President Buhari's Daughter Called To The Nigerian Bar

Daughter of the President, Halima Buhari, an octogenarian, Enebeli Pius Chika and another 2, 257 law graduates have been admitted into the Nigerian Bar.

The ceremony attracted the presence of the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari and other members of the first family at the International Conference Centre in Abuja.

Halima was not the only centre of attraction at the colourful ceremony as there was also an 80 year old graduate of the Law school who caught the eyes of dignitaries at the event.

While presenting successful candidates for the call to bar, the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Mr. Olanrewaju Onadeko, admonished the new wigs to strive to ensure that the sanctity of the legal profession was not compromised.

Onadeko said the candidates were eligible to become members of the legal profession having successfully completed the vocational training at the Nigerian Law School as prescribed by the Legal Education Act.

He drew the attention of legal body to the persistent challenge of violation of admission quotas by some Faculties of Law in the country.

He said: “The allocated figures are a product of empirical evaluation of available facilities in the Faculties.
“Consequently, failure to keep to these numbers impacts negatively on the quality of the products. The extent of violation has been profound in some cases”.

Onadeko appealed to varsity authorities that “due heed should be paid to the decision of the Council of Legal Education and the National Universities Commission in this regard.”

Speaking on the imperative of good character, Onadeko pointed out that the essence of the insistence on good character for eligibility for admission, was to shiled it from those with propensity to act at variance with the “interest of their clients, the profession itself and the justice.‎

While congratulating the newest set of lawyers in the country, the law teacher, reminded them of the challenge of bench marking on minimum international best practices and advised them to aim at the top level in their all endeavours.

In a related development, Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Bandele Aiku (SAN), told the new lawyers that success at the Bar demands more than distinction in law examinations, “it demands of correct behaviours, of true and proper professional spirit and of proper understanding and wise use of the tools of the craft.”

Aiku highlighted the codes to include: “respect to the court and seniors, courage and independence, help and advice to colleagues.”

With over five decades of robust legal practice, Aiku told the new wigs that “the path to professional excellence at the Bar is long, tortuous, rough and bumpy.”

He, however, calmed their nerves as Aiku said the “profession is intellectually exciting and glamourous.”

One of the high points of the ceremony was the call to Bar of an 80-year-old Enebeli Pius Chuka, whom the law school boss said made history as the oldest new wig ever to be produced by the law school.