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Why Many Nigerian Lawyers Cannot Practice In UK – Varsity Don

Published

3 years ago

December 15, 2022

A Professor of Law, Charles Adekoya, has said many Nigerian lawyers cannot practice in the United Kingdom due to their penchant for sharp practices and unethical conduct.

Adekoya said many Nigerian lawyers would have lost their licenses or been fined on the grounds of unprofessional practices.

He said unprofessional conduct is viewed very strictly in the UK, “a Barrister could be sanctioned for unnecessarily appealing against a concluded matter or for bringing an appeal that is baseless, including the award of cost and report to the regulatory body which might lead to the Barrister being debarred.”

The don disclosed that interlocutory applications, which are the stock in trade among Nigerian lawyers, are hardly initiated because of the likely negative consequences on the lawyer.

“Many of our colleagues could not practise in the UK as they would have had costs awarded against them or even lose their licences on grounds of unethical or professional misconduct,” he stated unequivocally.

Adekoya, who is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration at the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, demanded stiffer penalties, including withdrawal of practice licence, for lawyers found wanting.

Adekoya expressed worry that the public had lost confidence in the nation’s justice system, blaming this on various professional misconducts by lawyers and judicial officials.

Speaking while delivering the 103rd OOU Inaugural Lecture, the Professor said, ”corruption and unethical practices have suffocated the administration of civil justice in Nigeria.”

In the lecture titled, “Betrayal of the Poor in Accessing Justice in Nigeria: The Judas in our Midst,’ the lecturer lamented what he called the humongous challenges facing the poor in accessing justice in Nigeria, warning that lack of access to justice could force the less-privileged members of the society to resort to violent a mass protest, the type similar to the EndSARS protest of 2020.”

At the inaugural lecture chaired by the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Ayodeji Agboola, the Professor of Law regretted that many justice seekers in Nigeria “often quickly abandon their matters due to the harrowing and frustrating way Nigeria’s justice system work.”

In his recommendations, he saw the need for legal education to focus on the development of empathy in Law students for that to appreciate the emotional needs not only of their clients but of parties before them when they become judicial officers, calling for a review of the law curriculum.

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12 Die, 30 Missing In Peru Landslide

Published

12 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

At least 12 people, including three children, died in a landslide at a river port in central Peru on Monday, and 30 were reported missing, officials said.

The landslide submerged a boat with about 50 passengers on board, and another with none, as they were docked at the port of Iparia in the Amazon jungle region of Ucayali, according to a police report cited by the Andina news agency.

Six people were injured, it added, and a search and rescue operation was underway at the start of the Peruvian rainy season.

Without giving a toll, Peru’s COEN national emergency operations centre said on X that tragedy struck at dawn due to “erosion” of the bank of the Ucayali river.

It said the navy has been called in to help.

AFP

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Nigeria Grants Asylum To Guinea-Bissau Opposition Candidate

Published

12 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian embassy in Guinea-Bissau has granted asylum to Fernando Dias da Costa, the country’s opposition presidential candidate, following alleged threats to his life after last week’s military coup, The Cable Reports.

The coup was announced by military officers on Wednesday, just days after Guinea-Bissau’s presidential election in which both incumbent President Umaro Embaló and his main challenger, da Costa, claimed victory before official results were released.

Nigeria condemned the takeover and urged an immediate return to constitutional order.

In a letter to the President of the Economic Community of West African States Commission, Omar Touray, dated November 30, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said President Bola Tinubu had approved asylum and protection for da Costa inside the Nigerian embassy in Bissau.

Tuggar wrote that the decision was made “in response to threats made against da Costa’s life.”

“In this regard, it would be appreciated if you would kindly mandate the ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau to provide him protection and security while in the premises of the Nigerian embassy,” the letter stated.

The foreign affairs minister’s Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir, confirmed the letter’s authenticity to The Cable on Monday.

He said, “The decision of the Federal Government of Nigeria to grant asylum and provide protection to Fernando Dia Da Costa falls squarely within Nigeria’s sovereign responsibility and longstanding commitment to regional peace, stability, and democratic governance.”

He added that Nigeria acted “in the broader interest of de-escalation,” saying the government had exercised its discretion “to prevent further deterioration of tensions and to promote social cohesion in Guinea-Bissau and the wider West African sub-region.”

According to Abdulkadir, the intervention aligns with ECOWAS principles and reflects Nigeria’s role as a stabilising force in West Africa.

Following the coup, ECOWAS held an emergency virtual summit of heads of state and subsequently suspended Guinea-Bissau from the regional bloc until constitutional order is restored.

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Trump To Attend FIFA World Cup Finals Draw On Friday

Published

12 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

The White House on Monday confirmed US President Donald Trump would attend the draw for the FIFA World Cup finals in Washington later this week.

The United States will co-host the 2026 tournament alongside Canada and Mexico.

“On Friday, President Trump will attend the FIFA World Cup final draw at the Kennedy Centre,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Trump has made the World Cup a centrepiece event of both his second presidency and the 250th anniversary of US independence next year.

But the giant sporting extravaganza has not escaped the political turmoil caused by Trump’s hardline stance on a host of issues.

Trump, a Republican, has raised the possibility of moving games from some US host cities amid a crackdown on what he says is crime and illegal migration in some Democratic-run areas.

AFP