The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, has called for greater accountability within the legal profession, warning that lawyers cannot demand scrutiny of the judiciary while shielding themselves from examination.
She spoke at the Supreme Court’s special session on October 12, marking the opening of the 2026/2027 legal year and the conferment of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria on 68 practitioners.
According to Premium Times, her address connected professional discipline with the wider challenge of rebuilding public confidence in justice.
Petitions against lawyers raise concern
In her official address published by the NBA, Badejo-Okusanya disclosed that petitions against lawyers constituted the largest share of correspondence reaching her office since she assumed leadership.
She identified mishandling client money, misleading advice, poor communication and claims of improper influence over judges as conduct capable of damaging the entire profession.
However, she stressed that every petition remained an allegation requiring fair examination. No practitioner, she said, should be condemned without being heard.
Public confidence must be earned
The NBA President also urged lawyers to avoid unnecessary applications and unsupported objections that prolong proceedings. She called on public officers to obey court orders and cautioned counsel against turning dissatisfaction with judgments into unsubstantiated accusations against judges.
Her address proposed a nationwide Bench–Bar effort focused on punctual sittings, fewer avoidable adjournments, clearer information for litigants and timely consideration of credible complaints.
She maintained that the NBA would defend judicial independence while pursuing substantiated misconduct allegations through proper channels.
The proposal places everyday professional conduct at the centre of the reform conversation. Its practical significance will lie in whether complainants receive timely answers and whether court users experience measurable improvements.
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