The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has urged Nigerian lawyers to interpret the law in a manner that promotes societal growth and national development.
Speaking on the topic “Nation Building: Our Role As Lawyers,” at the 2025 Law Week of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, Olukoyede emphasised that law is the bedrock of every society, and where it is absent, chaos prevails.
Represented by EFCC’s Director of Legal and Prosecution, Sylvanus Tahir (SAN), the anti-graft chief lamented the declining influence of the legal profession in nation-building, despite the country boasting nearly a quarter of a million lawyers.
“Leadership is about influencing people. Lawyers have the duty to interpret the law in a manner that promotes societal advancement. Sadly, we seem to have lost that direction,” he said.
He recalled that lawyers in the past were instrumental in shaping and leading society through the responsible use of the law. He urged the NBA to revive the tradition of pupillage-structured mentorship for young lawyers to restore the profession’s relevance and influence.
“Are we still showing young lawyers the path to follow? What have we done to guide them?” he asked. “The rules are clear on how we should conduct ourselves. But are we following them today?”
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Law Week Committee, Chukwudi Enebili (SAN), decried the erosion of ethics and values within the profession. He noted that many lawyers have prioritised client interests over their duty to the nation.
“We are witnessing a decline in mentorship, ethics, and social responsibility,” Enebili said. “A generation of lawyers is growing increasingly disconnected from the tradition of service and scholarship that once defined our calling.”
He warned that the legal profession, both in Nigeria and globally, is under threat from within and outside and stressed the need for urgent reforms to reclaim its historical role as the conscience of the state and the voice of the voiceless.
