The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo has restated his call on senior members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to groom their younger counterparts as part of efforts to build a vibrant judicial system in the country.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo made the call on Wednesday, during the NBA Bayelsa Night celebrations organized at the sidelines of the 2021 NBA Annual Conference in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
A statement issued by his media aide, Mr Doubara Atasi, quoted the Deputy Governor as urging experienced hands in the legal profession to see mentoring of young lawyers as a responsibility that must be performed in the interest of the profession and humanity.
He maintained that grooming a fresher in the legal career to master the ropes quickly was the only guarantee for an enlightened NBA in Bayelsa and the country at large
Senator Ewhrudjakpo, who thanked the organizers for putting the Bayelsa Night ceremony together, encouraged the young lawyers to be fearless, courageous and determined.
He charged them not to be in a hurry, but to be patient enough to learn from their seniors and principals.
His words: “I want to talk to our young lawyers, especially those who have just cut their legal teeth, that the legal profession is a noble profession.
“You can’t get to where you want if you are patient, courageous and determined. So, I want you to patiently learn all the ropes.
“For those who are senior lawyers, know that the cock which crows today was once a chick. Therefore, we owe ourselves a duty to encourage our younger ones.
“If we don’t teach them very well, they will become half-baked lawyers. I, therefore, charge every senior lawyer to try as much as possible to with patience teach those under your tutelage, so that we can bequeath a vibrant, learned and intellectual bar”, he said.
Also speaking, the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Biriyai Dambo, SAN, lauded the Yenagoa and Sagbama branches of the NBA for their show of unity and urged them to sustain the prevailing oneness.
In the same vein, the Chairman of the occasion, Barrister Iniruo Wills, commended the NBA in Bayelsa for the progress it has made so far and called for more support by all stakeholders.
In their separate remarks, the Chairmen of the Yenagoa and the Sagbama branches of NBA, Mr. Ukumbiriowei Saiyou and Mr. Adereyai Ebinyo, promised to redouble their efforts at projecting and protecting the interest of the Association at all times.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Chief Dennis Otiotio, said the NBA Bayelsa Night had been jointly put together by the Yenagoa and the Sagbama branches of the NBA in conjunction with Aiteo to showcase the rich culture of the Bayelsa people.
Chief Otiotio, who expressed gratitude to the Deputy Governor, Senator Ewhrudjakpo, for finding time to be part of the celebration, encouraged the two branches to sustain the unity existing between them.
Dignitaries that graced the event include the Wife of the Governor of Bayelsa State, Barrister Patience Douye Diri; the Chairman, Bayelsa State House of Assembly Committee on Justice, High Chief MacDonald Igbadiwe and the Deputy Chief of Staff, Deputy Governor’s Office, Barrister Alex Dumbo.