Comrade Chetam Thierry Nwala has spoken out strongly about what he believes is the steady collapse of the legal profession in Nigeria. In his words, the once noble and respected profession is being destroyed from within by some of its most powerful members.
According to him, senior lawyers who have benefitted from the system are now using their influence to weaken it. He claims they no longer care about justice or fairness but are more focused on money and power.
“They’ve formed a cabal. They don’t believe in due process or honesty. They only care about what enters their pockets,” Nwala said.
He accused this group of taking over the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), manipulating leadership elections, and deciding who becomes a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
“They’ve turned the NBA into their personal property. They choose who becomes SAN, judge, or even NBA president every year.”
Nwala also blamed them for the lack of respect for court judgments by politicians and security agents, saying that these senior lawyers give misleading legal advice to support political interests.
He expressed sadness over how young lawyers — many of whom look up to these senior figures — are being used for elections and then ignored.
“Every two years, they pay young lawyers’ practice fees just to get them to vote. But after elections, those same young lawyers are forgotten.”
He criticized the poor treatment and low pay that many junior lawyers receive in law firms, especially those owned by these powerful figures.
“They pay juniors peanuts, yet these juniors are the ones doing all the hard work.”
Nwala called on young lawyers to wake up and speak out against the injustice happening in the profession. He said many young lawyers don’t understand the damage being done and are too quick to defend those responsible.
“We’ve been silent too long. The legal profession is now being mocked by society. If you truly love this profession, now is the time to stand and speak.”
He ended his message by saying he is ready to face any consequence for speaking out, even if it means being debarred.
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