The Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, has emphasised the roles of mentorship, hard-work and destiny as critical factors that ensure an enduring success in the legal profession.
ICPC Boss stated this on Monday when he served as Panelist during a Seminar and Welcome Programme organised for new Wigs and Young Lawyers by the Mentorship Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Abuja.
Sharing his professional thoughts on the Panel Session themed: “Life After Call-Finding Your Path”, Dr. Aliyu urged the new young lawyers to embrace mentorship, work hard and allow destiny to take its course in modeling their legal profession.
“In my own view, for you to succeed as a young lawyer, you need a mentor; you must work hard, and the third key is the place of destiny in the life of every person, whether we like it or not”, Aliyu stated.
Emphasising on his points, the ICPC Chairman shared first-hand, his career growth journey as a legal professional and the roles played by mentors in shaping his career path, emphasising the virtues of diligence, focus and prayerfulness.
Narrating, he said, “I consider myself as someone lucky in the legal profession. I started as a private legal practitioner and then moved to academia. I did my Masters degree in Nigeria and a PhD outside the country. I became Attorney General two times and now I’m Chairman of the ICPC.”
He attributed his growth and achievements in the legal profession to the role of mentors who taught him humility, hard work, dedication, and focus, while acknowledging the place of destiny shaped by fervent prayers.
Aliyu also recounted his early days as a young lawyer, stating that commitment to learning and diligence at every assignment given to him by his superiors saw him to success; further revealing that he served under four different senior lawyers for about 15 years before he became the Attorney General of Jigawa state in 2019.
Speaking earlier, Chief Kanu Godwin Agabi, SAN, a 2-time Attorney General of the Federation and Honourable Minister of Justice, who was the Keynote Speaker and Chairman of the event, admonished the young lawyers to embrace the legal profession with the determination to be truthful at all times.
According to Chief Agabi, “time has come that lawyers must begin to speak the truth in practising their profession”. “When you defend, do so with all the passion in you”, he added.
The former AGF warned the young Wigs to avoid the mistakes that some experienced lawyers have made, calling on them to beware of what they sow as they would reap in a hundredfold.
In his Welcome Remarks, the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Mentorship Committee, Dr. Olukayode Ajulo, OON, SAN, expressed appreciation to the legal luminaries who graced the event, stating that they were inspirations to the young lawyers.
The NBA President noted that “it is the sacred responsibility of the experienced to guide the aspiring new wigs and young lawyers.”
The event forms part of the activities of the Nigerian Bar Association(NBA) geared towards nurturing new wigs in addition to transferring first-hand professional knowledge to them.