Gender-Based Violence (GBV)

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is a global issue that affects millions of people every day, and Nigeria is no exception. In recent years, there has been an alarming increase in cases of GBV in Nigeria, particularly in relation to sexual violence against women and girls. This is a serious problem that must be addressed urgently.

GBV refers to any form of violence, abuse, or discrimination that is directed against an individual based on their gender. This can include physical, sexual, emotional, or economic abuse. In Nigeria, women and girls are particularly vulnerable to GBV, with many cases going unreported due to cultural and social norms that discourage victims from speaking out.

The most common forms of GBV in Nigeria include rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, female genital mutilation, child marriage, and human trafficking. These are serious crimes that have a devastating impact on the lives of victims and their families.

It's essential that we take steps to combat GBV in Nigeria. This includes raising awareness about the issue, educating the public on the harmful effects of GBV, and implementing policies and laws that protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable.

The Nigerian government has taken steps to address GBV by passing laws such as the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, the Child Rights Act, and the Criminal Code Act. These laws provide a framework for prosecuting perpetrators of GBV and ensuring that victims receive the support they need.

However, there is still much work to be done. We need to encourage victims of GBV to speak out and seek help without fear of stigma or retaliation. We also need to provide adequate resources and support services to victims, such as counseling, medical treatment, and legal assistance.

In conclusion, GBV is a serious problem in Nigeria that requires urgent attention. By working together to raise awareness, educate the public, and implement effective policies and laws, we can make a positive difference in the lives of victims and their families.

Biography of Justice Olukayode Ariwoola

 A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to the entire Great Ife Community as our own man and alumnus of this Great institution Justice Olukayode Ariwoola has just been sworn in as the new Acting Chief Justice of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He Graduated from this University at the age of 22 in 1980.

Justice Olukayode Ariwoola

This Crime Called Revenge Porn

                                         source

“… private sexual images or films showing a particular person that are put on the internet by a former partner of that person, as an attempt to punish or harm them.”

The incessant re-occurrence of revenge porn in this age of social media calls for more awareness as to the rights of the victims and the consequences of such actions to the offenders. One of the many important roles of Law in a society is protecting and ensuring the rights of people in the given society. Likewise, to regulate the behavior of members of the society. As such, Section 37 of the 1999 constitution guarantees one of such rights, which is the right to privacy, providing that, “the privacy of citizens, their homes, correspondence, telephone conversations and telegraphic communications is hereby guaranteed.”

The moral standard of a country such as Nigeria is held in very high esteem and as such, morals, values and beliefs of Nigeria serve as underlying sources of its laws, hence, the need to protect it. Various laws and regulations have been put in place to protect public morality and to provide consequences to actions which negate public morality. Some of which include the Criminal Code Act, 1990 and the Cybercrime Act, 2015. 

Section 1(a) of the Cybercrime Act, 2015 establishes that the objective of the Act is to, “provide an effective and unified legal, regulatory and institutional framework for the prohibition, prevention, detection, prosecution and punishment of Cybercrimes in Nigeria.” It can therefore be said that revenge porn is also a cybercrime punishable by law as it involves the use of technology and communication media.

To serve as a determent for this act, Section 24(a) of the Cybercrime Act, 2015 provides that:” Any person who knowingly or intentionally sends a message or other matter by means of computer systems or network that is grossly offensive, pornographic or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character or causes any such messages or matter to be so sent; … commits an offence under this Act and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of not more than #7, 000, 000.00 or imprisonment for a term of not more than 3 years or to both such fine and imprisonment. This legal provision out rightly criminalizes and provides the punishments for revenge porn. 

Following the above stated provision, Section 376 of the criminal Code Act reiterates the offence of blackmailing providing that: Any person who publishes, or threatens to publish, or offers to abstain from publishing, or offers to prevent the publication of defamatory matter, with intent to extort money or other property, or with intent to induce any person to give, confer, procure, to upon, or for, any person, any property or benefit of any kind, is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for seven years.” This clearly shows that blackmailing a person with nudes, sex tapes or any other pornographic material as well as publishing it is a criminal offence and is punishable by law. 

Social media has become a tool used by deviants to carry out their personal vendetta against individuals in the society and this calls for the need to be aware of ones rights as well as the laws that protect them.

Guiness World Record

Guinness World Records (GWR) is a reference book published every year in different languages around the world published every year, which gives all the records achieved in a very wide range of fields and activities. For example, the names of the oldest, tallest, richest and fastest people in the world are all given.

It was first published in 1955 by the Guinness Brewery in Ireland and has since become one of the world’s most well-known and frequently read reference books.

Since the World Guinness Records was introduced globally not much is known about Nigerians that have been able to break records or make it to the Guinness World Records. We only hear of European, American and Asian country coming out top on the Guinness World Records.

However, in the few months that has been spent in this year 2023, three Nigerians have become holders in the Guinness World Records; Nigerian chef, Hilda Effiong Bassey, popularly known as Hilda Baci broke the Guinness world record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual after cooking for more than 87 hours, 45 minutes, record previously held by Lata Tondon from India in 2019; Gbenga Ezekiel successfully erased Bangladesh's Rasel Islam's record of 262 skips in one minute on one foot to set a new Guinness World Record with 265 skips and Divine Ikubor aka Rema – Record for ‘Calm Down’ as the first No.1 Hit on The Official MENA Chart, the world’s first regional streaming chart. (May 2023)

Here are a few recent Nigerians that have broken the Guinness World Records: 

• Olawunmi Treasures Bayode: In 2018, Olawunmi Treasures Bayode, a Nigerian visual artist, broke the Guinness World Record for the longest painting by an individual. He painted for over 60 hours on a 14ft by 3ft canvas, beating the previous record of 8 hours and 1 minute.

· Captain Chinyelu Chizoba Ndibuisi: In 2019, Captain Chinyelu Chizoba Ndibuisi, a Nigerian pilot, broke the Guinness World Record for the longest non-stop flight by an all-female crew. She flew a total of 7,455 nautical miles from Lagos to San Francisco and back with an all-female crew.

· Haruna Abdulazeez – The most American football touches with the feet in one minute (October 2020)

· Peter Aho – Record for six wickets for five runs in 3.4 overs against Sierra Leone. (October 2021)

· Bayo Omoboriowo – The largest photo book, which was measured at 60.84 m² (654 ft² 87 in²). (September 2021)

· Bose Omolayo – The heaviest para power lift by a female in the -79 kg category with 144 kg (December 2021)

· Chukwuebuka Ezugha and Victor Richard Kipo – The most consecutive football passes with the soles (team of two). (December 2021)

· Folashade Oluwafemiayo – The heaviest power lift by a female in the -86 kg category with 152.5 kg (December 2021)

· Chinonso Eche – The most football headers in a prone position in one minute, which is 23. (October 2021)

· Vincent Okezie – The most consecutive backward handsprings with a football (soccer ball) between the legs. (March 2022)

FROM THE DIRECTORATE OF RESEARCH

Cultivating Sustainable Peace and Dialogue via Youth Empowerment and the Good Friday Agreement 1998

INTRODUCTION

The term ‘youth’ generally is defined by age as occupying the transitional stage between childhood and adulthood. The UN Security Council Resolution 2250 without prejudice to national and regional variations defines youth as persons between the ages 18-29. Exactly December 20, 2015, the UN outgoing Secretary General, Ban ki Moon while presenting the ‘Plan of Action to prevent violent extremism’ described youth as an ‘untapped resource’ that must be empowered to make positive contributions to the development of their nations.

THE NIGERIAN ENCLAVE: OBSERVATIONS

The global peace index of Nigeria so far has been fluctuating with year 2014 value rated to be 2.71, 2015 to be 2.91 falling down to 2.88 in 2016 and in 2017, has become so low rated at 2.85. At the moment, Nigeria ranks 15th in term of enjoyment of relative peace worldwide. Conversely, on the global terrorism index, Nigeria went from 8.58 index in 2014 to 9.31 index in 2016 growing at an alarming rate of 4.24%. Lately, President Buhari described Nigerian youths as lazy. But, the government is expected to provide a suitable environment for we talk of sustainable peace. Development economists have well posited that humans are the greatest resources that are in the world. The UN has called the attention of the world to the fact that more than 600 million young people live in fragile and conflict affected societies. Youths are considered to be arguably the most affected; either as victims or as perpetrators of the myriad of violent conflicts in the world today. This minimalist interpretation has contributed in securitizing them as a rising threat to global peace and security.

Ejiogu, ambassador for Youth for Development, a UNESCO NGO at the World Programme of Action for Youth, advised youths who indulge in criminal activities and other clandestine behaviour to retrace their steps and imbibe positive life style. Notable observations regarding the security climate in Nigeria are that - The socio-political and economic foundation for the Nigerian state from the outset has largely failed. Institutional mechanisms vis-à-vis conflict resolution and prevention are greatly deficient. In the light of the emerging civilisation, Nigeria is yet to develop the requisite technological outfit to combat insecurity; security agencies lack needed motivation and equipment. Loss of jobs is on the rise due to ill-monitored privitisation programs leading to unemployment of resourceful youths. Again, the response of the government to security matters and uprisings have been acutely passive and treated with a political attitude.

The Ireland Episode Against the Nigerian Background

Though the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria obligates the government with respect to socio-economic and political welfare of the citizenry it must be noted however that this is non-justiciable and as such it is apparent that the government is not duty-bound to provide and protect the fundamental wellbeing of the Nigerian public in terms of security and peace. Irish and British histories have been linked for over 800 years. Colonial aspirations and security risks of Great Britain and the cultural resilience and strength of Ireland clashed at many times throughout the past eight centuries, reaching a crescendo of 300 years; soon after the defeat of the Spanish Armanda and subsequent British colonial rule of the island of Ireland took place. The corollary to the Agreement at Belfast, two decades ago, points us to the truth that democracy and good governance – the soul of stable security can only be achieved when the government decides to engender popular interests and the volkgeist into policy formulation.

Hard-Core Solutions

The prime issues of resource mobilization, allocation and control by the government of the day must be attended to this whilst considering the development challenges of corruption, unemployment, illiteracy. The mandatory UN 26% budgetary allocation for education must be effected at once. Nobel Peace prize winner, Malala Yousafzai has spoken well that in confronting conflicts, “You must fight others, but through peace, and through dialogue, and through education”. Whilst not gagging the fourth realm, the reportage of issues by the press should be leveraged on the key issues of fairness, objectivity and balance.

Youth interests and empowerment is should be keenly treated as core. The present crop of leaders needs to begin to model themselves as patriots of an all-inclusive and selfless leadership. Leaders like Mandela, Martin Luther, Mother Theresa, Ghandi, Awolowo all took it upon themselves to lend their lives as torches to lit the path for the up and coming generation. Dialogue is yet the best tool to combating crises. The Nigerian government appears to be poise about this especially in the wake of herdsmen killings and communal brutality. To Pope Benedict XIV, in an ever more open world, building peace through dialogue is no longer a choice but a necessity! Obama trod the path of dialogue when he declared that America “shut down Iran’s nuclear weapons program without firing a shot”.

Religious indifference has brought great plague upon country and country people. It is urged that all Nigerian leaders should emulate the exemplary role of Father Bernard Kinvi. Here the Father Kinvi’s story goes! When the Seleka escaped Bossemptele – thieving Kinvi’s prized car with them – the anti-balaka flounced into the North-Western town, decimating 80 Muslims in the process. Kinvi responded to the threat by opening the doors of the mission to horrified Muslims and searching for those tucked away into the bush. At a point, about 1,500 Muslims were living under the guard of a man whose only sources of influence were his faith and the black cassock with a large red cross on the chest which he puts on as member of the Camellia order. For the next few months, Kinvi barely slept, terrified that if he closed his eyes the militia would fulfill their threats to murder all the Muslims in the mission. The tale is likewise told of an Imam that hid fleeing refugees in Northern Nigeria in the heat of the Fulani herdsmen brouhaha; most of them Christians in the Mosque.

Youths are in fact the foundation of peace-keeping. Mahatma Gandhi insisted “If we are to reach real peace in this world… we shall have to begin with children.” If we have no peace it is because we have forgotten we belong to each other – Mother Theresa. Ditto, Mahatma Gandhi rightly confesses “The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace.”  Morals about tolerance and selflessness should be encouraged in the open. Little acts of heroism should be celebrated and politics disincentivised. Inclusiveness and a balance of interest in key matters should be exercised. This is principally so because it is when many feel excluded that they begin to nurse unnoticed grudges that escalate into large scale conflicts on the long run. Notable human rights activist, Hafsat Abiola, should be agreed with when he enlightened thus: “Peace comes from being able to contribute the best that we have, and all that we are, toward creating a world that supports everyone. But it is also securing the space for others to contribute the best that they have and all that they are.”

Brian Tracy reveals that knowledge, skills and talent are sure breakthrough channels in the 21st century. We covet empowerment and skills acquisition programs garnished with entrepreneurial incentives. Truly, as Chandrika Kumarantunga rightly reasons: “Peace can only be acquired through economic development to eliminate poverty and despair and through dialogue and understanding”.

References

• Available at http://www.community-democracies.org/the-discussion-will-center-on-the-challenges-to-youth-engagement-in-the-peace-and-security-dialogue-and-will-showcase-good-practices-for-their-participation-in-the-context-of-the-sustainable-developm/ accessed on April 20, 2018.
• Available at https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2017/09/29/nigerian-youths-are-stakeholders-in-building-sustainable-peace-and-security/ accessed on April 20, 2018.
• Seamus Duffy, A Critical Analysis of the Good Friday Agreement, Assignment Submitted in fulfillment of the Societies in Transition course to Module Coordinator during the 2nd semester of Masters in Humanitarian Action Programme 2007/2008, UCD School of Biological Science
• Available at https://www.scribd.com/document/3001682/Critical-Analysis-of-the-Good-Friday-Agreement-2 accessed on April 20, 2018.
• Brian Tracy, “No Excuses”
• Obama’s Farewell Speech.
• The Good Friday Agreement 1998
• Elebute Paul, CIPMN Essay Competition 2017. “Stemming the Surge of Security Challenges in Nigeria: Need for Collective Efforts”.
  

Biography of Olori Ivie Atuwatse III

Olori Ivie Atuwatse III is the Queen of Warri Kingdom, a Transformational Woman Leader, Lawyer and wife of Ogiame Atuwatse III, current ruler of the Kingdom of Warri, and the 21st Olu of Warri.

 

She was born on the 22nd of May 

Olori Atuwatse III is a visionary with a heart for humanity, social enterprise, education, and capacity building for women and children. A qualified lawyer with an LLB from the London School of Economics, she was called to the Nigerian bar in 2010. She is a member of the CIARB Nigeria and has certifications from the Nigerian Chambers of Commerce and Chambers of Maritime.

She has a strong entrepreneurial drive and has founded several businesses across industries. She sits on the boards of the Wells Property Development Company, the Wells Carlton, and Wells Bakehouse, and is constantly on the lookout for opportunities to create value through enterprise. Beyond enterprise, Olori Ivie has a passion for coaching young people and mentoring them at various learning phases with practical skills, through education and vocational training.

A dedicated philanthropist, she is the founder of Abba’s Jewels, a community of over 60 women who, together, raise funds to impact the community through outreaches, food drives, hospital, and prison visits. She also convened The Love Drive, a free yard sale that started in Lagos, Nigeria. As the President of RIG Africa, a prophetic training organisation, she trains people to hear God for themselves in ways that are practical and applicable to everyday life and work.

 

Read: Biography of Chief Wole Olanipekun, OFR, SAN

Being a mother whose heart pants for the healing and revival of the Iwere people, Olori Atuwatse III has established initiatives targeted at alleviating poverty, illiteracy, and infant mortality in the Warri Kingdom. One of such initiatives is Wuwu Ore, officially founded in 2021 with the primary aim of providing free healthcare, education, and skilling for indigent children in the remotest parts of the kingdom, as well as empowerment, sensitisation and training for women and youth in the communities to improve living conditions and trigger socio- economic development.

Olori Ivie Atuwatse III

Olori "Ivie" Emiko-Atuwatse, known as Olori Atuwatse III (born 22 May 1986), is Queen of the Warri Kingdom, a lawyer, social entrepreneur and wife[1] of Ogiame Atuwatse III, current ruler of the Kingdom of Warri, and the 21st Olu of Warri. She is also the daughter of Nigerian business magnate, investor and philanthropist Captain Hosa Wells Okunbo. After his coronation in August 2021, the Olu of Warri bestowed a new title on his wife, calling her Olori Atuwatse III, now her official title.[2]
Early life

Olori Atuwatse was born in Lagos and was educated in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. She received a Bachelor of Laws degree from the London School of Economics and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2010.
Philanthropy
The Olori speaking at the launch of her scholarship program in Delta State

Olori Atuwatse III has been involved in several endeavours targeting women and children, including the Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo Stem Innovation Centre, which she established in honour of her father.[4] She has also initiated several intervention programs for the poor in Delta State, including a 2022 visit to the Ureju Community, an oil rich slum suffering the effects of environmental degradation[5] and Iyara, another slum community.[6] Olori Atuwatse III is also an advocate for children’s rights, particularly the empowerment of female children. She has endowed hundreds of children with scholarships,[7] including a 2022 scheme for 100 children from the Nana Model Girls College Warri, Warri, Delta State.[8] Under her health initiatives, Olori Atuwatse III has promoted access to free healthcare,[9] especially for the poor, and in December 2021, launched the Wuwu Ore medical and welfare outreach, focused on women, children and the elderly. A second edition of the program was held in Ugbolokposo Community, in the Delta state in April 2022.

Olori Atuwatse III married Ogiame Atuwatse III in November 2014. Together, they have three children.

https://oloriatuwatseiii.com/about/#Biography

 

Olori Ivie Atuwatse III is active on social media. You can connect with her via her official handles on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.

Traditions and Principles of Crime Punishment in Yoruba Land

Ise Agbe nise ile wa
ENI KO SISE
A MAA JALE
Iwe kiko laisi oko ati ada
ko ipe o ko ipe o!

Translation:

(farming is the occupation of our society

ANYONE WHO DOES NOT WORK

WILL STEAL.

Formal education without hoe and cutlass is Incomplete).

The Yorùbá nation is one of the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria. A greater percentage are located in Ekiti, Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, and Oyo States, while some occupy parts of Kogi and Kwara States. Some also reside in the Republic of Benin, Cuba and Brazil. There are other Yorùbá people in Diaspora who either live outside Nigeria for greener pasture or as a result of the 18th century Trans-Atlantic slave trade that displaced so many Nigerians off their ancestral societies.

James F. Quinn notes that many policies concerning punishment introduced over centuries remain unquestioned today, where each idea appeared in a unique social and political setting and if a balanced contrast would be made with our current society, it must be examined in light of past and present experiences. However, knowing where and why these practices began can help us understand where we are today. The focus of this chapter is on the issues that concern punishment of crimes in precolonial Yoruba land, the South Western extraction of Nigeria. This chapter would also discuss the specific practices of culture in the crime punishment system.

The Origin of Punishment

The early society recognized punishment as a satisfaction to offended gods or families. Families were usually large, clan-like groups that exerted strict control over their members. The welfare of the group, not the quality of justice received by an individual, was their main concern. Crime was rare. When a wrong occurred, the victim’s family sought vengeance, creating a history of bloody feuds between clans. As cities developed, the family weakened as a primary source of social control. Hence, crime increased and lawlessness threatened to disrupt society. This led to a greater reliance on government efforts to control individual behavior. As crime became a problem, punishment became important as a method of controlling individuals, and formal legal codes appeared.  The code of Hammurabi, written in Mesopotamia about 1700 B.C.E., is one of the most famous of the ancient criminal codes. It used the principle of lex talionis, (equivalent retaliation) to limit the severity of revenge that could be taken by families.

Many ancient cultures used this principle as a basis for punishment. The Old Testament dictum of “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” resonates very well with proponents of this concept of revenge. Although used today as a justification for severe punishment, the original purpose was to limit vengeance to a retaliation that matched the offense. This helped to control feuds but did not eliminate them. Ancient societies had ideas about fairness that were very different. Until the time of the American Revolution, the status of the victim and offender were vital in setting the level and type of punishment. Crimes by slaves were severely punished than those of freemen; acts that hurt nobility were treated more harshly than those that injured peasants. These distinctions were seen as perfectly natural by their creators because they reflected the organization of those societies and their religious beliefs (Quinn, 1999)

YorÙbÁ Culture and Social Values

According to the Webster dictionary (2012), Culture is the sum total of attainments at any specific period, race or people including their implement, handicrafts, agriculture, economics, music, arts, religious beliefs, traditions, language and story. It encompasses material and non material attributes of a given people and society. In a much broader exposition of culture, it follows that to build houses, cultivate farms, construct bridges, manage successful formal education, manage successful business or organization, control population growth, prevent or cure sicknesses and diseases, ensure social trust, good governance, law and order etc, man needs an established albeit critically receptive body of ideas and beliefs, designs, techniques and methodologies, rules and regulations;- culture. This explains culture as the totality of man and his activities. The Yorùbá traditional society, being culturally endowed in all sphere of the societal structure has values. All human endeavours in any society are guided by principles or values which cover every aspect of human activities within the society.

Social value is the widely shared principle and standards in a society. The Yorùbás are guided by social values, the bedrock of their culture. This is because it covers religion, economics, politics, moral and so on. The Yoruba social values like all African social values are humanistic, hence makes them remain unshakable irrespective of the invasion of foreign values. The attributes of the Yorùbá social values include sense of good human relations, community, hospitality, respect for authority and elders, extended family relations and  religiosity which signifies the attributes of African social values.

The Yorùbá human relation recognizes the worth of every member of their community. Bearing in mind that each member has a role to play within the society no matter how small or irrespective of the social class and status, every member of the society relates together as one thereby describing them as brother’s keeper.

A Yoruba person is identified by his or her community. The African ideas of security and its value depend on personal identification with and within the community.  The community also instills in every individual the spirit of oneness and hard work.

The Yorùbá people are hospitable. They welcome visitors amidst them and try to guide them from danger as well as freedom to live as other members of the community. Social relations are strengthened through respect for authorities and the elders. The elders are assumed to have communal wisdom and are saddled with leadership in the affairs of the people. Respect is one of the major principles that guide behaviour of Yorùbá families.

Extended families aided cohesion and stability such that the security is not just for the old, but also the poor and disadvantaged members of the family, who have been seen to have made efforts but have not been successful. It implies that the extended family provided a comforting atmosphere for its member’s survival. Religion was also the basis on which moral values rest as it lends meaning and authority to values. It also strengthens social relations and makes man have respect for human life and dignity.

SOCIAL ORGANIZATION AND SOCIAL CONTROL AMIDST THE YORÙBÁ PEOPLE

The traditional social organization of the Yorùbá people is characterized by kinship relations who comprises of a number of kindred nuclear families. They lived a communal way of life such that they attached value to extended families. (Atanda, 1996). The social structure   was stratified in hierarchy, each under the jurisdiction of an appropriate chief. The Oba and his Igbimo (oba in council) were overarching rulers because they influenced  decisions within the society. Directly under them was the Adugbo (quarter), headed by an Olori Adugbo or Olori Itun, whose appointment was ratified and approved by the Oba. Below this stratum was the Agbo-Ile (extended family compound), headed by an Olori Ebi (head of the extended family). The lowest unit was the individual nuclear home, headed by Baba (father). The extended family members  appoints the Olori Ebi, because the oldest member of the extended family usually assumed this position.

Every married man assumed the position of his own home as the family was the basic unit of society's administration as well as a judicial unit. In other words, legal and political control was exercised mainly via the family and extended kin groups. Each household member played a significant part in social control by socializing children and motivating them to conform to social order and norms. The kinship affinity of the Yorùbá family was quite strong such that it regulated behaviour of it members and made members aware of the rule of conduct. Kinship solidarity accounted for institutional emphasis on the need for provision of social security and justice of large family members hence involved the acceptance of responsibility and obligations to the group to the extent that individuals were seen, primarily, as members of their particular families before they were understood as members of society at large. The people were able to effectively control social menace in the traditional institutions with the presence of norms and values that were characterized by their cultural heritage, for instance the ‘shame culture’ among the Yorùbá which was rooted in the fact that Yorùbá society condemns shameful behavior and, therefore, people are expected to avoid things which might put them and the members of their lineage into shame. As opined by Fadipe (1970): “the Yorùbá cannot afford to pretend to be indifferent to the public…and its opinion”.(cited in Adejumo, 2010)  This implies that if a member of a family or lineage errs with respect to the accepted norm, he and the members of his family will be publicly ridiculed; public ridicule is thus an important character-molding device.

Satire was another weapon for public ridicule used among the Yorùbá to checkmate erring members of the society. It is used as a form of traditional judicial system. Satirists are like traditional policemen, who bring deviants to book. They have the license to do so without being sued, that is, the Yorùbá principle of reconciliation, conflict resolution and societal harmony could be found in the use of satire.”(Adejumo 2007/2008) There were other forms of social control mechanisms that were inhibited in songs, storytelling, folklores, festivals, proverbs and so on. These values were passed on from the old to the young members of the community, because the elders were believed to be endowed with prestige and power such that they know the norms and the values of the community. This provided the reason why the older people with experience were the arbiter of the community.

SOCIAL CONTROL PERSPECTIVE

Hirschi buttressed his view that whether individuals are law abiding or deviant depends on the extent of variance from the four factors that are critical in bonding them to the society:

1. Attachment to parents, school and peers
2. Commitment to conventional lines of action
3. Involvement in conventional activities and
4. Belief in conventional values.

He argued that the belief in the goodness of certain values such as respect for the law and for the police and belief in wrongness of such actions as juvenile delinquency – operates as a brake on delinquency. This explains that for social control mechanisms to be effective, parents and teachers who are role models have to effectively inculcate values into individuals during the socialization process. This in a way explains the traditional Yoruba society where there is strong attachment to family such that individuals conform to norms and values because of their commitment to these cultural values as well as their family roles. The social structure of the Yoruba people also gets members involved in activities that will keep them busy and distract them from deviating from the norms of the society. For instance, the introductory song that tells about the occupation of the people and failure to get involved is tantamount to stealing.

This song exposes members of the society to hard work and discourages laziness as a way of life. It also makes the people conform to the norms and values of the land. The family nurtures the individual and the individual in return recognizes and understands the implication of not conforming to the laws of the society.

Punishment in Ancient Yoruba Society

Most punishments were corporal, financial, or capital. Corporal punishment involved inflicting physical pain on the offender, especially through caning. Fines and other economic penalties were sometimes used as a means of financial punishment; and capital punishment refers to  the death penalty. In addition to these, banishment or exile was an option. Banishment or exile was a kind of social death. In most early times, however, punishment meant killing or hurting the offender. Imprisonment was also possible based on the gravity of the crime.

Witchcraft was a crime of which proof beyond reasonable doubt was practically impossible. Also, witches caused great damage to the lives and crops of their enemies, drought, barrenness in both men and women and death of individuals. As such, Witchcraft was the most serious crime in the yoruba precolonial era. In the yoruba colonised society, treason and treachery assumed first rank order as the most serious crimes. In the present era, premeditated murder and armed robbery have become the most serious crimes. These changes in the law and the rank ordering of crime and the rank order of crime seriousness in the colonial era express a particular tilt: the maintenance needs of the oppressor. In the pre-colonial era, punishing the crime of witchcraft with death helped to protect life and property. In the colonial era, the tilt reflected what was regarded as most threatening to the survival and well-being of the colonial government. In the postcolonial era, punishing premeditated murder and armed robbery with death is to deter potential murderers and robbers, so the death penalty helps in protecting life and property, just as it did in dealing with witchcraft in the pre-colonial era. In other cases however, sentences of long term or life imprisonment serves in the alternative.

The Hierachy of Seriousness of Crime

• Witchcraft Premeditated Murder- Punished with death Expected to commit suicide or self-exile for 7 years, Sacrifice to the land on return
• Murder—Manslaughter, Paid heavy compensation to the injured party
• Treason, Stealing, Arson, Adultery and incest-Excommunication, caning and shaming, Restitution paid to the loser Shaming, bad songs

Crime in Contemporary Nigeria and its Challenges

Nigeria today is characterized by many social problems which includes criminality, socio-economic issues and the security question of the nation. In all of this, it is still referred to as the giant of Africa. The existing measures may not be enough to end criminal behaviours within our society. It is the responsibility of all because the hazard which modernisation caused the society needs to be revisited. Families today are no longer positive instruments of socialization as individualism has taken over the communal way of life where every member of the society is a watch-dog of one another. Wage labour has made so many parents spend limited time with their children while housemaids who are supposed to be undergoing various socialization processes assume the motherly role for the children in their custody. The elders who are supposed to pass norms and values across to the younger generations are themselves violators of the norms. The adage that acknowledges the elder as the forebearer of peace is no longer imbibed by the people.

Agba kii wa loja, ki ori omo tuntun wo
(Where there are good elders, there is orderliness).

A child who is not socialized into the values of hard work is not expected to grow and become a person who will achieve a goal through the societal approved means of goal getting. Modernization has affected all the norms and values embedded in our culture. The western world which is always a point of reference for us in measuring development and underdevelopment did not abandon their cultural heritage totally but rather dance to the rhythm of change by modernizing their old traditions to stand the test of time. In Nigeria it is rather different. The traditional african societies used social thought that were embedded in traditional, moral and ethical values directed ultimately at social and universal survival.

The Yoruba oral philosophy is used in the education and socialization of the young to teach and ‘build’ in them knowledge about the social and physical environments and the qualities of an Omoluabi (i.e. a good personality), whose actions comply with social norms and values.

The policing structures today are centralized, though there are private policing organizations that are also used to help put the society in order. The effectiveness of these policing structures is questionable because our society is not in order compared to the traditional societies where every locality had a way of policing its environment which was through norms and values embedded in the culture of the people that were base on truthfulness.

CONCLUSION

If we re-embrace our abandoned cultural heritage embedded in norms and values of the society, it would be a plus. The norms and values enhanced and empower it members and makes the society worth living. Sacredness was attached to human life such that killing and taking of human life were majorly during wars or if the traditions were violated, that attracts execution of the offender. Values and traditions were the determinants of people’s behaviour. But the social structure of the Yoruba society witnessed transformation through colonialism and capitalism. With westernization the better part of values that could make the society worthwhile were abandoned. Individuality became the norms of our society. Salvaging the situation becomes the duty of every family within the society. The family should create time for proper socialization process to make the young one grow with good values especially with the Yoruba social thought. If every family is in order within the society, then the society at large will be better. No doubt change is vital in every society, the tradition norms and values can be modernized to suite the present time. Our media houses and communication networks can be also used to propagate these values and norms in hearts.

The pre-colonial traditional societies were also peaceful despite the different Kingdoms that existed and irrespective of their cultural and social values their crime control mechanisms were effective due to the strong adherence to social and cultural values in place, specifically, esteemed hard work within the Yoruba indigenous community.

References

• Does Capital Punishment Deter?- Steven Goldberg's Article. Morality and Philosophy
• Agbaje, J.B. (2005): The place of Yoruba proverbs in the understanding of Yoruba philosophy and education. International Journal of African and African American Studies 1 (5): 48-54.  Cited in Omobowale A. O. 2008.
• Clientelism and social structure: an analysis of patronage in Yoruba social thought. Afrika Spectrum 43 (2008) 2: 203-224 © 2008 GIGA Institute of African Affairs, Hamburg
• Ajayi, B. (2004): Riddles and the child. In: Lawal N. S./Sadiku, M.N.O./Dopamu, P.A. (eds.), Understanding Yoruba life and culture.  Trenton: Africa World Press, Inc., 501-511. Cited in Omobowale A. O. 2008. Clientelism and social structure: an analysis of patronage in Yoruba social thought. Afrika Spectrum 43 (2008) 2: 203-224 © 2008 GIGA Institute of African Affairs, Hamburg
• Akinyemi, A. (2003): Yoruba oral literature: a source of indigenous education for children. Journal of African Cultural Studies 16 (2):161-179. Cited in Omobowale A. O. 2008. Clientelism and social structure: an analysis of patronage in Yoruba social thought. Afrika Spectrum 43 (2008) 2: 203-224 © 2008 GIGA Institute of African Affairs, Hamburg
• Atanda, J. Adebowale. The Yorùbá People: Their Origin, Culture and Civilization in Olatunde Olatunji, ed. The Yorùbá History, Cultureand Language. Ibadan: Ibadan University Press, 1996, 3-36.cited in Àrinpe Adejumo, ed A postcolonial analysis of the literary and cultural consequences of the abolition of the 18th century transatlantic slave trade on the yoruba of southwestern Nigeria: LUMINA, Vol. 21, No.2, October 2010, ISSN 2094-1188
• Fadipe, N.1970.  The Sociology of the Yorùbá. Ibadan University Press, 1970. Cited in Adejumo, 2010: A Postcolonial Analysis of the Literary and Cultural consequences of the Abolition of the 18th century transatlantic slave trade on the Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria. LUMINA, Vol. 21, No.2, October 2010, ISSN 2094-1188
• Hirschi T. 1969. Social control theory in Beirne and Messerschmidt’s book on criminology. Fourth edition,  copyright 2006 Roxbury publishing company Los Angeles,  California.
• Human Development Report 1994 - www.undp.org/hdro/e94over.htm. cited in Czesław Mesjasz 2004: Security as an analytical concept, paper presented at the 5th Pan-European conference on International Relations, in The Hague, 9-11 September 2004
• Kanu, M. A., 2011. The indispensability of the basic social values in African tradition: a philosophical appraisal
• Onadeko T. 2008. Yoruba traditional adjudicatory systems.
• The new international Webster’s comprehensive Dictionary of English language. Encyclopedic edition. Standard international media Holdings. Volume 1, 2012 edition.
• Udu Yakubu, “Cultural Erosion and the Crises of Development in Nigeria” in Journal of cultural studies, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2002, 1-10
• Redressing Security and Crime in Nigeria through Traditional Yoruba Social Values and Cultural Practices- Prof. Olu-Olu Olufayo Department of Sociology, Ekiti State University

5 Reasons Why You Should Take up Pro Bono Cases as a Lawyer

Pro bono was created from a Latin word called pro bono publico, which means for the public good. Recently, pro bono publico has become popularly known as pro bono. It is described as a method of contributing to and helping those in need of legal representation and help. It is deeply rooted in the legal profession.Pro bono can be defined as an act done willingly by lawyers whereby free services are provided for those whose rights are breached. Lawyers act in the public interest by providing legal services at no or reduced cost because they do not seek financial gain but rather to ensure justice is served. There are numerous organizations in which lawyers offer pro bono services, some of which are hospitals, universities, churches, foundations, and national charities. It is done for the good of others and the good of the public.

Pro bono originated from America when a fight broke out between British soldiers and American colonists and there was a bloodbath where five Americans were killed. After this issue, John Adams decided to offer free legal representation and defended the British soldiers who were on trial for the killings, and he won. The American Bar Association provides that every lawyer should provide at least 50 hours of pro bono legal service per year according to Model Rule 6.1, and other countries should imitate this rule.

Pro bono cases take advantage of the skills of legal professionals to defend those who cannot pay for legal representation. This service is offered to minorities and other relevant populations that lack access to justice because they lack the funds. When lawyers make a constant effort to modify and refine the legal system through persuasion or solicitation, they render legal assistance to institutions that uphold social causes and create room for phone conversations to get quick legal opinions.

 

Pro Bono Week is set aside nationwide in October to appreciate and celebrate the thousands of legal practitioners that offer professional skills and expertise to ensure others get access to justice. The legal field has the obligation to render pro bono assistance written in its guiding principles, unlike other professions.

 

Lawyers can be very expensive. They are highly trained professionals with in-demand skills that make them able to charge increasingly high fees for their time, knowledge, and services.However, lawyers offer a portion of their time with a willingness to help the less privileged. as well as protecting the rights of disadvantaged groups, especially women and children in Nigeria. For instance, punuka solicitors' help reaffirmed the right of the girl child to inherit her father’s property in UKEJE V UKEJE and won at all levels. 

 

In Nigeria, the majority of indigent people lack access to legal representation. This is where pro bono lawyers step in as it is available in different areas of law like defense of prisoners on death row, accused awaiting trials, those threatened with loss of their place of abode, widows seeking a grant in respect of their spouse's property or when seeking divorce, amongst others. 

In early 2020, Law 360 published a report that lawyers from more than 100 firms contributed nearly 5 million hours to pro bono services. Pro bono includes a broad range of volunteering with a legal angle. The most important reason to do pro bono work is to provide benefit to the community that might otherwise not be available. The cost of skilled legal services is very high and beyond the reach of many.

Pro bono work gives lawyers the opportunity to make their clients feel empowered and hopeful in situations that they thought were dire and hopeless.

Read: Biography of Chief Wole Olanipekun, OFR, SAN

Many lawyers refuse to take up pro bono cases because it can be tedious and cumbersome without pay without paying attention to the multiple advantages they will tend to enjoy. There are numerous reasons why you should take up pro bono representation in your legal practice as a lawyer. They include:

 

1. It is an opportunity for a legal professional to appear in court and manage cases. 

It offers room to benefit from realistic revel in the legal world. It's an excellent avenue to get to recognize judges. A lawyer’s legal practice can be improved with the aid of problem-solving abilities, strategic skills, research skills, writing capabilities, speaking abilities, and thinking abilities. It provides a lawyer with the invaluable benefit of face-to-face client contact, interviewing, research, and drafting capabilities. It can also expose you as a lawyer to novel views on social and cultural issues distant from your experience. This will help you in your career and in life generally. Taking up pro bono cases indirectly offers training to new lawyers to draft courtroom filings or contracts, draft legal arguments, and appear in administrative or courtroom hearings. as well as broaden communication, deliberation, and negotiation skills. Pro bono work commonly offers attorneys greater duty and prepares them for the hard choice-making they may stumble upon at some point in their careers. In summary, pro bono representation is an effective way for young lawyers to boost their development from law school graduates to professional lawyers.

2. It is an avenue for networking.

As a legal professional, engaging in pro bono cases is important to gain critical networking possibilities. It is a means of establishing contacts with members of the global legal network. Through networking, law firms involved in pro bono cases tend to build relationships with different firms around the globe through collaboration on multi-jurisdictional tasks. It is an avenue to meet alumni and different advocates who proportion your ardour for helping others. It permits you to use the law as a tool to assist the ones around you in need. despite the existence of opportunities to practice in areas outside their day-to-day work. It offers a chance to collaborate with other lawyers in your corporation. It promotes healthy relationships and passes-firm opportunities in the future. It also enables attorneys to build networks with different legal professionals who are also working for legal aid foundations. Such networking results in a firm's improvement, which in turn is of great advantage to the company.

3. To expand and amplify your career choices and horizons. 

Taking over pro bono cases as a legal professional will help you find and determine specific areas of practice you might not be aware of or have access to take part in, in addition to offering a basis for extra seasoned bono cases and expert opportunities. It promotes a variety of revel in as pro bono cases avail lawyers the opportunity to exercise in a place of regulation that isn’t their usual work and day-to-day activity. For instance, a property lawyer can absorb pro bono cases on human rights, which allows such an attorney to brush up on a law they haven’t had full awareness of since law school. It permits lawyers to experiment in new areas of law and extend their horizons. It is a great opportunity for lawyers to step out of their comfort zone. It's a fantastic opportunity to help those in need get justice while also gaining exposure to unique areas of law. This broader understanding of the law and society can help support a legal professional’s ability to efficiently suggest and be a better adviser for their paying clients.

4. To exhibit your Expertise

It is an avenue to demonstrate the value you bring to the table as a lawyer as well as showcase your level of competence in the legal profession, in addition to giving back to the community by catering to people who cannot afford legal representation. You can improve your practice's reputation by exhibiting your dedication, professionalism, legal knowledge, critical thinking skills, and originality.Taking up pro bono cases can further attract new paying clients, peer referrals, or possible business partners. as well as improve your skills, such that pro bono cases give less experienced lawyers the opportunity to hone the abilities they'll need in day-to-day legal practice. Interviewing witnesses, taking depositions, participating in hearings, and even conducting some trial work are just a few examples. It permits lawyers to gain confidence and prepare for larger positions in their commercial work by doing so. However, working with people who aren't your regular clients as a lawyer can also help you improve your ability to communicate effectively with both current and potential clients. It allows lawyers to gain abilities that they would not have been able to gain through study or theory and to put what they’ve learned in class into practice in real-life situations.It enables lawyers to capitalize on their prior experience and interests. Taking cases on a pro-bono basis guarantees that professional experience and interest will be developed in relation to your career path and ambitions. Pro bono work is a fantastic way to develop one's craft in this difficult environment. While enduring the economic downturn, taking on pro bono matters allows you to gain valuable experience and sharpen your skills for the future. It frequently provides opportunities for young litigators to develop skills in situations that they would not otherwise have access to through paid work, and it can provide experience in a much broader range of subjects than typical commercial litigation. The opportunity to lead actual trials or appeals is perhaps the most obvious benefit of pro bono work for lawyers.

 

5.It is an avenue for client interaction.

Pro bono work can give clients an early opportunity for extensive and meaningful direct interaction. Pro bono employment, in contrast to paid work, frequently allows for immediate and significant client contact. Client relations are often the domain of senior associates or partners on the team, as any junior associate who has worked on large-scale commercial litigation knows. And it's no secret that associates in many law firms, especially the larger ones, are dissatisfied with the limited engagement they have with the firm's large corporate clients and the lack of immediate impact their work has as a result of this isolation. Pro bono work, on the other hand, frequently allows young associates to communicate directly with their clients. Connecting with clients gives critical learning encounters for youthful partners and extraordinary openings to create abilities basic to the litigator’s weapons store, such as dynamic tuning in, viable face-to-face interpersonal communication, and, where fitting, overseeing desires. Moreover, client interaction can be by and by fulfilling, permitting the young to relate directly with the individual or individuals who will be promptly and specifically affected by the attorney’s work. Pro bono cases regularly display openings for face-to-face contact with clients and the chance to see firsthand the impact the work of the attorney has on the lives of clients.

 

 

Builds Skills of Younger Lawyers

While we are talking about younger talent, pro bono helps young lawyers gain experience and build their skill sets. Tapping into younger lawyers’ energy and desire to help others is a win-win.

Enhances the Firm’s Reputation

Doing pro bono work is good for the firm’s image. Nowadays, many if not most awards and recognitions for law firms require information about pro bono activity. If your firm can’t say it provides this community service, the likelihood of receiving such honors takes a dive.

 

Provides a Sense of Self-Fulfillment

This may be the most-important aspect of pro bono. Pro bono work frequently reminds lawyers that they are practicing law to help people. The energy frequently carries over into their regular practices as well.

 

Encourages Diversity of Experience

Pro bono work frequently affords lawyers an opportunity to practice in an area of law that isn’t their usual focus. For example, when partnering with a legal aid clinic, a firm receives a list of cases that need lawyers and a corporate litigator might work on a benefits case; an IP lawyer might help someone with immigration status. Lawyers have the opportunity to brush up on law that they might not have considered since law school. Most find it rewarding, and sometimes even fun.

Provides an Opportunity for Collaboration

Along with opportunities to practice in areas outside their day-to-day work, pro bono cases also give lawyers the chance to work with other lawyers in their firms whom they may not otherwise know. That creates relationships and cross-firm opportunities in the future. It also helps lawyers build networks with other lawyers who are also working for legal aid foundations. That networking leads to business development, which also benefits the firm.

Appeals to New Recruits

When your firm is recruiting new lawyers, particularly from younger generations, those potential new members frequently ask about the firm’s commitment to pro bono. You want to have at least a somewhat-active pro bono program if you hope to attract new talent in the next few years.

In conclusion, pro-bono work gives lawyers the opportunity to make their clients feel engaged and cheerful in circumstances that they thought were desperate and sad. as well as make you satisfied and fulfilled as a lawyer.

 

Biography of Dr. Babatunde Ajibade

One of the fine lawyers from the South West doing the nation proud is Dr Babatunde Ajibade. With a career spanning over 30 years, Ajibade is a perfect description of the ‘let your achievements speak for you’ kind of person. Humble, resilient and unassuming, Ajibade’s career is unarguably one of the few that stands tall amidst several noisy, controversial and corruption stained lawyers in the country.

Dr. Babatunde Ajibade, SAN is the Managing Partner of S. P. A. Ajibade & Co. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in December 1989 and elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in December 2007. He was the first member of his Nigerian Law School set of 1989 to be so elevated.

Dr. Ajibade obtained an LL.B Degree from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1988. He obtained an LL.M Degree in Corporate and Commercial Law from King’s College, University of London in October 1990 and a Ph.D Degree in Private International Law from the same university in October 1996.

Dr. Ajibade is a Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in London, an International Practice Fellow of the International Bar Association and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, United Kingdom.

He combines the role of an advocate, a corporate/commercial solicitor, an administrator and a reformer and has excelled in each of these areas.

Dr. Ajibade is happily married with four children.

Dr. Ajibade, SAN is a strong advocate of a united Bar. He is of the strong persuasion that to solve the many challenges facing the profession, we must be united. According to Dr. Ajibade, SAN, the dividing lines we draw between the Bench and the Bar, between corporate/commercial lawyers and advocates, between law officers and the traditional Bar, between in-house counsel and external counsel, between young lawyers and senior lawyers and even the divisions across nationalities and ethnicities hamper rather than aid the course of the legal profession in Nigeria. While different segments of the profession have peculiar challenges, Dr. Ajibade, SAN believes that to successfully fight off threats to the rule of law, encroachment into our profession by foreign lawyers and other professions in Nigeria, and a myriad of other problems the legal profession faces, we must take steps to unite the Bar.

Dr. Babatunde Ajibade, SAN is the Managing Partner of S. P. A. Ajibade & Co. Since his admission to the Nigerian Bar in 1989, Dr. Ajibade has been engaged in active and full-time corporate and commercial practice, save for time taken out to pursue his postgraduate education. His area of academic specialization is in the field of Private International Law, with particular interest in the law relating to the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments.

Dr. Babatunde Ajibade, S.A.N., FCIArb is the Managing Partner of S. P. A. Ajibade & Co.  Dr. Ajibade’s area of academic specialisation is in the field of Private International Law, with particular interest in the law relating to the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments.

Dr. Ajibade has been involved in all aspects of corporate and commercial dispute resolution in Nigeria, and has expertise in litigation involving the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments, banking law, intra-company shareholder disputes, as well as insolvency and insurance litigation.  Dr. Ajibade also has extensive experience in all aspects of commercial arbitration, both domestic and international, as well as in investment treaty arbitration.

Significant Clients include Tidewater Marine International Inc, Technip S.A., Gitto Costruzioni Generali Limited, Cybele Cosmetics Limited

5.         Honeywell Group Limited

6.         7UP Bottling Company Plc, Fan Milk Plc, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc and Sahara Group among others

Dr. Ajibade also has extensive experience in corporate commercial practice and company secretarial practice and has been involved in the Nigerian capital market as solicitor in several public offers of securities as well as in mergers and acquisitions. He is a founding member of the Capital Market Solicitors Association (CMSA). The CMSA was founded by Chief Anthony Idigbe, SAN in 2001 and Dr. Ajibade, SAN was its pioneer Secretary 2001 – 2007, its Vice-Chairman 2007 – 2011 and its Chairman 2011 – 2013. He was also a member of the Rules & Regulations Sub-Committee of SEC’s Capital Markets Committee from 2002 – 2004 and its Vice-Chairman from 2004-2010.

Some of the transactions he has been involved in are:

Led the team that acted as solicitors to Consolidated Breweries Plc in its merger with Nigerian Breweries Plc;

Led the team that represented SRM Partners Limited in its acquisition of First Registrars Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of FBN Holdings Plc;

Represented Broad Communications in the divestment of its shareholding in Airtel Nigeria Plc;

Represented a Nigerian insurance brokerage company in its acquisition by and merger with a multinational insurance company;

Led the team that represented First Bank of Nigeria Plc in its suspended N500 Billion debt issuance programme.

 

Dr. Ajibade has been appointed to the Boards of a number of high profile companies and organisations, including Vee Mobile Nigeria Limited (now Airtel Plc), Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, Lome, Togo, Fan Milk Nigeria Plc (a wholly owned subsidiary of Danone France), and the International Chamber of Commerce, Nigeria.

As regards his service to the bar, Dr. Ajibade, SAN’s career has been characterised by quiet and efficient service to the legal profession. A few instances of his involvements are listed below:

• Member of the NBA National Executive Committee (NEC) between 2016-2018 and from 2018 till date.
• Member, NBA Legal Services Trade Mission to the United Kingdom, 2009.
• Council Member, NBA-SBL 2014 to 2018.
• Member, NBA Appointed SBL Council March 2011 – January 2012.

Chairman, Nominations Committee, NBA-SBL, 2011.

Chairman, Capital Market Solicitors Association between 2011-2013.

Member, NBA Liberalisation of Legal Services Working Group, 2012.

Chairman, Law Week Planning Committee NBA, Lagos Branch, 2014.

Chairman, Conference Planning Committee, NBA-SBL, 2016.

Vice-Chairman, NBA-SBL Committee on Banking, Finance and Insolvency, 2012 – 2016.

Chairman, Judiciary Relations Committee, NBA Lagos, 2019 till date.

https://spaajibade.com