New NBA president succeeds Olumide Akpata
Yakubu Maikyau sworn in as the 31st President of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Mr. Maikyau, popularly referred to as YC, was sworn in during the association's 62nd Annual General Conference held at the Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos on Friday.
Mr. Maikyau, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), succeeded outgoing President Olumide Akpata. His term would expire in 2024.
The lawyer was elected president of the association in July after winning the election with a total of 22,342 votes. His main opponent, Joe-Kyari Gadzama, won 10,842 votes.
In his inaugural speech, Mr. Maikyau said the event coincided with the 11th anniversary of his swearing-in as SAN.
He added that his main vocation is "service to the cause of justice".
"The fulfillment of this duty will naturally lead to the socio-economic and political change we desire in Nigeria; bring about the recovery, reform and repositioning we need as a nation; improve productivity, prosperity and empowerment within politics and ensuring the well-being of all citizens, including lawyers."
BackgroundDescribing his family background, the president said his parents, now deceased, had no formal education and were poor.
"If my father hadn't joined the army, my late sister, Amina Maikyau, and I might not have gone to school," he said.
"I remember my father saying to me when he was sending me to the basic school in Zaria, in 1984, 'any day you are hungry, come home, whatever we have, we will share'".
"My mother, among other trades, sold firewood to support my studies and as an undergrad, I helped split firewood to sell.
READ ALSO:"My deceased sister, for her part, after her National Certificate of Education (NCE), suspended her higher studies and took up a teaching position to support the family and my education."
He also said he never planned to go to law school, but found his name on the list.
“Never in my wildest thoughts or imagination did I consider studying law. I was admitted to study veterinary medicine at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria,” a- he said.
"I was informed by my friend, Hassan Danjuma, that he saw my name on the admission list for the Faculty of Law.
“He literally dragged me to the old Senate building and pointed my name on the list. I saw him and was completely surprised and tried unsuccessfully to convince Hassan that it was actually news to me. Later, I confirmed that my name was not only on the main list, but also on the Law School list."
Security“The Nigerian state is going through a perilous time. Insecurity in the country has reached an all-time high; we are no longer dealing with insecurity on the fringes of Nigerian territory, as almost all parts of the country have experienced and/or experiencing some form of security breach,” he said.
“Attacks on military formations and killings of security personnel are now commonplace.
He added that the security situation “seems so overwhelming that it is either what is being done by the Federal Government of Nigeria is too negligible to notice, or nothing is being done at all – many Nigerians believe that the latter is the post."
Mr. Maikyau said this is the time when Nigerians "look forward to the discharge of leadership responsibility and the interventions of members of the legal profession".
Mr. Maikyau further stated that in the coming weeks, the association will set in motion who will interrogate "the government's investments in the security of this nation and the use of those investments, if any, to determine the reason for what seems clearly be a national security failure.
“Our seemingly ill-equipped security personnel are continuously sacrificed despite what is known to be their patriotism, outstanding courage, military expertise, tact, zeal, bravery and determination to defend the people. Nigerian, its property and the territorial integrity of this Nation.
He said the engagement will generate discussions that will provide Nigerians with “sufficient information” to guide them in electing the right candidates for the 2023 general elections.
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Yakubu Maikyau sworn in as the 31st President of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Mr. Maikyau, popularly referred to as YC, was sworn in during the association's 62nd Annual General Conference held at the Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos on Friday.
Mr. Maikyau, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), succeeded outgoing President Olumide Akpata. His term would expire in 2024.
The lawyer was elected president of the association in July after winning the election with a total of 22,342 votes. His main opponent, Joe-Kyari Gadzama, won 10,842 votes.
In his inaugural speech, Mr. Maikyau said the event coincided with the 11th anniversary of his swearing-in as SAN.
He added that his main vocation is "service to the cause of justice".
"The fulfillment of this duty will naturally lead to the socio-economic and political change we desire in Nigeria; bring about the recovery, reform and repositioning we need as a nation; improve productivity, prosperity and empowerment within politics and ensuring the well-being of all citizens, including lawyers."
BackgroundDescribing his family background, the president said his parents, now deceased, had no formal education and were poor.
"If my father hadn't joined the army, my late sister, Amina Maikyau, and I might not have gone to school," he said.
"I remember my father saying to me when he was sending me to the basic school in Zaria, in 1984, 'any day you are hungry, come home, whatever we have, we will share'".
"My mother, among other trades, sold firewood to support my studies and as an undergrad, I helped split firewood to sell.
READ ALSO:"My deceased sister, for her part, after her National Certificate of Education (NCE), suspended her higher studies and took up a teaching position to support the family and my education."
He also said he never planned to go to law school, but found his name on the list.
“Never in my wildest thoughts or imagination did I consider studying law. I was admitted to study veterinary medicine at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria,” a- he said.
"I was informed by my friend, Hassan Danjuma, that he saw my name on the admission list for the Faculty of Law.
“He literally dragged me to the old Senate building and pointed my name on the list. I saw him and was completely surprised and tried unsuccessfully to convince Hassan that it was actually news to me. Later, I confirmed that my name was not only on the main list, but also on the Law School list."
Security“The Nigerian state is going through a perilous time. Insecurity in the country has reached an all-time high; we are no longer dealing with insecurity on the fringes of Nigerian territory, as almost all parts of the country have experienced and/or experiencing some form of security breach,” he said.
“Attacks on military formations and killings of security personnel are now commonplace.
He added that the security situation “seems so overwhelming that it is either what is being done by the Federal Government of Nigeria is too negligible to notice, or nothing is being done at all – many Nigerians believe that the latter is the post."
Mr. Maikyau said this is the time when Nigerians "look forward to the discharge of leadership responsibility and the interventions of members of the legal profession".
Mr. Maikyau further stated that in the coming weeks, the association will set in motion who will interrogate "the government's investments in the security of this nation and the use of those investments, if any, to determine the reason for what seems clearly be a national security failure.
“Our seemingly ill-equipped security personnel are continuously sacrificed despite what is known to be their patriotism, outstanding courage, military expertise, tact, zeal, bravery and determination to defend the people. Nigerian, its property and the territorial integrity of this Nation.
He said the engagement will generate discussions that will provide Nigerians with “sufficient information” to guide them in electing the right candidates for the 2023 general elections.
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