*Says hard decision, though painful, ‘ll confers benefits to Nigerians in due course
*Promises to take necessary action on living wages for judicial officers
President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerian lawyers to change their mindsets on national issues affecting the country and join hands with other stakeholders to develop Nigeria.
Tinubu also urged Nigerian lawyers to be united and be committed to the greatness of the country, asking them to join him in banishing poverty in Nigeria.
The President stated this while addressing about 16,190 lawyers at their Annual General Conference (AGC) which opened on Sunday at the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
The theme of the conference is titled, “Getting it right: Charting the course for Nigeria’s nation building”.
Speaking on the need to join hands together in salvaging the country and the uniqueness of the event, Tinubu said: “The challenge is for us to put up a united Nigeria that is committed to greatness.
Unless we do it ourselves, we cannot achieve it. I’m not being cynical, I’m being factual.
The renewed hope is here but its success is dependent on all of us. Poverty is not a shameful thing but it’s not acceptable, we must banish it.”
But Tinubu warned that the journey may be tasking, saying that the joy and harvest will manifest over time.
He said, “It could be painful at the beginning but we will reap the fruits in the medium and long term. It’s not about us but about the future, generations yet unborn”.
President Tinubu also stated that the prosperity Nigerians require will only occur once poverty is banished from the society with the focused cooperation of Nigeria’s private sector leaders, many of whom were present at the opening ceremony.
He said, “Can we continue to service external debts with 90% of our revenue? It is a path to destruction. It is not sustainable.
We must make the very difficult changes that are necessary for our country to get up from slumber and be respected among the great nations of the world.”
Speaking on the theme of the conference titled: “Getting it Right: Charting the Course for Nigeria’s Nation-Building,” the President stated that hard decisions must be made to set the country on a growth trajectory, despite the initial pains which meaningful reforms usually bring.
He said, “We cannot have the country we desire without the reforms we have initiated. It is painful at the beginning, in the short and medium term, but we must do what we have to do to take this nation to its great destiny.
It is not about you and it is not about me. It is about our generations yet unborn, for whom we must bequeath a great and prosperous country.”
Against the backdrop of the renowned judicial reforms he undertook as Lagos State Governor, President Tinubu renewed his commitment to deal conclusively with the pressing issue of remuneration for judicial officers and legal practitioners, saying that true justice reform must begin with world-class salaries and benefits for legal professionals in Nigeria.
He said, “You are learned. I want to learn. Why are we so blessed and we are still lacking? We must have a change of attitude and a change of our mindset. We accuse our nation and its previous leaders. We complain alot of the past. Is that the solution? But the lawyers responded with thunderous No!
The President then said, “Let us look forward and be determined! God has given us what we need. We must work hard with determination to make our country great and it begins with you who are seated here with me.”
Referring to the keynote address delivered by the Chairman of UBA Plc and Heirs Holdings, Mr. Tony Elumelu, who he praised for setting an agenda for economic growth and development, Tinubu bemoaned the inability of the country to eradicate poverty and tackle poor electricity supply, despite Nigeria’s abundance of gas.
He also made a commitment that his administration will ensure that Nigeria generates and distributes the electricity the economy requires to thrive.
He said, “Yes, it is a shame not to have adequate electricity for the mass majority of homes in Nigeria and to power our industries.
How can we address poverty without electricity? We can take many people out of poverty with uninterrupted electricity supply. Poverty is not acceptable, and we must banish it.”
Tinubu also thanked the NBA for the honour of addressing Nigerian lawyers at the conference, asking them to correct him if and when he makes mistakes as he is ready to lean under learned minds.
He said, “Tonight, you have honoured me to address this gathering, I say thank you very much. I’m not a lawyer but out of great respect… so that I don’t make many mistakes, I don’t say I won’t make many mistakes, but not too many costly mistakes, I surrounded myself with many brilliant minds and one of them is Lateef Fagbemi SAN.
“We have to get it right. The NBA plays a very strategic role in the country. It’s a strategic profession.
Tinubu also said he looks forward, with determination, knowing that God has given Nigerians a creative mind to excel.
He said, “Nigeria is our country, our motherland, our responsibility. Let me also thank a number of you here volunteering to defend me … it’s not about money but about your love and trust in my capacity. Thank you. Whatever I’m doing wrong, tell me, I will change it”.
The President thereafter declared the conference open.
In his speech, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), thanked the Almighty God for the privilege of serving as the 24th HAGF of this country and to the President for finding him worthy of the appointment.
In his welcome address, the NBA President, Mr Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), told President Tinubu that the theme of the year’s conference, ”Getting it right”, is harping on the need and importance of getting things right in the country.
Maikyau said, “Your excellency, we can’t talk about getting it right – which is the theme of this conference- without talking about your track record and your achievements in Lagos. You have done well. On behalf of members, I welcome your excellency to this conference with a renewed hope”.
Maikyau further thanked Tinubu for his choice of Fagbemi as the AGF, calling him (Fagbemi) as one of the NBA’s best who is a round peg in a round hole.
He said, “And what is more, your excellency, you have surrounded yourself with lawyers like the Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, the NSA, Nuhu Ribadu and our Chief Host, the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike who is a Life Bencher”.
