Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. (Barr) 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 on Tuesday when the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Yakubu Maikyau, SAN, paid him a visit at his office on Tuesday evening.
Kalu 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 performance well, having known him as one with inbuilt capacity to deliver on
Kalu said, “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”.
A statement signed by Udora Odichimma Orizu, Special Assistant, Press Affairs to the Deputy Speaker revealed that 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.
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.
While expressing his confidence on Kalu’s ability to carryout the demands of the office, he urged him to attend the 63rd Annual General Conference of the NBA, scheduled to hold in Abuja from 25th of August to 1st of September 2023.
“It’s 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.
