The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) on Thursday unveiled and commissioned a Building named after the Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu,SAN, and the first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Chief Folake Solanke.
Chief Solanke SAN, is the
Professional Mother of Governor Akeredolu.
The NBA building, located at Oro Ago Crescent Garki 2, Abuja-FCT, Nigeria was commissioned by the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and Ekiti State Governor, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi.
The building is made up of two wings, named after the Governor and Chief Solanke,SAN.
The Folake Solanke Wing houses the NBA Institute of Continuing Legal Education(NBA-ICLE) while the Oluwarotimi Akeredolu Wing houses the NBA Human Rights Institute (NBA-HRI).
The President of the NBA, Olumide Akpata, who described Governor Akeredolu as an icon of the Law Profession, commended the Governor for demonstrating excellence in Public Administration.
The NBA President stressed that Governor Akeredolu’s fearless stance on issues of national importance has distinguished him as a true leader of the people.
He said both the Governor and Chief Solanke have earned their stripes in the Law profession, adding that they are so deserving of all the excellence that the centre will continue to represent.
The NBA President said:”To my illustrious, very illustrious predecessor in office, His Excellency Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, another icon of our profession who continues to demonstrate that excellence in practice can also be deployed successfully in public administration.
“He is not just a second term Governor of Ondo State, he is also leading the Southern Nigeria Governors’ Forum. As my predecessor in office, I am glad to be associated with his fearless stance on issues of National importance.
“As some of my colleagues say, when we need to hit the nail on the head on any national issue, just call on Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN. Many may not be aware, His Excellency still follows all that happens at the Bar and contribute financially to many programmes of the Association.
“Only recently, we were all in Owo where His Excellency commissioned an Ultra Modern Bar centre that he built and handed over to the Owo Branch of the Association.
“It is not a coincidence that the property we are now Commissioning today was actually bought during his tenure as President of the Bar.
“Seeing the marks that these two icons have made on the sands of our time, we need not explain further why the wings of this building are named in their honour. They have earned their stripes in the profession and are so deserving of all the excellence that this centre will continue to represent.
“Establishing this institute is the fulfillment of the vision of our founding fathers and we of this administration are committed to seeing that the NBA continues to do that which our forebears had asked us to do.
“These icons have inspired generations of Lawyers and non-lawyers alike. In the order of precedence, I must again extend my hearty congratulations to Chief Solanke SAN for being privileged to witness a glorious event like this.
“Chief Solanke SAN is not just an Advocate of repute, her distinction that saw her elevation to the inner bar as a distinguished Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 1981 still stands strong today.
“To have had 41 years of unbroken and unblemished record as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria leaves an important message to the younger generation of lawyers that it is possible to sustain practice for all times with integrity.”
In his remarks, Governor Akeredolu thanked the NBA for the honour done on him and Chief Solanke.
He assured that he will never depart from the path of speaking the truth to power at all time, while calling on Lawyers across the country to prosecute their convictions.
Governor Akeredolu said the NBA, under his leadership, was always at the forefront on the issue of protecting human rights and promoting the rule of law, while the late former president Umaru Yar’Adua was in charge of affairs of the country.
“We kept the fire on and continued mounting pressure, even till the time of former President Goodluck Jonathan. In fact, as president of the Bar, I saw myself as the alternate President of the country. Presidency of the Bar is not what you joke with. You are the voice of the people and when you speak, you do so with authority,” he said.