A Nigerian lawyer, Comrade Chetam Thierry Nwala, has raised strong concerns about the direction of the legal profession, saying it is no longer the respected and noble field it once was.
In a message shared publicly, Nwala said that the legal profession is being damaged from within by some of its most senior and powerful members. According to him, these lawyers many of whom built their careers during better times are now the ones weakening the system they once benefited from.
“These people don’t care about justice or fairness anymore,” Nwala said. “All that matters to them is money and power.”
He also said that they influence NBA elections every year, push their friends and family members into top roles, and make decisions not based on merit, but personal interest. At the same time, Nwala believes the NBA has become weak and quiet, failing to take legal action on serious national issues because its leaders don’t want to upset those who helped them into office.
One of the biggest problems, he said, is the way young lawyers are treated. Many junior lawyers are paid very little despite doing most of the work in law firms. Yet during NBA elections, some of these senior lawyers sponsor their practice fees and use them to win votes only to forget them once the elections are over.
Nwala also criticised the legal advice some of these senior lawyers give to politicians and security agencies, saying it often weakens the impact of court rulings and encourages disobedience to the law.
What worries him most is that many young lawyers don’t realise how serious the problem is. Instead of speaking out, they often defend the very people who are harming the system.
“We’ve stayed silent for too long,” he said. “The profession is now being mocked. If we don’t speak up, we’ll lose what little is left of its respect.”
Nwala ended his statement by saying he’s not afraid of the consequences of speaking the truth. Even if they try to silence him, he believes it’s better to speak up than to stay quiet while the profession falls apart.
