Umuaka Times Calls for Decentralization of Call to Bar Event.

Umuaka Times, a Lagos-based online newspaper with a focus on events and activities in Imo State, has urged the Federal Government, National Judicial Commission and Body of Benchers to immediately and without delay, reconsider the unified Call to Bar ceremony and decentralize the process. The newspaper argues that the current format which requires law students from across Nigeria and abroad to gather in Abuja, poses significant safety, security, health, financial and logistic challenges to the new lawyers and their families.

Umuaka Times highlights the physical demands of the event, where about 4,000 lawyers are inevitably required to stand for hours during the call to bar rituals. The newspaper strongly questions the prioritization of respect for the Bench over the health and well-being of the new lawyers, particularly those who may be sick, pregnant or hungry.

Writing exclusively in a press release, the newspaper wrote: “As the new lawyers stand to be called one after the other, the Body of Benchers seems to forget that some of the new lawyers came to the event from hospitals, some women among them are heavily pregnant while some came in empty stomachs. Umuaka Times views all these as torture which is a gross human rights violation and calls for reforms.”

The newspaper also cites financial and logistical concerns and challenges, including the high cost of hotel accommodations in Abuja and potential security risks associated with traveling to the city especially in this era of insecurity and terrorism the country faces. With the current security situation in Nigeria, Umuaka Times argues that decentralizing the event will surely mitigate the outlined risks.

Some years ago, the story of a new lawyer who died in a motoring accident on his way to Abuja for the call to bar event is still fresh in the minds of Nigerians as a pathetic case in point.

To address these challenges, the online newspaper agrees that decentralizing the call to bar event is a potential solution and strongly calls on the Federal Government of Nigeria to look into the sector. The newspaper went on to advocatesfor decentralizing the Call to Bar ceremony according to the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. Furthermore, allowing students to be called to Bar in the state where they completed their law school training came as an alternative as well. Umuaka Times maintains that her advocacy will surely help to alleviate the burden on attendees and ensure a more manageable and secure experience, especially in terms of security and finances for new wigs and their families.

The newspaper also raises questions about Abuja’s infrastructure and facilities to successfully manage the event, given the large number of attendees. Finally, Umuaka Times observed that, “By decentralizing the Call to Bar ceremony, the legal profession could prioritize the welfare and safety of new lawyers while maintaining the dignity and respect attached to the historic occasion.”