Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
The Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria, (CLASFON), Onitsha branch, has been urged to shun sharp practices and double standards capable of ruining their careers.
The group rather challenged legal practitioners to practice their profession with the fear of God, saying that a blissful or terrible eternity awaits everyone.
The warning was given, at the weekend, during the CLASFON end of the year dinner held at the St. Loius Mbanefo Bar Center, High Court Complex, Onitsha, Anambra State.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Ikenna Egbuna, in his paper titled ‘The Christian lawyer: Contemporary challenges and Emerging trends in legal practice’, said that it was possible for a lawyer to achieve his aspirations without belonging to any occult fraternity.
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He said that common belief was that before any person can attain certain important positions in Nigeria and beyond the person must ‘belong somewhere’ however he maintained that one with Jesus Christ could still make it.
Chief Egbuna said that any Christian lawyer seeking appointments should first endeavor to meet all the professional qualifications to avoid being tempted to soil his or her reputation.
“It is germane to seek for appointments but first try to meet all the qualifications. When I was going for SAN some persons told me to come and “belong” but I smiled because I already have my Mediator &Advocate Jesus Christ”.
“The qualification was: High court 20 cases, I had 54, Court of Appeal 8 cases, I had 26, Supreme Court 4 cases, I had 18, concerning extra professional qualifications, I had two”, said Egbuna.
He advised Christian lawyers to see Christianity as the strength they need to face professional challenges saying that any person having Jesus Christ as an advocate was unstoppable.
Moreover, Egbuna called on lawyers to improve their ICT knowledge saying that one cannot file a case in the supreme court without being registered online.
The Former National CLASFON President Mr. Alozie C. Echeonwu in his remarks x-rayed various challenges facing the Christian lawyers charging them to overcome them.
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He told lawyers to stand against the temptation to join cultism while seeking appointments as members of the bar or bench.
“Stand against cultism, beyond this earth is eternal damnation or salvation. In your quest for connection, appointments beware of evil covenants of secrecy or “Esoteric deities”, said Echeonwu”
“He told them to acquire more knowledge on software and hardware current technology adding that lawyers need entrepreneur skills and financial intelligence to meet global challenges”.
Echeonwu admonished the legal practitioner to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to their colleagues saying that it takes only a lawyer to comfortably convert a fellow lawyer.
Earlier in their separate remarks, the chairman CLASFON Onitsha Branch Mr Sam A Okorie, the Vice Chairman, Rapuluchukwu Nduka and former Regional Cordinator CLASFON, Dr. Obioma Ogelle thanked all participants reminding their colleagues to take their encounter with Jesus Christ as primarily before the legal profession or any other aspiration.
They urged lawyers to join the fellowship which its mission includes free distribution of bible devotionals in prisons, Pro Bono defense of indigent accused persons and protection and defense of religious liberty.
The Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Anambra State, Rev Dr. John Ndubisi and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) counterpart and also CAN secretary Anambra State, Bishop Moses Ezedebego charged the legal practitioners to use their legal profession to advance the Kingdom of God and serve humanity. ENDS