Too few lawyers working on public interest matters - Fapohunda, Ekiti AG

• Harps on lawyers joining politics, becoming part of decision-making, solution finding process 

The Attorney General of Ekiti State, Olawale Fapohunda has decried the low number of lawyers working on public interest matters in Nigeria. This, according to him, is why limited progress is made in the areas of reforms of the justice sector.

Fapohunda made this assertion yesterday during a session on ‘Conversation on leadership and followership’ at the ongoing Annual General Conference of the Nigeria Bar Association held in Port Harcourt. 

Fapohunda said a key reason why limited progress is being made in the area of reforms of the justice sector is that lawyers are simply not interested in doing the thankless and not profitable job of championing the required reforms. 

He emphasized that another major obstacle to achieving reforms is the limited number of lawyers willing to go into government. According to him “we need to eschew the reasoning that those of us who go into government have been inflicted with some contagious disease” 

Citing his experience as Attorney General, he said, “it must now be obvious to all that many of the  ideas being championed by the NBA including laws and institutional reforms will simply not be realized without interface with the government”. 

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria-designate further stated that the enormous influence of the Federal and State Attorneys-General on governance matters cannot be overstated. He said it is therefore necessary that lawyers get into politics and become part of the decision making and the solution-finding process.

Fapohunda in his introductory remarks informed participants about the progress being made in the reform of the justice system in Ekiti State, including the holistic review of the laws of Ekiti state, strengthening the capacity of the ministry of justice to provide justice especially for the poor and vulnerable and aggressively pursuing a zero-tolerance policy for all form of violence against women.

Key presenters at the session were Senator Bukola Saraki, Former Senate President and Bishop Mathew Kukah. The session was moderated Seun Okinbaloye of Channels TV.