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Dokubo-Spiff, Bakare charge young lawyers on professionalism

By Joseph Onyekwere
29 August 2017   |   1:34 am
The Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government, His Royal Highness, David Serena Dokubo-Spiff has charged young lawyers to brace up to the challenge of improving the fortunes of legal profession in the nearest future.

Cameroonian lawyer, Jaques Jonathan (left); Pastor Tunde Bakare, HRH Serena Dokubo-Spiff; Ms. Funmi Odude and Mr. Lanre Olusola at the just concluded Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) national conference in Lagos.

The Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government, His Royal Highness, David Serena Dokubo-Spiff has charged young lawyers to brace up to the challenge of improving the fortunes of legal profession in the nearest future.

He gave the charge at a breakout session for young lawyers at the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) annual general Conference.The event with the theme ‘generation X lawyers’ was designed to ignite and inspire Nigerian young lawyers.

The consummate legal practitioner and founder, Serenity Chambers said: “Indeed the phraseology of the theme is as exotic as it is intriguing. The purpose of this session is to bring to fore, the need for awareness of the significant role young people of this country could play in the drive towards overall national development. 

“Generation X is about that category of highly trained young men and women who are citizens of a great country, endowed with almost limitless opportunities, but who are yet to be deployed, or who are yet to deploy themselves, to the task of enhancing the Legal Profession or advancing our beloved nation. Generation X therefore, must retool, rejig and revamp.”

Quoting legendary William Shakespeare in his Julius Caesar, he said:” …We must take the current when it serves, or lose all our ventures.”
His words: “Let me conclude by enjoining all young lawyers to be both focused and adventurous at the same time, focused on target, adventurous in method. You must refuse to be shackled in any way, shape or form.

“Generation X, I urge you to rise up and propel the Legal Profession and our beloved country to unprecedented heights and glory.” Also, the lead speaker, Pastor Tunde Bakare, said the young ones are not willing to take up leadership positions and those who are willing are not able to do so.

According to him, one of the greatest tragedies in Nigeria today is that the nation recycles its past leaders. He said that what Nigeria really needs is wisdom from old and experienced people and in synergy with the energy and drive of the young.

He posited that a nation cannot develop without learning from its history. He warned Nigerian youth never again to allow the old to declare war for the young to fight.  

Bakare decried the removal of pupillage from legal practice in Nigeria, and maintained that it is one of the reasons legal practice in Nigeria is witnessing falling standards.

Discussants at the session included Funmilayo Odude, who is the Managing Partner at Damon Law Practice, motivational speaker and Life Coach, Lanre Olusola and US and Paris trained Cameroonian lawyer, Jacques Jonathan. 

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