NACL: Advancing The Cause Of Justice -By Adewale Kupoluyi

The just-concluded Ibadan Ecclesiastical Provincial Executive Council (PEC) meeting of the Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria offers another opportunity for the National Association of Catholic Lawyers (NACL) to showcase its various programmes in aiding the rule of law and advancing the cause of justice in Nigeria. The PEC meeting was held at the Domus Pacis Pastoral Institute, Igoba, Akure, Diocese of Ondo.

Speaking on the report, the Protem President of NACL, Ibadan Province, Michael Agbolade said that there had been great efforts since 1994 to bring practitioners of law, who are Catholic members under one body with a view to operating within the umbrella body of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). At the inauguration of the association in Ibadan Archdiocese, it was initially named as the Catholic Lawyers’ Forum (CLF), which was later changed to the National Association of Catholic Lawyers (NACL).

Agbolade added that national officers were recognised and inaugurated alongside other trustees throughout the country such as Hon. (Justice) Peter Olabisi Ige (JCA) Rtd, as member of the National Board of Trustees, representing the Ibadan Province; Titus Asaolu (SAN), an Ilorin-based legal practitioner, who became the Provincial Patron; while at the plenary meeting of the provincial bishops in Ibadan, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Akingbade, was appointed as the Provincial Chaplain. The President, Ibadan Provincial Laity Council, Bernard Salako, had equally given due recognition to the association to attend provincial laity meetings since 2023, he said.

The Protem President disclosed that both the National President and National Chaplain of NACL also sent goodwill messages ahead of the new legal year thanksgiving Mass, held at Mary’s Cathedral, Oke-Padre, Ibadan last year while Most Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Badejo, Catholic Bishop of Oyo Diocese was duly represented at the event, during which the Archbishop of Ibadan, Most Rev. Dr. Gabriel Abegunrin inaugurated a substantive NACL Patron for the Archdiocese. In the report, it was stated that protem officers for the provincial NACL were  appointed, namely: Mr. Michael Agbolade, Ibadan Archdiocese (President); Magistrate Franca Olaiya, Provincial Representative (Ekiti Diocese); Mr. Luke Mbam, Secretary (Ekiti Diocese); Sir Thomas Obisesan (KSM), Financial Secretary (Ekiti Diocese); Dr. Adewale Kupoluyi, Public Relations Officer (Ibadan Archdiocese); and Mr. Kelly Ogbe, National Legal Adviser (Ibadan Archdiocese), who was elected at the national Annual General Meeting.

It is noteworthy that as lawyers, who are lay faithful in the Ibadan Province, “we owe it a duty to enhance the desire of the church in promoting rule of law to all, who are denied of their inalienable rights since law is a vital tool for liberation, which humanity requires to enhance human development” that cuts across economic, intellectual property, healthcare, formal education, human rights, care of for the physically-challenged, orphans and destitute persons, widows, child’s rights enforcement, social communication and family law advocacy, among others, as Agbolade added that the secretariat of the province is located at the Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) office in Ibadan.

He further listed the aim and objectives of the association to include cooperating with the ecclesiastical authorities of the province and shall be dedicated to the ideals of the Catholic church in the promotion of the gospel message of salvation. It shall work to promote love, unity and progress among all people in the Ibadan province, in Nigeria and the world. The Protem President added that the focus of the group comprise rendering of advisory, advocacy and/or legal services to the archdiocese through any of its established institutions such as hospitals, schools and colleges, and seminaries’ ad-hoc committees with ecclesiastical recognition as well as partner with relevant agencies in government or individuals in the promotion of ideals of legal profession and scholarship in law and journal publication, among others.

Others include to mentor newly-qualified lawyers, empower the incapacitated and the aged members; to partner with the JDPC on matters involving church rights, duties and obligation as a means of creating awareness advocacy and concern for the indigent members through workshops, symposia, retreats and campaigns when necessary; to raise funds internally to support the growth of the forum as a form of Catholic apostolic work; to seek and to encourage members towards active participation in the life and culture of society and the church by performance of their civic and political obligations for justice, equity, fairness and peace.

“With these proposals in mind, there is the need for an action plan to guide our profession as lawyers within the local church to enhance and embrace our activities, as a body of professionals for access to justice for all. As part of our proposal, we hope to have legal year thanksgiving Masses in all the dioceses in the province within the months of October and November every year on the approval of the local ordinaries, subject to chaplains’ contacts with the Bishops”, saying that we are making this demand because the Catholic church in Nigeria observes the month of May as the World Social Communication Sunday with the delivery of the Holy Father’s message.

Agbolade said that in Nigeria, NACL training venues are largely the Nigerian law schools, noting further that this is necessary and relevant to mentor Catholic law students from the dioceses preparing to go to law schools from their respective universities, through the Nigeria Federation of Catholic Students (NFCS) in a bid to enhance the upholding of ethics of the profession after being called to the Nigerian bar in tandem with the slogan of NACL; ‘Justice Through Christ’ as well as the slogan of the National Laity Council of Nigeria (NLCN); ‘Salt of the Earth … Light of the World’.

With the approval of the bishops, a provincial summit takes place from Friday, September 27 to Saturday, September 28, 2024, tagged ‘Ede 2024’, at St. Augustine Regional Pastoral Institute (SARPI), Ede, Osun State. Towards this end, each diocese in the province is to send three delegates, chaplain inclusive to the summit with the theme, ‘Legal Profession in a Distressed Economy: The Catholic Lawyer in Perspective’. On a final note, Agbolade expressed his optimism that the association would be able to contribute adequately the administration of justice since the NBA had not discouraged the NACL to be registered as an umbrella body for all lawyers. Certainly, it is assuring that Ibadan province of the association would continue to wax stronger for the enthronement of fundamental rights and promotion of rule of law in Nigeria.

Dr. Kupoluyi is the Protem Public Relations Officer, Ibadan Province of NACL