As the 2-year tenure of the incumbent President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), is gradually winding up, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN) have urged lawyers from the South West to vote for any candidate from Osun State as it is the turn of Oyo/Osun block to produce the next NBA helmsman.
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The duo said that Oyo had produced an NBA President in the person of late Chief Richard Akinrinde (SAN) who hailed from Ibadan, but Osun, which is grouped with Oyo has never produced one.
For the sake of fairness and equity, therefore, the two legal luminaries appealed to their members to speak in unison and support the Osun candidate when it is time.
The occasion was the NBA Oyo branch’s One Day Symposium and Bar Dinner organized by the Jide Olanipekun-led executive, held on Thursday at Labamba Hotel in Oyo Town. The symposium was Chairmaned by Chief Olanipekun (SAN) where the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF) Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN) and Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN) were honorees.
It was themed: “The Judiciary as the Last Hope of Common Man: A Myth or Reality?” having in attendance many dignitaries including the Presiding Justice, Court of Appeal, Asaba Division, Justice Misitura Bolaji-Yusuf; the Chief Judge of Oyo state, Justice Iyabo Yerima, who Justice M. O. Ishola ably represented; retired Justice O. I. Aiki, the Oyo state Attorney General & Commissioner for Justice, Mr Abiodun Aikomo; Prof. Gaius Okwezuzu; the former Attorney General of Kogi state (Prince Ben Ikani), among several others.
The keynote address was delivered by Prof. Babatunde Oni (SAN) with other discussants including the Chairman of the Oyo Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Ademola Babalola, also presenting the Fourth Estate of the Realm’s perspective to the theme.
While calling on the NBA members in the South West to be united and fair to one another as Yoruba people, Chief Akintola said: We had a meeting of Egbe Amofin comprising the six states of the South West including Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo.
In order that there could be peace and tranquillity as is done in the Judiciary where they elevate our judges based on block arrangement, by the time the presidency of the Bar comes to Yoruba’s turn, Oyo and Osun are the next to present candidates.
And we said that between Oyo and Osun, you members should give preference to Osun. The reason is that in Ekiti and Ondo, our two leaders (Chief Wole Olanipekun and late Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu (SANs) had done it. In Oyo and Osun, Chief Richard Akinrinde (SAN) of late memory who hailed from Ibadan, did it. And he was the only one who had been NBA President in that block. Osun has never tasted it.
“In Lagos and Ogun block, eight persons had done it. Fair is fair; it is only Osun that has not produced an NBA President. I am from Oyo, but I will not deceive you, and I will not deprive you of your tightness. We had done it before, but Osun has not. We are elderly and so we cannot create problems for you younger ones.
“Talk to yourselves and agree that it is the turn of the Osun people. Tell your colleagues from Ondo and Ekiti states that it is the turn of Osun. We are all one. From Saare to Ogun State, we are all children of Alaafin and so we need to act in unity. Let us act as Omoluabi that we are. That is our position among the Egbe Amofin in Yorubaland”, Akintola stressed.
Chief Olanipekun corroborated Akintola’s position that it is the turn of Osun members, saying that “in Ekiti and Ondo, it would have even been three persons from that block if Dele Adesina, whom we sponsored, had won. Don’t let us shy away from the truth. Don’t run away from the truth. That is the essence of humanity.
It is the acid test. We took that decision. Leadership is about being frank, being honest; standing by the truth. Two years is around the corner. Ajise bi Oyo laari, Oyo kii se bii Omo enikookan. Let there be unity in Yorubaland.
It was in my house that everybody said let it be Akeredolu, and nobody contested against him. If Yoruba people have identified somebody, let it be. It is the turn of Osun/Oyo. So, let it be”, Chief Olanipekun said.
The AGF was unavoidably absent due to national assignments, but his friend, Akintola received his plaque of honour on his behalf.
Speaking on the theme, the Oyo State Attorney General, Abiodun Aikomo emphasized that there are institutional, structural and foundational challenges facing the judiciary and even other arms of government, urging all hands to be on deck to sanitize the system, make it work well “by striving to ensure egalitarian and just society”.
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