Deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Benjamin Kalu has demanded strict adherence to the rule of law from lawyers and legal practitioners, as doing otherwise will open the society up for chaos.
Kalu who is also lawyer, made the demand when the president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yakubu Maikyau, SAN, paid him a visit at his office.
In a statement issued yesterday by his special assistant on press affairs, Udora Odichimma Orizu, the deputy speaker urged the NBA to ensure that they contribute to nation building through various channels of leadership.
The lawmaker recalled how delighted he was during the campaign of Maikyau that eventually culminated in his election as the NBA president.
Kalu said he had no doubts Maikyau would perform well, having known him as one with inbuilt capacity to deliver on his mandate.
The deputy speaker assured the NBA of his attendance at the upcoming 63rd Annual General Conference of the NBA, scheduled to hold in Abuja from August 25 to September 1, 2023.
He said, “You have the intellectual prowess and presence to excel in the position and you have been doing us proud since your emergence. We don’t have any regrets. Like you likely pointed out, there’s a role for us all in nation building.
“As lawyers, we know that law governs anything we do and in the absence of law, you are opening the society up for chaos. We will become what we want to be when everyone carries his brick to build it. There’s a brick for everyone to carry, the government and the citizens alike”.
Earlier, Maikyau told Kalu that he came to congratulate him on his emergence as deputy speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.
He expressed confidence in Kalu’s ability to carry out the demands of his office and urged him to attend the 63rd Annual General Conference of the NBA.
Meanwhile, the deputy speaker expressed shock over the sudden demise of a renowned jurist and Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Justice Chima Centus Nweze, who passed on Sunday.
Kalu said he was saddened by the passing, noting that it was a colossal loss for Nigeria’s judicial system.
He however described the eminent jurist as a man of deep knowledge who contributed immensely to the growth and development of Nigerian jurisprudence.
“I must confess that I was shocked by the report of His Lordship’s demise. I have read positive commentaries about his life, times and exploits in the legal community. Hon. Justice C. C Nweze, I must say, impacted his world especially the Nigerian jurisprudence.
“His geometric rise from the High Court to the Appeal Court and then, the Supreme Court in 2014 revealed to me a man of deep knowledge and consistent character, worthy of emulation.
“I sympathize with his family, his immediate colleagues, Hon. Justices at the apex court, the Enugu State government, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the entire legal community in Nigeria. Indeed, he will be dearly missed. May God accept his soul,” he said.
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