Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama, SAN has succinctly stated the roles of lawyers in the myriad of insecurities bedevilling our country Nigeria, while delivering a paper at the grand finale of the 2021 Law Week of the Owo Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association on Wednesday, 21th July, 2021.
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He posited that security is everybody’s business. This is even truer for lawyers who are important stakeholders in the business. Lawyers are ministers in the temple of justice is an age-long aphorism symbolizing great power and even greater responsibility in the scheme of social order, peace, and stability. Verily, there can be no social order or peace without social justice. It is the lawyer’s ultimate interest that at all times, social justice is attained.
The concept of justice is not so trivial a conjecture for it entails certain fundamental tenets such as equity, fairness, access to Court, freedom, the defense of truth amongst others. “This ultimate interest of a lawyer has borne credence that beyond his responsibilities to a client(s), colleagues and the court is his duty to his society.
Lawyers therefore an important stakeholder in the security architecture of any state. In addition to their duties as watchdogs in society, lawyers may act as informants, prosecutors, advisers to the government amongst others”. He added.
Chief Gadzama further stated that lawyers are supremely and morally responsible to advise for better legislation and as draftsmen, come up with watertight legislation that fosters security. A recent portrayal of this role is the bill sponsored by Sen. Francis Onyewuchi: The Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Bill 2021, which seeks to prohibit the payment and receipt of ransom for the release of a kidnapped, wrongfully imprisoned, or confined person.
Lawyers should be at the forefront of this endeavour. They can scrutinize this piece of legislation vis-a-vis the current happenings and propose modifications in tandem with current realities. Law is an instrument of social control and the lawyers obviously should know the letters and spirit of the law better. It is his tool of trade and he can advise better on the use of law to fertilize and cultivate a peaceful atmosphere for all.
He reiterated his notable position in the past that “The lawyer is the five senses of the visible body of the common man: the lawyer is the eye, the mouth, the eardrum, the nose and the receptor of the common man.”
The above represents the five senses of sight, taste, hearing, smell and touch ascribed to every human being and it is apt to attribute the same to lawyers as the function of the five senses is synonymous with their roles in society. “The lawyer is the mouthpiece, the defender, the ambassador of and the giver of hope to the common man”. He added
Attached is a copy of Chief Gadzama’s full text of the lecture presented at the event.
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