In what may go down as one of the most searing commentaries on the state of ethics in the Nigerian legal profession in recent years, a visibly disenchanted lawyer, Ikenna Ujah, has poured out his pain and disappointment in a moving literary piece he titled “Lamentations Of A Tired Lawyer” — a requiem for a profession once revered, now, in his view, defiled by greed, primordial interests, and a brazen quest for power.
Styled in the haunting rhythm of biblical lamentation, Ujah’s work captures the descent of the legal profession from a noble calling to a battleground of self-interest and moral compromise.
“The beauty of Israel (Legal profession) is slain upon thy high places (primordial considerations, filthy lucre, quest for political or other appointments); how are the mighty (legal knowledge and training) fallen (rendered useless and obsolete all because of stomach infrastructure).”
Ujah does not spare words in expressing his grief over what he sees as the systematic erosion of the profession’s foundational values — justice, learning, and integrity — all traded for “stomach infrastructure,” a metaphor for materialism and opportunism.
“Tell it not in Gath (such things are unheard of in unlearned circles), publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon (let lay people not hear of such things); lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice (so the uninitiated do not hear it and say ‘aha! There’s no difference’ between us and them), lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph (to avoid ‘See finish’ a’la Chinedu Agu).”
This lamentation draws from the growing fear that the legal profession has lost its mystique and reverence, even in the eyes of laymen. In referencing “See finish” — a biting cultural idiom — Ujah nods to the now widely discussed theory of” Professional See-finish-ism” as propounded by Chinedu Agu in his Lecture, “The See-finish-ism Afflicting The Legal Profession in Nigeria” delivered at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) meeting last year. Agu had warned, in that landmark exposition, that the erosion of professional dignity and internal accountability was breeding a crisis of familiarity and contempt, both within and outside the legal community.
Ujah’s words reflect that very warning — that when a profession loses its boundaries and respect, it invites disregard, even from quarters once awed by its stature.
“How are the mighty fallen (the legal profession is in the throes of death by a thousand cuts inflicted upon her by none other than her own children), and the weapons of war perished (legal knowledge and expertise made impotent).”
These piercing lines indict lawyers themselves as the agents of the profession’s decay, turning the sharp sword of justice into a broken reed. The “weapons of war,” once synonymous with eloquence, precedent, and learning, now lie rusted by neglect and compromise.
Ujah closes his dirge with the Latin phrase:
“Ite Missa Est.” – a chilling liturgical ending, often marking the close of Catholic Mass, here symbolizing a funeral for the conscience of the legal profession.
As reactions trickle in from across the legal space, one thing is clear: “Lamentations of a Lawyer” has struck a nerve. Whether it becomes a turning point or just another echo in the chambers of despair remains to be seen.
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