Muyiwa Akinboro SAN is a good man. A well respected member of the bar who has served the bar meritoriously and has attained an enviable height in the legal profession. I revere him a lot especially his carriage which exudes nobility and royalty.
Yesterday, an article titled “Welfare of members and three NBA Presidential Candidates” published in one of the law blogs started trending. The article which has a picture of one of the Presidential Candidates making a show of his visit and the help he rendered to a colleague that is seriously ill, was purportedly written by AARE Olumuyiwa Akinboro SAN.
I am not yet persuaded to believe that the exultation of that unfortunate public display of Charity by one of the Presidential Candidates for political gains was written by the learned silk. This is in view of the fact that a lot of fake news and attributions are now freely available on the internet.
Again, if indeed the learned silk has his name on it, I am still not persuaded to believe that he wrote it himself. His aides who wrote it on his behalf may have misled him into signing off the unfortunate and self-serving publications.
However it is, there are things AARE Olumiywa Akniboro SAN, the one who is believed to have written the article do not know and I will tell him as a supporter of Paul Usoro’s bid for Presidency.
- Paul Usoro has stated in clear terms to his supporters that information concerning charity given to sick colleagues, families of deceased colleagues, bereaved members, condolence calls and letters to such member’s family should never be used as an NBA Political campaign tool .To remain steadfast to Mr Usoro’s instruction I will not mention examples of such acts. His supporters are keeping up with that instruction.
- The Learned Silk Muyiwa Akinboro SAN did not know that Lawyers are proud people and if a lawyer finds himself in a financial/health situation that is out of his control, he will not want to make it public but the learned silk celebrated the public display of his colleague’s fate for political gains. Lawyers are agitated by that act. Anyway, what will the helpless lawyer do? He needs to stay alive.
- I do not know the religious persuasion of Muyiwa Akinboro SAN. However, I know that all religious persuasions and atheists abhor such acts where people help the needy and make a show of it. Paul Usoro will never do that and will never use the fate of an NBA member to score cheap political points.
- The learned silk may have written that article to give a political advantage to the candidate but he has succeeded in spreading resentment and taking supporters away .It has become counterproductive as well-meaning lawyers are speaking out against that unnecessary show.
- The learned silk may not know that Paul Usoro is a serious minded lawyer and that is why lawyers across the country do not just support him but they see him as a role model in the business of Law. Expecting him to cross his legs and sit down in Abuja branch (which is not his branch) for two days only for the purpose of making a show of his charity to a fellow man is uncharitable. Progressive Lawyers in Abuja will even frown at that.
- The Learned Silk has insinuated that a candidate who pays his young Lawyers (not appearance fee model) better than the Law firms of all the candidates put together is being cheap with parties. That is uncharitable.
It is uncharitable to posit: that a man who employs more lawyers than all the other candidates put together is being cheap; that a man who has thought many young lawyers in his firm both Corporate and Courtroom Practice that helps them start their practice is being cheap; that a man who has funded and sponsored young lawyers he hardly knew for winning sporting events he sponsors a long time before the desire to lead.
Let us not be in a hurry to forget that one cannot give what he does not have. If any presidential candidate says he will improve the welfare of lawyers, he should tell us what he is doing in his private capacity. You cannot place something on nothing and expect it to stand. May God restore the health of our colleague?
