No nation will go far without justice, says Otu

Gov. Bassey Otu of Cross River has urged legal practitioners in Nigeria to uphold justice, saying no nation will go far without justice.

Otu said this in Abuja at the launch of Johnny Agim, SAN Foundation (JASAN Foundation), a Non- Governmental Organization (NGO), by the Lead Counsel of Legal Assent, Abuja, Johnny Agim, SAN, on Friday night.

The Foundation will help to address the challenges facing young lawyers, legal education, the legal profession and the administration of justice sector.

It is anchored on three pillars, namely: mentorship, indigent lawyers` sponsorship and legal service reforms; and public interest advocacy.

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Otu also said there was the need for legal practitioners to be properly trained and mentored for justice to be served.

“When we don’t have those in the legal profession trained properly and mentored properly, then justice can be misled. But where there is justice, you will see happiness.

“Where there is justice, you will see peace. That is why in this profession (law), even in terms of definition of personality and protocol, it is very different,’’ he said.

While commending the president of JASAN Foundation for his noble, Otu urged Nigerians to support the project.

Otu said what was basically lacking in Nigeria in all profession was mentorship.

“It is not only in the law profession that we have this huge gap analysis existing, which has caused our nation so much that our attraction has been disrupted.

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“It is very clear that our country, Nigeria, any nation that hasn’t got a proper path of imparting knowledge and experience, then such an entity cannot go too far.

“I also hope there is going to be emulation from other professionals in other sectors to mentor their mentees to be able to provide the best services for our nation,’’ he said.