Preserving the Flame or Watching It Die? Reflections from the NBA Ikeja Law Week 2025 with Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN

Preserving the Flame or Watching It Die? Reflections from the NBA Ikeja Law Week 2025 with Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN. 

At the just concluded NBA Ikeja Law Week 2025, held under the compelling theme “Preserving the Legal Profession for Tomorrow,” one moment stood out—not just for its eloquence, but for its raw truth. Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, took the stage and delivered more than a speech. He delivered a reckoning.

Speaking on the topic “The Fall in the Standard of the Legal Profession: Who Do We Blame?”, Akinboro addressed the legal community not as an outsider but as a deeply involved stakeholder unafraid to look within. With the legacy of Chief Alao Aka-Bashorun looming large one of Nigeria’s most courageous and principled legal icons, Akinboro asked a searing question: Are we preserving or eroding the foundation laid by those who came before us?

He reminded the audience that the decline in the legal profession is not a stand-alone phenomenon but a reflection of the decay in our society marked by corruption, weak institutions, and lost values. In his words, “We are not immune to the decay around us, we are part of it.” The legal profession has become a mirror of the nation’s rot, and every player from the bar to the bench is implicated.

Akinboro laid bare the failures of the legal education system, calling out outdated curricula, over-admission, and the silence of regulatory bodies that have allowed mediocrity to fester. He did not spare the judiciary either, boldly pointing to nepotism in appointments, shallow judgments, and widespread allegations of corruption. His call to action was urgent: “This is a profession in crisis. Cosmetic fixes will no longer suffice.”

He mourned the collapse of mentorship, a once sacred tradition that helped groom generations of ethical, competent lawyers. Today’s reality, he noted, is a profession where “we have chosen survival over structure,” flooding the system with ill-equipped lawyers while the soul of the profession discipline, ethics, excellence slowly bleeds out.

Perhaps his most poignant message was that this fall isn’t the fault of lawyers alone. It is a collective failure. The law faculties, the Council of Legal Education, the NUC, the NBA, the judiciary all share in the blame. “When regulators fail to regulate and mentors fail to mentor, the collapse becomes inevitable.”

And yet, amid the indictment, he offered hope. Hope grounded in truth, responsibility, and urgent reform. He called for sincere and inclusive dialogue. For a recommitment to professional ethics, meaningful mentorship, and a justice system that earns, not demands public confidence.

As we share these powerful images from the NBA Ikeja Law Week, let them speak of more than an event. Let them capture a moment where the Nigerian legal profession was reminded of its purpose, its legacy, and its duty to rise.

The question remains: will we preserve the flame or will we watch it die?