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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
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Court to enforce payment of practice fees
LAWYERS in Lagos State who had not paid their professional practice fees by March 31, this year, are in for a surprise in the state's new legal year, which begins today.
The new Chief Judge of the state, Justice Augustine Ade-Alabi while receiving in audience executive members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Lagos branch, said that a regulation requiring evidence of payment of practising fees by lawyers will be enforced as soon as he receives the full list of lawyers who have complied from the national secretariat of the NBA.
Alabi also told the delegates, led by the chairman, Mr. Akin Akinbote that "unknown to two lawyers, their requests to be appointed as judges was rejected by the National Judicial Council (NJC) for their failure to produce their practice fees as and when due."
The National Secretariat of the NBA in a statement endorsed by the former president Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and Secretary, Mr. Dele Adesina last May, said "any lawyer who did not pay his practising fees as at March 31, 2004" should be denied "any right of audience" by all judicial officers in the country.
The statement added that the sanction was in line with a directive by the NBA National Executive Committee (NEC), which met in Lokoja, Kogi State between February 12 and 13 this year.
It reads: "The attention of all our judges, magistrates and judicial officers is drawn to the fact that any legal practitioner whose name does not appear in the published list is not entitled to any right of audience in any court in Nigeria."
The statement urged all judicial officers in the country to enforce the provisions of laws and the Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC) in the legal profession by denying legal practitioners who had not paid their fees by March 31, 2004 any right of audience.
Responding to Akinbote's request, Alabi said that the state judiciary under his administration will strive to remove all roadblocks militating against the delivery of justice to the people.
He hinted on reforms being introduced at the Registry, Probate and Deputy Sherrif sections.
Alabi also exchanged views with the lawyers over the smooth implementation of the New High Court Rules.
The Chief Judge further advised all three branches of the NBA in the state - Lagos, Ikeja and Ikorodu - to harmonise their programmes, especially the judges/bar forum.
On the delegation with Akinbote were the Vice-Chairman Foluso Fayokun, the Secretary, Mr. Taiwo Taiwo and Assistant Publicity Secretary, Mr. Gbolahan Gbadamosi.
In a related development, the state judiciary has announced new postings for its judges in the four divisions of the state, namely Lagos, Ikeja, Ikorodu and Badagry. The reshufflement also covered general civil, land, commercial, criminal, family and probate and revenue divisions.
Justice Dolapo Akinsanya will now move into the former court and chambers of Justice Alabi, in Lagos. Judges in the criminal division, Ikeja who will retain their courts are Justices Bernedicta Shitta-Bey, D.O. Oluwayemi and Joseph Oyewole.
Also in Lagos, the daughter of late Chief Debo Akande, Justice Adenike Coker, Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour and Justice R. Adebiyi of the Revenue Division will also retain their courts.
Also today, at the Sheraton and Hotels, Ikeja lagos the association will hold its second interactive session tagged "2004 Wisdom Luncheon", a forum meant to hold ideas, especially between the younger and the older lawyers
The forum is slated for Sheraton and Towers Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos. The programme is billed to hold at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja by 2.00 p.m. `
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