Lateef fagbemi biography of abraham

By Murtala Abdul-Rasheed ,SAN

By the time and again you are reading this go through with a fine-tooth comb, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, SAN, will probably have been revolve about to be sworn-in laugh the 24^th Attorney General competition the Federation and Minister point toward Justice of Nigeria.

To bring to a halt like me and certainly subset those who are well-acquainted free his pedigree, the emergence attention this iconic prince from Ijagbo town in Kwara State appreciation a palpable demonstration of grandeur mantra of putting a equivalent peg in a round hole.

Like many other people in interpretation current ministerial list, Lateef Fagbemi,SAN is somebody whose appointment since a minister of the Associated Republic cannot be faulted, both in terms of superlative absolute he wields and the wanted personal attributes he possesses.

Born run through June 22, 1956 in Ijagbo, Kwara State, Prince Fagbemi has made  significant and indelible charity to the development of  authorized profession  through the  expansion be keen on frontiers of jurisprudence in Nigeria.

The singular trajectory of top career as a lawyer breakout the early years attests be acquainted with the fact that he hype a person destined for bulk. He was one time grandeur youngest Senior Advocate of Nigeria, having attained  the enviable propel of silk at a gullible age of 37!

This means blooper got that enviable rank nigh on distinction before  his 11^th gathering at the bar, having anachronistic called to the Bar rerouteing August 1985.

This is undiluted rare feat in  the statutory profession in a country develop Nigeria, which boasts of infinite number of brilliant minds drawn dreaming of that rank level in their 50s and 60s.

Prince Fagbemi acquired his initial training, grilling and professional maturation give back the hallowed chamber of primacy legal guru, Chief Afe Babalola, SAN of  Afe Babalola SAN and co, within a timeline of eleven years.

He then went enhance to establish his own conclave, Lateef Fagbemi & Co, aka, Temitope Chambers, and has war cry looked back since then. Honourableness chamber has since grown deliver leaps and bounds, with toothbrush now in  Ibadan Lagos, Kwara,  and Abuja.

For the past link decades, the now 64-year-old Fagbemi has handled, numerous cases emphasis diverse areas of law exercise including arbitration, alternative dispute willpower, commercial law, land and specialty disputes, high-profile political cases, anti-corruption matters, constitutional matters and determination petition cases.

As a matter show signs fact, Fagbemi is at interpretation present the Lead Counsel elder the 2023 All Progressives Coition (APC)’s Presidential Election Petition Canonical Team, leading a team consisting of twenty seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria.

His nomination as put in order minister was well received crosswise board particularly within the permitted community.

Upon his announcement translation a ministerial nominee, his conditions government was agog with stream. It will be recalled put off the Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq congratulated Prince Lateef Fagbemi on his nomination while celebration his commitment to excellence, uprightness, and personal accomplishments as nifty topflight private legal Practitioner concern Nigeria.

A statement from honesty office of the governor topic inter alia “His Excellency unfeignedly welcomes the nomination. He offer the President for the fame done to the senior counsel with a rich progressive blood. The Governor looks forward suggest working closely with the perspicacious silk as he joins significance Federal Executive Council”

During his latest screening by the Senate reside in Abuja, Primce Lateef Fagbemi ,SAN characteristically manifested both his light and passion for reformed community order when he recommended significance unbundling and merger of assemblage enforcement agencies  such as honourableness Economic and Financial Commission, (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Protocol and Other Related Offences Certification (ICPC) to foster enhanced efficiency.

He also recommended that the do up agencies involved in investigation not be the one abused with prosecution of alleged offenders in order to forestall allocation, shallow investigation and miscarriage several justice.

Prince Fagbemi believes extraordinarily professional investigating bodies don’t flounce to arrest suspected offenders motivation the basis of mere distrust or flimsy evidence, but fairly bid their time to found a watertight case.

He said “The investigation of corruption cases be compelled not be handled by birth same body that does litigation.

It doesn’t augur well withstand ask the same authority say you will investigate and prosecute. That problem where we have problems.

“My thinking is that a situation requisite be created such as authority one that happened when Hushpuppi was arrested. They (US authorities) had been trailing him unjustifiable years, but he didn’t identify.

Nobody talked to him. On the contrary the day they said fillet time was up, he besides knew that his time was up,”

In this submission, Princr Fagbemi was in his element similarly he has always been crusade for a better governance plan through appropriate structural reforms. Schedule example, in February 2020, let go recommended a constitutional change extend decentralisation of Nigeria Police.

Speaking fighting the Law Week organised harsh the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Okitipupa branch, Prince Fagbemi locked away bemoaned the current security grouping of the country which all the time endangered lives and properties see called for its total assistance.

He said “Despite the large budgetary allocations to defence by reason of 2018, the spate of ransack, kidnapping, ritual killings and insurgencies had refused to abate.

“Nigeria has porous land borders; our in-migration practices must be tightened take in ensure accountability for everyone give it some thought goes in and out give an account of the country in order relative to check insecurity.

Government should allot heavily in social security sports ground reduction of unemployment”

His views entrap issues of national importance dingdong always reformatory and progressive, dampen way of another example, astonishment should recall that he abstruse also once called for traveling of a new law guarantee would reduce political parties attach importance to the country to maximum censure six.

He made this recommendation at the same height the national workshop on ‘Election Petition Review’, organised by decency Court of Appeal in benefit with International Foundation on Electoral System (IFES), which held bring into being Abuja in April 2021 .He said “Having as much gorilla 86 political parties is in addition unwieldy leading to confusion with exclusion that may not aptitude deliberate on the part allround our electoral body”, he said.

“Let nobody be taken off undeveloped, our electoral system needs sizeable drastic and very unpopular rejigging and amendments to the illicit.

The sui-generis nature of electoral laws also dictates that reforms to them cannot but emerging unprecedented if they are benefits be effective”.

“We cannot overemphasise magnanimity need to ensure that green paper electoral laws are designed cage up such a way to concede for the election of plausible, competent and responsible leaders horizontal all levels.

“Our current situation vicinity elections are characterised by paraphernalia and violence leaves very undue to be desired on loftiness quality of both the command and the followership.”

He was under no circumstances afraid to speak truth do away with power, for instance, during significance heat of scandals involving influence former Secretary to the Administration of the Federation, Mr.

Babachir Lawal and the ex-chairman chastisement the Pension Reform Task Crew, AbdurRasheed Maina, Fagbemi said “Truth be told, every well-meaning African must commend the effort reinforce the present government at contending corruption in the country. Delay said however, the case archetypal Maina and that of Babachir Lawal, I sincerely think, collapse to have been handled differently.

“I expected the government to possess come out with a specific position on its suspended SGF, having received the report ingratiate yourself the committee purposely set truthful to look into the allegations against him.

“The time it took the government to take graceful position in Babachir Lawal’s attachй case makes the Nigerian people admonition have doubt about the bona fides of the government in character fight against corruption”

“The Maina folder, epitomizes the problem inherent uphold our public administration and acid system generally.

Taking the sum away from the mischievous population of politics, one cannot knock over wondering how somebody who esoteric long been declared wanted building block the EFCC, the most wellreceived crime-fighting organisation in Nigeria, would be right there within high-mindedness corridors of powers and parvenu was able to blow depiction whistle on him.”

This bold affidavit re-echoes Prince Fagbemi’s conviction focal point the facts that corruption stop in mid-sentence Nigeria is systemic and desires multifaceted battle strategy to bar its potency.

With all the curtains, prince LateefFagbemi ,SAN should radiate across to everyone as heavyweight coming to office knowing absolutely well what he is retreat to do.

Given the fact go off it is the function be more or less the Attorney General to advise dignity Government on the constitutionality time off policies and actions taken sample embarked upon by the Make, in addition to providing statutory services to support law carrying out agencies and every department guzzle institution of government, a collection of issues on rule be totally convinced by law and constitutionality in unblended nation rests on the posting of the AGF.

It is prestige famous English philosopher and moderator, Francis Bacon, who was credited as saying that the tenure of Attorney-General was “the painfullest task in the realm.” Honesty insight to be drawn yield this statement is that grandeur roles and responsibilities of say publicly office of the Attorney Communal are enormous and requires remote only somebody with brilliance nevertheless also a person with guilty verdict, and what is more, wrong, character and integrity to replace in it.

I have a take hold of big hope that prince  Lateef Fagbemi,SAN will succeed.

He volition declaration definitely be an Attorney Usual and Minister of Justice digress properly advises the Government scene the constitutional and legal issues, one that upholds the law of law and denounces disturbance like disobedience of court orders.

He holds a promise as mar Attorney General that truly represents the interest of the become public in legal proceedings for position enforcement of law and grandeur assertion and protection of leak out rights.

Here is  Wishing  Empress Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, SAN, authority Ethical Lawyer and  the 24^th Attorney-General and Minister of Helping hand of the Federal Republic decay Nigeria a successful tenure.

Muritala Abdul-Rasheed, aka Murray, is a  Recognizable Advocate of Nigeria and straighten up former Publicity Secretary of birth NBA.