Steve Ovirih
The Nigerian Bar Association Okitipupa branch has held its 2019 Law week.
The three in one grand finale of the weeklong programme took place on Friday, the 1st February at the Royal Bay Event center in Okitipupa, southern senatorial district of Ondo state.
The all lawyers affair featured a dinner, public lecture presentation of awards as well as the investiture of patrons and patroness.
The guest lecturer, Chief Akin Olujimi (SAN), former Attorney General and Minister of justice was on ground to do justice to the law week theme : Society , Insecurity and the Law.
The learned silk and senior legal luminary congratulated members of the Bar in Okitipupa , noting that no criminal allegation has been leveled against any member of the branch.
On the theme of the Law week, Chief Olujimi said man came into the world with natural rights and freedom but the insecurity in the society led to the emergence of the law.
The former Attorney General of the Federation while tracing the evolution of the society in his lecture noted that the society of man at its inception was meant to be peaceful with man’s inalienable rights intact. Citing Thomas Hobbes theory of social contract , Olujimi said the principle of the survival of the fittest initiated general insecurity where the weaklings surrender their freedom to the potentates or they face the wrath and aggression of the powerful.
He stressed that laws evolved in human society to checkmate the raw brutality of the Hobessian state of nature.
While zeroing in on Nigeria, Chief Charles Akinlolu Olujimi stressed that no serious government trifles with security of the country, maintain ing that the fundamental responsibility of government is to ensure there is no threat to the nation’s security from within while warding off any likelihood of external aggression to the nation state.
He opined that where any individual’s fundamental rights or an attempt to press for such rights threatens national security, the overriding interest of the nation takes preeminence.
” The rule of law is absolutely important but you cannot plead the rule of law where national security is threatened.
” Human rights have limits and regulations and when human rights limits are breached under the guise of a clamour for the expression of fundamental human rights, government is at liberty to wield the big hammer.
“For instance, when Federal Government embarked on the demolition of houses in Abuja under my watch as the federation’s Attorney general, there was uproar about government’s breach of fundamental human rights and when foreign journalists sought my opinion, I maintained that when a house owner willfully violated building regulation he has breached his own human rights as no government will overlook the laws that recognise building regulation of a federal capital city”.
The guest speaker however maintained that every government must guarantee justice for the people , “no matter how well written the constitution, it cannot work in the hands of wrong men.”
Justice, Olujimi said, is predicated on fair hearing and it is an important requirement in adjudication.
A major highlight of the colorful event was the presentation of awards to eminent legal luminaries and the recognition cum investiture of NBA Okitipupa patrons and patroness .
Among the awardees were the guest lecturer Chief Charles Olujimi , SAN, Prof Koya Ogen and Prof Igbekele Ajibefun.
Others were Hon. Princess Oladunni Odu, Chief Olusola Oke , SAN, High Chief Karina Tunyan, SAN, Asiwaju Oluyemi Ogunyemi and Sir Sehinde Fadeni.
In the roll call list of the distinguished patrons and patroness are Mr Tayo Oyetibo, SAN , Adeniyi Adegbonmire , SAN , Richard Akintunde ,SAN.
Others are Chief Olajide Ajana, Ebun Olu Adegboruwa and Princess Olufunmilayo Nejo- Oluyede.
In a chat with the polity online, Chairman NBA , Okitipupa branch, Bar. Omololu Nelson Bagbe congratulated members of the Okitipupa branch of NBA for the success of the 2019 law week.
He said, “this year’s law week was packaged to reenact the cherished fame and growing potentials of Okitipupa Bar for posterity.”
