CJN Kekere-Ekun Decries Declining Ethical Standards Among Nigerian Lawyers

Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has raised concerns over the increasing disregard for ethical principles within the legal profession. Speaking at the public presentation of the Directions of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee at the Body of Benchers Complex in Abuja, she lamented the decline in adherence to professional ethics and discipline among Nigerian lawyers.

Justice Kekere-Ekun emphasized the urgent need for legal practitioners to recommit to fundamental values of ethics, discipline, and professional responsibility. She highlighted the role of the Body of Benchers as the apex institution of the legal profession, stressing that it must lead the charge in upholding the profession’s integrity. She reaffirmed that enforcing professional discipline through the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) must be carried out with fairness, transparency, and unwavering resolve.

Chairing the inaugural edition of the Body of Benchers annual lecture and the public presentation of the Body of Benchers Law Report, she commended the Chairman of the Body, Chief Adegboyega Solomon Awomolo (SAN), and its members for their dedication in launching the initiative. She described the lecture as a crucial platform for intellectual engagement, practical discourse, and self-reflection on the role of the Body of Benchers in legal practice.

According to her, the lecture is designed as an annual event to provide insight into the workings of the Body of Benchers, promote understanding of its critical role in legal practice, and facilitate well-researched discussions on ethical standards. She explained that it would serve as a means to evaluate discipline, integrity, and professional responsibility among lawyers while strengthening public confidence in the judiciary and legal profession.

Justice Kekere-Ekun urged that the initiative be sustained and expanded, emphasizing that it should not only serve as a forum for discussion but also establish clear benchmarks for professional ethics, continuous legal education, and justice sector reforms. The maiden edition of the lecture, themed “Half-A-Century of the Body of Benchers: The Past, The Present, and The Future of Maintaining the Ethics of the Legal Profession in Nigeria,” is to be delivered by former Lagos State Governor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Babatunde Raji Fashola.