Fagbemi, Oyebode, Adesina to Lead Conversation on Restoring Hope in Judiciary

Wale Igbintade

Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), will lead other prominent Nigerians in the legal profession, media, and academics in a dialogue on how to salvage the image of the Nigerian judiciary at the 2024 Gavel International Annual Conference slated for November 29.

Fagbemi will deliver the keynote address at the event, with the theme, “The Judiciary as the Last Hope of the Common Man: Media and Legal Perspectives.”

The lecture will be chaired by the founder of one of Nigeria’s top law firms, Aluko & Oyebode Law Firm, Mr. Gbenga Oyebode.

Oyebode, who is also Chairman of Nestle Nigeria Plc and Lafarge Africa, equally sits on the boards of EnterpriseNGR Professional Advocacy Group, Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Centre, and the Rele Arts Foundation.

Former General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Dele Adesina, SAN, will deliver the main lecture. He is Founder and Principal Partner, Dele Adesina LP, and a Life Bencher.

Publisher of Gavel International, Mustapha Ogunsakin, said the 2024 annual lecture was designed to kick off conversation on the restoration of confidence of citizens in the country’s judiciary, which appeared to be at an all-time low. 

Ogunsakin stated, “During the #EndSARS protests in 2020, a very major court building, the Lagos High Court, Igbosere, was razed by a mob. We saw the horrendous pictures of the burnt iconic building, particularly one of the arsonists in a lawyer’s garb of wig and gown, with a machete in his hand.

“For me, that is very a scary imagery. We must begin to restore the hope of the common man in the judiciary, especially. The alternative is anarchy.”

He stated that the legal and media professions — saddled with direct constitutional roles in the judicial system — must take the lead in restoring confidence in the judicial system.

According to him, “While the role of the legal profession is statutory, the media has the responsibility to represent the people by covering and reporting court proceedings, except it has to do with national security or cases involving minors. That is why the constitution made provision for a public gallery in every court where journalists occupy to report cases and disseminate to the public.”

Ogunsakin added that the faculty constituted for the lecture comprised notable lawyers, journalists, and academics, who will give perspectives on the subject.

Notable among the discussants were Professor Hope Eghagha, a professor of Literature and Literary Analysis at the University of Lagos, who will speak on how Nigerians currently perceived their judiciary.

Eghagha would be joined by Mr. Richard Akinnola, a foremost journalist and expert in judicial reporting, Mrs. Joke Layi-Babatunde, a Lagos-based lawyer, Mrs. Tomi Ajayi, jurist and expert in criminal law and proceedings, and foremost human rights activist, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN).