Support fight against corruption, Works Minister tasks lawyers

Minister of State for Works, Barrister Muhammad Bello Goronyo has charged lawyers to present themselves to serve as key drivers in the ongoing fight against corruption and promotion of rule of law.

The Minister of State for Works, Barrister Muhammad Bello Goronyo, while highlighting the eight priority areas of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s  Renewed  Hope Agenda, urged lawyers to present themselves and serve as key drivers in the fight against corruption and promotion of rule of law.

The minister made the call in Sokoto on Saturday at the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Young Lawyers Forum Summit, organised by the Sokoto State Branch of the NBA.

He called on them to work hard and contribute their respective quotas towards the attainment of these noble objectives.

According to him, “Nigeria’s legal system, like many around the world, faces serious challenges, ranging from inefficient justice delivery, a persistent need to curb judicial corruption, and outdated laws that do not always reflect and address the current realities.

“As young lawyers, you must strive to build character and a name for yourselves. To succeed in building character and name, you must equip yourselves with the knowledge of the relevant provisions of the Legal Practitioners Act and Rules of Professional Conduct for lawyers, which prohibit certain unethical conduct or practices among lawyers”.

The minister cautioned the young layers against the  ‘get rich quick syndrome’ counseling them to harness the opportunities available within the bounds of the law to impact positively on the nation’s judicial and legal communities.

“Today, we have technology at our fingers that facilitates and streamlines case management, enhances legal research, and makes your voices easily heard by potential clients.

“This moment looks beyond mere knowledge and skills, it calls for vision, resilience, and a profound sense of purpose.

“President Bola Tinubu’s administration eight priority areas in reforming the nation’s economy to deliver sustained inclusive growth.

“Strengthening national security for peace and prosperity, boosting agriculture to achieve food security among others” he added.

Speaking in his remarks, the Chairman of the summit and Chief Judge of Sokoto, Justice Saidu Sifawa admonished young Lawyers to uphold utmost professionalism and avail themselves to learn and expand the broad of their knowledge to prepare them for the task ahead.

He said, “The challenges young lawyers are facing today are more distressing, one of which is owing to them being young in the profession.

“These challenges post significant obstacles to them  in  unfolding their potentialities. As we gather here today, we must recognise the urgency of those challenges and other issues that affect young lawyers,  with a view to harnessing  collective efforts to overcome them”.

Also speaking at the event, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 8 Division Nigerian Army Sokoto,  Brigadier General Ibikunle Ajose urged the young lawyers to use their legal knowledge to assist the less privileged and the marginalized members of the society, to uphold justice and also contribute to the betterment of the society.

He said, “As you embark on this journey, I urge you to  maintain the highest standards of integrity, ethics and professionalism. Let your actions be guided by the principles of justice equity and fairness.”

The Army Chief also used the avenue to announce a planned partnership with the legal practitioners in the state to hold a counter-terrorism law summit.

On her part. Chairman of the Sokoto branch of the Nigeria Bar Association, Rasheedat Abubakar, reaffirmed commitment of the branch to continue to support young lawyers to attain professional excellence and career progression through discipline and knowledge acquisition.

Also present at the event, were the Commissioners for Justice and attorneys general from Sokoto and Kebbi, as well as several legal practitioners and teachers of law from Usmanu Danfodio University and other scholars, who graced the occasion.

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