Ikechukwu Maximus Ugwuoke, frontline aspirant to National Welfare Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, has described lawyers are True Nation builders. He made this observation in his commendation message to Ikorodu Branch of NBA in their ongoing law week programme themed "Nation Building: Our collective responsibility ".
According to Ugwuoke, "The theme of the Law week reminds me of the popular poem of Henry Barlow (Uganda) titled "Building the Nation" and the very first stanza of the poem that reads:
'Today I did my share In building the nation. I drove a Permanent Secretary to an important, urgent function in fact, to a luncheon at the Vic'
In the same vein, I joined the Ikorodu Branch of the NBA to do our own share of building the nation. I was privileged to be part of the activities of the first day of their law week taking place from 11th to 16th of May 2022. I was privileged to witness their press conference, I interacted with the executives of the branch and the branch Fida executives. I also participated in their road walk against domestic violence. The placards used during the road walk which read 'NBA say no to drug abuse, NBA say no to Pornography, NBA say no to Domestic Child Labour' etc were used to drive the messages home as we walked round the streets of Ikorodu.
Lawyers are indeed true nation builders; their contributions to nation building through their services to the nation are unequalled. This is underscored in the following words of Fred Rodell; 'It is the lawyers who run our civilization for us — our governments, our business, our private lives. Most legislators are lawyers; they make our laws. Most presidents, governors, commissioners, along with their advisers and brain-trusters are lawyers; they administer our laws. All the judges are lawyers; they interpret and enforce our laws. There is no separation of powers where the lawyers are concerned. There is only a concentration of all government power — in the lawyers.'
I am grateful to the Adimbola Ojedokun led executive of the branch of NBA and the Chairman of the law week committee Rotimi Ogunleye and a host of other members of the branch who turned out enmass to join in the branch week long activities of building the nation.