NBA Protocol.
It is a rare privilege and honour to be alive today to attend this special 2022 Annual Bar Dinner tonight. This Dinner is unique in the sense that, it is being held in honour of an erudite jurist, a judge for the downtroddens, an umpire between the weak and the powerful, listening judge, workaholic, human, an incorruptible judge and friend of the Bar, my lord, Hon. Justice Sulyman D. Kawu, Chief Judge of Kwara State. Hon. Justice Kawu is a special specie of creature of God among his peers. He never had any altercation with lawyers or litigants both on and off the bench. The Bar is highly grateful to my lord for the honour done to it, to have accepted that this year Annual Bar Dinner be held in his honour. I, on behalf of the Bar, appreciates and recognises your lordship's exhibition of candour and leadership my lord has been exhibiting both at the judiciary and the Bar since assumption of office as the 4th substantive Chief Judge of Kwara State. My lord joined the judiciary of Kwara state some thirty-eight years ago. He spent ten years of his early judicial carrier as magistrate while the rest twenty-eight years was spent as a judicial officer being a high Court judge, the last ten of which was as a Chief judge. Let me say this boldly that, throughout the glittering thirty-eight years carrier of my lord on the bench, notwithstanding the pressure usually mounted on the judges by politicians, litigants, friends, relations and community, Hon. Justice Sulyman D. Kawu weathered the storm all through, he never tasted the forbidden fruit. He did not collect a dime either in cash or kind from any one or quarters so as to influence his opinion as it concerns judgement of his Court. Permit me to say unequivocally that, the Bar has no record of envelope, whether white or brown or whatever colour ever exchanged hands of my lord, Hon. Justice Kawu and anyone with a view to perverse the course of justice. My lord is bowing out of the bench with his integrity very much intact. We thank God for His guidance over you sir.
Your excellency, my Lords, leaders of the Bar, invited guests, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, the Bar and judiciary are undergoing trying period in our history as we lost very eminent legal luminaries and jurist in our ranks to the cold hands of death. The scary moment started with the demise of one of our leader and past secretary of our branch, Chief Jacob Olatunji Arosanyin (1935-2022) who departed the surface of this earth on 2nd September, 2022 few hours to his 87th birthday. As we were coming to term with grief of Baba Arosanyin's death, on 20th November, 2022, a trumpet was blown, a loud voice was heard by all, fear took over our hearts, an Iroko tree was fell in his prime, Professor Muhammed Mustapha Akanbi, SAN is dead. The calamitous news of the death of our past chairman, teacher, mentor, erudite professor, Senior Advocate of Nigeria and vice Chancellor, Kwara State University, Malete, Muhammed Mustapha Akanbi was a bitter pill for the legal community throughout Nigeria. The Bar, friends, colleagues and associates of the learned professor neither slept nor woke up well on 20th and 21st November, 2022 respectively. As if this was not enough grief, under 24hours while we were still battling with the grief of loss of professor Akanbi, SAN, another ship was wrecked, the shocking news of demise of the erudite jurist, Hon. Justice Safiyat Titi Daibu was broken. Late Hon. Justice Daibu until her death, was a judge of the Kwara State High Court of Justice who dispensed justice with fairness and equity. These death in sequence is too much for us to bear as members of legal profession both the Bar and judiciary. May God repose the souls of the departed, admit them into paradise and grant the families, friends and indeed all of us left behind, the fortitude to bear the loss.
Your Excellency sir, my Lords, ladies and gentlemen permit me to single out giant strides being embarked upon by his excellency, the executive Governor of Kwara State, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq by a way of filling the infrastructural gap deficit in the judiciary. We acknowledge the state of the earth renovations embarked upon by his excellency across our Courts especially Magistrates and Area Courts. However, like Oliver Twist, we shall continue to ask for more. Our Courts rooms which include High Courts, Area and Magistrate Courts are still not enough, this hinders speedy and effective dispensation of justice as most of our Judges and magistrates are still sharing Court rooms. This delays justice, when justice is delayed, it is susceptible to denial. Also, welfarism of our Judges should be given high priority it deserves, this will go a long way to ensure effective discharge of their responsibilities.
Let me seize this opportunity to appreciate your excellency on your constant supports to the Bar which include recently, supporting the hosting our NEC meeting in March this year and this very particular dinner among others. Your Excellency is a man of few words but large actions. This is evidenced in your developmental projects scattered all over the state. It is our belief that your excellency still very much remember the promise of bus and land made to the Association on the visitation of the past executive committee to you sir. The Bar will appreciate the redemption of your Excellency's promise by taking delivery of the bus and land in the next few days if not hours sir.
Let me at this juncture, appreciate the judiciary, the senior Advocates, leaders of the Bar, personalities and members who contributed in kind and cash towards the successful organisation of this dinner. I must appreciate the chairman of 2022 Dinner committee, Magaji Oba Abdulkadir and his team for selfless service to the Bar.
I must not fail to acknowledge the singular effort of our leader, Mallam Yusuf Ali, SAN who singlehandedly renovated some high Court rooms, judges’ chambers and the entire probate division of the judiciary with a state of heart furnishings. This exhibition of generosity is what is called leadership not only by example but also by action.
Invited guests, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, let's enjoy this moment by dine and wine together, renew our brotherhood, friendship, humanity, let’s share love, lift each other up, be kind to each other and abhor no grudges against anyone. This life is too short to be allowed to remain nasty, who knows, this may be our last moment together. Let us be remembered for positives. Thank you all for your rapt attention.