Adoption Of Candidates Saves Cost — JS Okutepa SAN

Former Lead Prosecutor of the Nigerian Bar Association at the
Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, JS Okutepa SAN, has
reiterated that adoption of candidates during NBA elections is not
a new development, but a norm in the system that has been ever
since.

According to him, he finds nothing wrong with the policy since
it operates for the good of the Bar.

“Sometimes I find it difficult to understand us as lawyers.
Adoption of candidates at elections of NBA has been with us for a
while now. It saves cost. We must rise to defend it.

“All those who kick against adoption have at one point or the
other sought for adoption of either themselves or candidates they
supported.

“I have had the privilege of forming the Arewa Lawyers Forum.
Before then, there were Egbe Omofin, EBF and later came Midwestern
Bar Forum,” he said.

He further stated that he is troubled about the way NBA
politicians are going about the Bar politics, noting that adoption
as a policy saves a lot of corruptions.

“The rate at which people go about spending money to be elected
to lead the Bar should worry any right thinking member of the
profession.

“We have now Bar politicians who on two yearly basis put
themselves forward as consultants to candidates and collecting
their money in the most corrupt ways.

“There is no point deceiving ourselves. Adoption if strictly
adhere to saves a lot of corruptions going on now.

“We must avoid a situation where we as lawyers will turn the Bar
to murky waters of conventional politics in Nigeria which seems to
have crossed the boundary of decency. NBA as a professional
Association must be led by those who have core value for the ethics
of the profession and by those who are prepared to defend the
profession within the ambit of the rule of law.

“I am fully in support of adoption because a person from a
particular Zone must first show his or her acceptability from his
root and be ready to submit his or herself to the authorities of
his or her Zone.

“That is a mini primary. If you cannot respect your root or
decision taken by your root then tendency exist that when you
forced yourself on the Bar, you are not likely to respect decisions
of other Zones. That is where dictatorship starts from. Inordinate
ambition shouldn’t be encouraged,” JS added.

TheNigerialawyer recalls that Mrs. Funke Adekoya SAN had earlier
criticized the act of adoption in an interview with THIS DAY
Newspaper, stressing that it is unnecessary since rotation is
permitted in the NBA Constitution.

Former Lead Prosecutor of the Nigerian Bar Association at the
Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, JS Okutepa SAN, has
reiterated that adoption of candidates during NBA elections is not
a new development, but a norm in the system that has been ever
since.

According to him, he finds nothing wrong with the policy since
it operates for the good of the Bar.

“Sometimes I find it difficult to understand us as lawyers.
Adoption of candidates at elections of NBA has been with us for a
while now. It saves cost. We must rise to defend it.

“All those who kick against adoption have at one point or the
other sought for adoption of either themselves or candidates they
supported.

“I have had the privilege of forming the Arewa Lawyers Forum.
Before then, there were Egbe Omofin, EBF and later came Midwestern
Bar Forum,” he said.

He further stated that he is troubled about the way NBA
politicians are going about the Bar politics, noting that adoption
as a policy saves a lot of corruptions.

“The rate at which people go about spending money to be elected
to lead the Bar should worry any right thinking member of the
profession.

“We have now Bar politicians who on two yearly basis put
themselves forward as consultants to candidates and collecting
their money in the most corrupt ways.

“There is no point deceiving ourselves. Adoption if strictly
adhere to saves a lot of corruptions going on now.

“We must avoid a situation where we as lawyers will turn the Bar
to murky waters of conventional politics in Nigeria which seems to
have crossed the boundary of decency. NBA as a professional
Association must be led by those who have core value for the ethics
of the profession and by those who are prepared to defend the
profession within the ambit of the rule of law.

“I am fully in support of adoption because a person from a
particular Zone must first show his or her acceptability from his
root and be ready to submit his or herself to the authorities of
his or her Zone.

“That is a mini primary. If you cannot respect your root or
decision taken by your root then tendency exist that when you
forced yourself on the Bar, you are not likely to respect decisions
of other Zones. That is where dictatorship starts from. Inordinate
ambition shouldn’t be encouraged,” JS added.

TheNigerialawyer recalls that Mrs. Funke Adekoya SAN had earlier
criticized the act of adoption in an interview with THIS DAY
Newspaper, stressing that it is unnecessary since rotation is
permitted in the NBA Constitution.