By Uzo Ugwunze
Human Rights Lawyer and Social Critic Sir Ifeanyichukwu Ejiofor Esq has decried the decline on the standards of the noble legal profession calling in the country on the The Nigerian Bar Association, the Body of Benchers, the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, and the Council of Legal Education to take decisive steps to restore ethical standards, reinforce discipline, and uphold merit in the training, admission, and regulation of legal practitioners.
In his article titled ‘WHEN NOBILITY EBBS AND THE BAR DESCENDS – A CLARION CALL TO RESCUE THE SOUL OF THE LEGAL PROFESSION IN NIGERIA’, Ejiofor reiterates that legal practitioners at the Bar and Bench should uphold the dignity, discipline and be committed to justice.
“There was, not too long ago, a defining era in Nigeria’s jurisprudential history when the legal profession stood not merely as a vocation, but as a sacred trust, an honourable calling anchored in dignity, discipline, and an unwavering commitment to justice. Though that era now recedes into memory, it remains a shining benchmark in the annals of our legal heritage.
‘It was, indeed, the age of giants.
An age exemplified by Chief Frederick Rotimi Alade Williams, the first indigenous Senior Advocate of Nigeria, whose forensic brilliance and courtly elegance set enduring standards. It was also the era of Chief Abdul-Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi, whose courage and principled resistance to tyranny elevated the moral authority of the Bar and inspired generations.
“On the Bench, the judiciary was graced by intellectual titans: Justice Chukwudifu Akunne Oputa, revered as the “Socrates of the Supreme Court” for his philosophical depth; Justice Adolphus Godwin Karibi-Whyte, known for the clarity and precision of his judgments; Justice Kayode Eso, a fearless guardian of constitutionalism; and Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais, whose tenure exemplified integrity and institutional strength.D
“The profession has also been enriched, in its continuing evolution, by distinguished living legends such as Chief Afe Babalola,SAN, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN,, Chief Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, and Chief Onyechi Ikpeazu,SAN, figures whose contributions have helped sustain the nobility and relevance of the Bar.
“In those halcyon days, the nobility of the legal profession was not symbolic. It was lived. Advocacy was an art, ethics a creed, and the courtroom a temple of justice where decorum, learning, and integrity were non-negotiable.
“Regrettably, that noble standard appears to be eroding at an alarming pace.Admission into the profession, once a rigorous process that tested both intellect and character, increasingly risks becoming a predominantly academic exercise, with insufficient emphasis on moral and ethical grounding. The consequences are both visible and troubling.
“A growing number of practitioners demonstrate diminishing familiarity with the refined language and discipline of the courtroom, replacing erudition with crudeness and precision with mediocrity. In some instances, courtrooms, once sanctuaries of reason, have devolved into arenas of disorder, where conduct unbecoming of the profession occurs with little restraint.
“Even more concerning is the gradual reflection of these deficiencies within the judiciary itself. When individuals insufficiently grounded in the ethos of the Bar ascend to the Bench, the very foundation of justice is placed at risk. Inevitably, this raises a critical question: what quality of justice can emerge from such a system?
“Recent incidents further underscore this concern. The exercise of judicial authority in ways that appear arbitrary, such as directing a legal practitioner to kneel in open court, signals a troubling erosion of institutional decorum. While discipline in the courtroom is essential, it must always align with established legal standards and respect for professional dignity.
“THE RISE OF UNETHICAL PRACTICES
Equally disconcerting is the increasing normalization of sharp practices within the profession. Procedural ambush, ethical compromise, and deliberate obstruction are, in some quarters, being deployed as litigation strategies.
“There are instances where even senior members of the Bar engage in conduct that undermines justice, such conduct includes the filing of court processes and the deliberate removal to one’s chambers of all service copies intended for opposing counsel, months in advance of the adjourned date, only to return to court on the day the matter is scheduled for hearing to effect service in open court, thereby frustrating and truncating the proceedings of the day. When objection is raised by opposing counsel, he brazenly contends that the said counsel ought to have attended his chambers to collect the processes, and, in such circumstances, he regrettably enjoys the protection of the court. It is a personal experience .
Such actions, whether isolated or systemic, represent not only professional misconduct but a direct affront to the administration of justice.
“When such behaviour is tolerated, or worse, shielded by rank, it fosters a dangerous culture where accountability becomes selective, eroding the moral fabric of the profession.
“AN URGENT CALL TO ACTION
This trajectory is unsustainable.
If left unchecked, it threatens a systemic erosion of public confidence in the legal system, a consequence far more damaging than individual acts of misconduct. The legitimacy of the law ultimately rests on trust, and once that trust is compromised, the very foundation of civil society is endangered.
“It is therefore imperative, indeed urgent, that the custodians of the profession rise to this challenge. The Nigerian Bar Association, the Body of Benchers, the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, and the Council of Legal Education must take decisive steps to restore ethical standards, reinforce discipline, and uphold merit in the training, admission, and regulation of legal practitioners.
“The time has come to move beyond rhetoric to meaningful reform, to recalibrate entry standards, enforce discipline without fear or favour, and revive the culture of excellence that once defined the Nigerian Bar.
“If the current decline is allowed to persist, history will render a harsh verdict that a noble profession, once the conscience of the nation and a bastion of justice, was diminished through complacency and neglect.
“Yet, redemption remains within reach.
What is required is courage, the courage to confront uncomfortable truths, to enforce standards impartially, and to insist that the legal profession in Nigeria must not merely exist, but must earn and sustain its revered place in society,” said Ejiofor.