You Must Reject Corruption, NBA Committee Chair Warns lawyers

The National Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Anti-Corruption Committee, Professor Babafemi A. Badejo, has warned that corruption has become dangerously normalized in Nigeria, urging lawyers across the country to take the lead in restoring integrity and accountability. Badejo spoke on Tuesday at the NBA Port Harcourt Branch Anti-Corruption Seminar held in Port Harcourt […]

The National Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Anti-Corruption Committee, Professor Babafemi A. Badejo, has warned that corruption has become dangerously normalized in Nigeria, urging lawyers across the country to take the lead in restoring integrity and accountability.

Badejo spoke on Tuesday at the NBA Port Harcourt Branch Anti-Corruption Seminar held in Port Harcourt under the theme, “Strengthening Integrity in the Legal Profession: The Role of Lawyers in Combating Corruption in Nigeria.”

Addressing judges, senior lawyers and members of the Bar, Badejo described corruption as a “pandemic” affecting all arms and levels of government, as well as the public, private and social sectors of society.

He lamented that many Nigerians, including members of the legal profession, were becoming increasingly tolerant of corruption, warning that the abnormality was gradually being accepted as normal.

“It is a grave problem that we are becoming more and more accommodating and receptive to corruption. In large part, this abnormality has grown into a normality,” he said.

The anti-corruption committee chairman, however, commended the leadership of NBA President, Afam Osigwe, for establishing the NBA Anti-Corruption Committee and directing its replication across NBA branches nationwide.

According to him, corruption has weakened institutions, eroded public confidence, discouraged investment and worsened inequality in the country.

He added that the diversion of public funds meant for education, healthcare, infrastructure and security had contributed significantly to rising insecurity, including kidnappings and abductions for ransom.

Badejo stressed that lawyers occupy a strategic position in the fight against corruption because they are guardians of the rule of law and not merely advocates for clients.

“Our duty to justice and society must never be subordinate to financial gains or political pressures,” he stated.

He further argued that there is an inverse relationship between corruption and the rule of law, noting that the more corruption thrives, the weaker the rule of law becomes.

Warning legal practitioners against enabling corrupt practices, Badejo said the legal profession risked “professional suicide” if corruption continued to be tolerated within its ranks.

“We cannot effectively fight corruption in the nation if we harbour it overtly or covertly within our ranks. Our integrity is our only currency,” he said.

The professor also called for reforms within the legal profession, including a more effective and responsive Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), capable of handling complaints promptly and decisively.

He urged lawyers to embrace ethical advocacy, transparency, accountability and due process, while supporting anti-corruption institutions and safeguarding judicial independence.

Badejo charged participants at the seminar to ensure the gathering goes beyond rhetoric and becomes part of a broader movement to restore honour and public trust in the legal profession.

“The road to a corruption-free Nigeria begins not only in our courts, but also in the daily ethical choices made in our chambers, consultations and professional conduct,” he said.

He concluded by urging Nigerian lawyers to reject the growing tendency to see corruption as a normal part of society, warning that failure to confront the menace could have grave consequences for national development.