At the 2025 Law Week of the Nigerian Bar Association, Uyo Branch, themed “Standing Together for the Legal Profession”, the President of the NBA, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, delivered a stirring address that underscored the urgent need for unity and purposeful collaboration within the legal profession.
Reflecting on the theme, the NBA President remarked that “Standing together reminds us of how far we can go if we are united as a profession.”
He emphasized that the Law Week should serve not just as a celebration, but as an opportunity to recalibrate our shared commitment to justice, and to strengthen the synergy between the Bar and the Bench.
“This is a time,” he said, “for us to ask ourselves critical questions: How can we stand together? How can we achieve more as a collective? How can we work better together to ensure justice is not only done but seen to be done?”
Mazi Afam Osigwe highlighted that the Bar and the Bench are not two separate entities but pillars of the same temple of justice. According to him, neither can one truly fulfill its role without the other, particularly at a time when public confidence in legal institutions is in desperate need of reinforcement.
In a powerful illustration of the value of unity, the President shared the story of two snails, drawing inspiration from a recent viral post.
The story tells of two snails who, despite being the slowest of creatures, reached the top of Noah’s Ark, not by competing, but by sticking together. “This,” he said, “is a parable for our profession. Progress, even slow, is guaranteed when we walk together.”
The President’s message was clear: standing together is not just about solidarity, it is about shared purpose, mutual respect, and a renewed dedication to the ideals of justice and service.
