The governor of Cross River State, Bassey Otu urged legal practitioners in Nigeria to uphold justice, saying no nation will go far without justice.
Mr Otu said this at the launch of Johnny Agim, SAN Foundation (JASAN Foundation), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), by the Lead Counsel of Legal Assent on Friday, September 13, 2024.
JASAN Foundation will help to address the challenges facing young lawyers, legal education, the legal profession and the administration of the justice sector.
It is anchored on three pillars – mentorship, indigent lawyers sponsorship and legal service reforms; and public interest advocacy.
Mr Otu said there is a need for legal practitioners to be properly trained and mentored for justice to be served.
“When we don’t have those in the legal profession trained properly and mentored properly, then justice can be misled. But where there is justice, you will see happiness.
“Where there is justice, you will see peace. That is why in this profession (law), even in terms of definition of personality and protocol, it is very different,’’ the governor said.
While commending the president of the JASAN Foundation for his nobleness, Mr Otu urged Nigerians to support the project.
He said what was lacking in Nigeria in all professions was mentorship.
“It is not only in the law profession that we have this huge gap analysis existing, which has caused our nation so much that our attraction has been disrupted.
“It is very clear that our country, Nigeria, any nation that hasn’t got a proper path of imparting knowledge and experience, then such an entity cannot go too far.
“I also hope there is going to be emulation from other professionals in other sectors to mentor their mentees to be able to provide the best services for our nation,’’ Mr Otu added.
