A retired justice of the Federal High Court, Justice Taiwo Taiwo, has charged that the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) have failed to handle petitions against influential and senior solicitors.
He appeared as a guest on the Law Weekly show on Channels Television, which was hosted by Shola Soyele.
According to the retired judge, the reason for inconsistent rulings is a lack of cooperation and communication among judges.
He stated, “I think there ought to be a situation where judgements are circulated all over.”
Regarding such matters, the LPDC committee is not operating as it ought to.
“There have been instances where highly senior solicitors have written petitions in matters that will never be heard. To ensure that solicitors, regardless of their identity, do not collapse, the NBA must step up to the plate. To show folks what A or B are doing, let’s open the backside of the turkey or the ostrich.”
He stated that the NBA must take action if it is detrimental to the legal profession.
“The NBA is not doing enough, and particularly when it comes to extremely senior lawyers, they refuse to take any action. Let’s not fool ourselves. Rub my back; I’ll rub yours. That’s what it is. It comes down to you cannot offend so and so. How come you can’t irritate so and so? If someone is going to disparage your profession, you need to be ready to explain that what you are doing is incorrect.”
