The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has demanded strict adherence to the rule of law from Nigeria lawyers and legal practitioners, saying that doing otherwise will open the society up for chaos.
The Deputy Speaker made the demand when the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Yakubu Maikyau, SAN, paid him a visit at his office.
He encouraged the NBA to ensure that they contribute to nation building through various channels of leadership.
The deputy speaker recalls how delighted he was during the campaign of Maikyau that eventually culminated to his election as the NBA President.
Kalu said he had no doubts Maikyau will perform well, having known him as one with inbuilt capacity to deliver.
“You have the intellectual prowess and presence to excel in the position and you have been doing us proud since your emergence. We don’t have any regrets. Like you likely pointed out, there’s a role for us all in nation building. As lawyers, we know that law governs anything we do and in the absence of law, you are opening the society up for chaos. We will become what we want to be when everyone carries his brick to build it. There’s a brick for everyone to carry, the government and the citizens alike,” Hon Kalu said.
The Deputy Speaker assured the NBA of his attendance at the upcoming 63rd Annual General Conference of the NBA, scheduled to hold in Abuja from 25th of August to 1st of September 2023.
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Earlier, President of the NBA, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau, told Kalu that he came to congratulate him on his emergence as Deputy Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives as well as invite him for the 63rd Annual General Conference.
“It is such an honor to be here, it’s such a great privilege to visit you, interact with you, at this level of our growth. Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu is my classmate, we sat together in same class when we did our residency at Oxford. That was the time when our bonding started. Of course, we’ve been colleagues but we never had the opportunity, ever since then we have kept the relationship. I have watched the trajectory of his growth in this profession. A growth that’s characterized by integrity, professionalism and the dexterity that you’ve brought to bear in the representation of your people. The Nigeria Bar Association cannot be luckier than it is now to have you at this time. It’s such an honor and privilege. When we met several years back I didn’t know that this is where we will find ourselves. I know you also owe all of this to God almighty”, Maikyau said.
In another development, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives has expressed shock over the sudden demise of a renowned jurist and Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Justice Chima Centus Nweze who passed on, Sunday, July 30, 2023.
Hon Kalu said that he was saddened by the passing, noting it was a colossal loss for Nigeria’s judicial system.
He however described the eminent jurist as a man of deep knowledge who contributed immensely to the growth and development of Nigerian jurisprudence.
The Deputy Speaker while sympathizing with the family of his Lordship, the supreme court, the body of benchers and country’s entire legal community enjoined them not to mourn like those without hope.
Kalu urged all to emulate the legacies of the deceased, praying God to accept and give him eternal rest.
“I must confess that I was shocked by the report of His Lordship’s demise. I have read positive commentaries about his life, times and exploits in the legal community. Hon. Justice C.C Nweze, I must say, impacted his world especially the Nigerian jurisprudence.
“I sympathize with his family, his immediate colleagues, Hon. Justices at the apex court, the Enugu State government, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and entire legal community in Nigeria. Indeed, he will be dearly missed. May God accept his soul”.
