A legal practitioner, Tope Temokun, has called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to confront what he described as a fundamental decline in the Association’s values and public influence, arguing that the real crisis facing the body is not about any particular individual or invitee, but about the institution itself.
Temokun made the remarks while reflecting on the controversy surrounding the NBA Conference in a statement following his earlier post of August 26, where he had argued that the controversy should not be reduced to disagreements over particular invitees.
According to him, the NBA must have the courage to acknowledge that its values have changed if it hopes to retrace its steps and begin the difficult process of rebuilding the institution.
He said lawyers had historically occupied a leading position in shaping national discourse through intellectual engagement, courage and public advocacy, but warned that the profession was gradually surrendering that space to others.
“When lawyers no longer lead the nation in thought, courage and public advocacy, we inevitably yield the stage to those willing to occupy it,” Temokun said.
He argued that lawyers could not abandon the public space and subsequently complain when other individuals and platforms stepped forward to fill the vacuum.
Temokun recalled a period when the NBA was regarded as a major voice in national affairs, particularly during the leadership of Alao Aka Bashorun, whom he described as “the Lion of the Bar.”
He noted that Aka Bashorun, who served as President of the NBA from 1987 to 1989, transformed perceptions of what it meant to be a lawyer in Nigeria by combining legal practice with strong public advocacy.
According to Temokun, Aka Bashorun demonstrated that the practice of law should go beyond earning a living and that lawyers had a responsibility to confront injustice and oppression.
He specifically recalled Aka Bashorun’s confrontation with the military government and his leadership of what he described as the first boycott of courts by Nigerian lawyers in protest against the disobedience of court orders.
Temokun said the period represented an NBA that was capable of leading public thought, defending the rule of law and compelling the nation to listen to the legal profession.
He contrasted that era with the current situation, arguing that the Association could no longer assume that its platform was the dominant avenue for shaping public discourse.
“The NBA platform is no longer the only platform available to anyone who wishes to reach the public. If our platform loses its place as a leading voice, other platforms will take over. Social media itself is larger than the NBA platform,” he said.
However, he stressed that the NBA must not allow its platform to become merely another social media outlet.
He said the Association must determine the purpose of its platform and the values it wants it to represent, while first taking steps to rebuild public confidence and restore its institutional authority.
Temokun called on the incoming leadership of the NBA to draw lessons from the Aka Bashorun era and use it as a template for rebuilding the Association.
He urged the new leadership to commence what he described as the process of restoring the NBA to its rightful position as the conscience of the nation.
He said the Association should take the lead in national conversations concerning justice, governance, constitutionalism, human rights and the rule of law.
According to him, the NBA should no longer wait until controversies emerge before taking positions, but should proactively put forward ideas, engage national issues and take principled positions before public opinion becomes overwhelming.
He also urged the leadership to rediscover the courage to confront power while maintaining the discipline required to defend the core values of the legal profession.
“These are the things that should worry us,” he said.
Temokun maintained that the current situation was partly the result of choices made within the profession, insisting that lawyers themselves had contributed to the vacuum now being occupied by other voices.
“We created the vacuum. We changed the values. We yielded the stage,” he said.
He concluded that unless members of the legal profession found the courage and willingness to acknowledge the changes that had taken place within the Association and confront them honestly, efforts to retrace the NBA’s steps and rebuild its lost influence would remain difficult.
— Tope Temokun