Chukwudi Enebili, a senior advocate in Nigeria, has spoken out against what he sees as a worrying trend: the steadily declining ethical standards within the legal profession.
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The 2025 Law Week Planning Committee head, Enebili, spoke at a news conference on Friday at the Nigerian Bar Association’s Ikeja Branch office. He noted that the country was going through a “trying period,” and that this had an impact on the legal profession as well.
Both our nation and our profession are going through a difficult time right now. He explained that they wanted to reflect on their current position as professionals and Nigerians by selecting that theme for the year.
“Preserving the Legal Profession for Tomorrow” is the theme of the 2025 NBA Ikeja Annual Law Week. The subject, according to Enebili, is “both timely and necessary,” especially in light of the recent downturn in professionalism and ethical behaviour among lawyers. On Friday, July 11, a Jumat prayer was held at the Old Secretariat Mosque to kick off the week-long festival.
The Bar Centre played host to a church Thanksgiving ceremony on Sunday. Also in the Bar Centre on Monday, July 14, at 5:00 pm, is the opening cocktail.
On Tuesday, July 15, the flagship plenary session will be held at the Marriott Hotel, Ikeja. Ola Olukoyede, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, will make the keynote presentation.
On top of that, there will be a unique “Young Lawyer Session” that is themed “Walking Steadily to the Top.” This session will highlight 30 young solicitors who have achieved remarkable success in the courtroom. At the end of the evening, Chief Emeka Ozoani (SAN) will be honoured with a chairman’s supper.
The plenary proceedings will pick up again at the Providence Hotel, GRA Ikeja, on Wednesday, July 16, with Professor Fabian Ajogwu (SAN) delivering the keynote speech.
Professor Foluke Dada of Caleb University’s Law School, Oyinkansola Badejo-Olusanya, and Professor Kemi Pinheiro of the SAN are among the other confirmed speakers for the occasion.
Speakers at the different sessions are likely to include Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), Mr. Olalekan Ojo (SAN), and Mr. Dele Adesina (SAN).
On Thursday, July 17, at the Providence Hotel, the Law Week will culminate with the Alao Aka-Bashorun Memorial Lecture.
Earlier in his welcome speech, Mr. Adeniyi Quadri, Chairman of the NBA Ikeja Branch, stated that this year’s Law Week would examine the profession’s future in great detail and seek out measures to maintain its honour and reputation.
The week-long event has served as a venue for critical engagement with urgent national and worldwide socio-political issues, as well as a consistent stimulant of ideas, according to Quadri, who listed this as one of the event’s highlights.
To be clear, this Law Week is unlike any other convention. It’s instigating a response. He warned that the legal profession may be in danger if current trends continue, thus the group is concentrating on plans to ensure its survival.