Speaking at private dinner organize by J-K Gadzama LLP in honour of Chief Solanke who was the guest lecturer at the 10th edition of the J-K Gadzama LLP Annual Public Lecture, Mohammed said: “ The decision to read law was one of the best decisions I have taken in my life. My relationship with the former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who though not a lawyer, is so passionate about law that you appreciate the privilege of being a lawyer. “ When Asiwaju was governor of Lagos State, he asked the then Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice who is now the Vice-President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo ( SAN), how can you get quality judgments when you pay judges peanuts. He then directed Osinbajo ( SAN) to review the salary of Judges in the State. “ When Chief Solanke became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, it was not easy for people to get there and pick the rank and so we aspire to get there when we grow up. He commended Chief J-K Gadzama (SAN) for organizing this year’ s lecture with the topic “ Whistle blowing policy: peoples power and corruption in Nigeria and stated that the media must support this fight. Fighting corruption is not an easy fight because corruption must fight back Lai stated . “ Fight against corruption and fighting insurgency, Boko Haram are part of the fundamental policies of President Muhammadu Buhari led administration. Somebody told Mr. President that if you don’t stop this fight against corruption, what happened to you in 1985 will repeat itself again. “ The government has recovered N88billion and S43Million just from whistle blowing alone. We receive a lot of tips though not all of them a actionable . Corruption is the main problem of this country. When we came in, we were generating 269 Mega Watts of electricity, but today we generate 7, 000 Mega Watts. “ The TSA, though we didn’t invent it we are the ones that have the courage to implement it. When we came in, the Federal Government had over 22 accounts scattered in different banks in different parts of the country but today, with the TSA we have added N3 trillion to Federal Government account. Transparency has yielded us this, it is not easy to fight corruption because about 80 percent of Nigerians live on corruption. You can accuse anybody of corruption but not the President, that is why he is able to lead this fight against corruption. There is no alternative to fighting corruption, otherwise, we down forever” Lai Mohammed stated. Justice Sidi Dauda Bage (JSC) thanked God for the life of Chief Solanke (SAN) and stated that good lawyers like her make the work of judges very easy because when you take their briefs and go through them , you easily understand the facts in issue, counsel argument on both sides and thereby write your judgment. But today if you take the briefs, you will be confused on which way the judgment will go. The Judges work has taught us to read peoples briefs and formulate our judgments but in most cases today, there are no briefs. Justice G. O. Kolawole of the Federal High Court said: “ Her deep seated interest in the legal profession and intellectual development has made her a role model for all. Some of the things we do in court as judicial officers go down beyond our courts into the world. Her contributions to the profession reinforced my determination to what is good in the profession. J-K Gadzama is actively engaged in jurisprudential development. Mama is a beacon of hope to the younger generation. Chief Solanke ( SAN) thanked the audience for the honour done to her and said: ” I have become Exhibit A” when I went to London in 2012 to receive the International Bar Association ( IBA) Award for Outstanding Women Lawyers’ wherever I passed, they pointed at me and said: “ She is eighty and today wherever I go they say, “ She is eighty five” Today, Nigeria is at a crossroads and the law must be our leader to take us to where we are going. It hurts me so much what I see in the profession today. When I became a lawyer 54 years ago and when I became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria 30 years ago, there was no allegation of corruption in the legal profession. Thank God for longevity and good health. Nigeria is a wonderful country, we have a lot of resources both human and otherwise, and with what the Minister has told us today, we are on the part of recovery. Let people know what you are doing and avoid the recovered funds being re looted . The lawyers here are very fortunate to be in the profession, take it as a high calling from God and if you go by the ethics, there is no way you will get corrupt. If the law fails, then the country has failed, God has put you in this profession so regard your calling as a vocation where God has placed you. Former Director-General of Nigerian Law School, Senior Partner in J-K Gadzama LLP and Vice-Chancellor of Baze University, Prof. Tahir Mamman (SAN), stated that the issues of the development of Nigeria’s development is everybody’s agenda. He frowned at a situation where people go to protest and canvass human rights in favour of people who have stolen the economy of this country blind to the detriment of the 180 million people who are the victims of their actions. Tahir said: ‘” He didn’t use the rule of law and due process when he was stealing, so why should we protect them with this rule of law and due process” Tahir stated]]>

"Exciting news! TheNigeriaLawyer is now on WhatsApp Channels 🚀 Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest legal insights!" Click here! ....................................................................................................................... Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material and other digital content on this website, in whole or in part, without express and written permission from TheNigeriaLawyer, is strictly prohibited _________________________________________________________________ [Register Now] ILA Nigeria Branch Marks 10 Years With Infrastructure Financing As Theme For 7th Annual Conference The International Law Association - Nigeria Branch 7th annual conference on public-private partnerships for sustainable infrastructure financing, April 4-5 in Abuja. Details: https://ilanigeria.org.ng/conference _________________________________________________________________

NIALS' Compendia Series: Your One-Stop Solution For Navigating Nigerian Laws (2004-2023)

Email: info@nials.edu.ng, tugomak@yahoo.co.uk, Contact: For Inquiry and information, kindly contact, NIALS Director of Marketing: +2348074128732, +2348100363602.