Why are we subjecting our judges to such stress, if it’s possible to do it in the case of legislature?” he queried, implicitly calling for a reform that would hasten the dispensation of justice and alleviate the burden on the judiciary.

The consensus from the Ijebu Ode NBA’s 27th Bar Lecture stated that Nigeria’s democratic aspirations remain threatened without a strong and fairly enforced rule of law, supported by consistent accountability, transparency, and, most importantly, a renewal of character across all levels of society and governance.