Babalakin’s verdict: Education is continuous

Pro-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Resort Group Chairman, Dr Wale Babalakin (SAN), on Monday, said education was continuous and pointed out the need for all Nigerians to be “more equipped and more educated”.
Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony for the Lagos Bar Centre in Lekki Phase 1, Babalakin, who is the Chairman of the Project Committee, said: “Everybody in Nigeria needs to be more equipped and more educated. We have to improve the education of lawyers as well. That is the bedrock. When you have good education, you’ll be able to decipher what is good and what is bad and you’ll be able to make your demands. So, fundamentally, legal education is continuous. It doesn’t end with your becoming a lawyer or a SAN.”
On the project, the lawyer said for a long time, the Lagos chapter had wanted to provide for its members a comfortable Bar Centre that would be a center “for ideas, meetings and coordinating the activities of the bar”.
The senior advocate said he was proud that the project was taking off, adding that the project cost had been significantly “brought down without compromising integrity”.
His words: “The selection of the consultants was done in a competitive way. We have brought cost down significantly without compromising quality. It is to the glory of God that we are able to lay this foundation on the last day in office of the Lagos NBA Chairman, Mr Chukwuka Ikuazom, and I think it is only fair for what he has done. We intend to finish this project ahead of schedule.
“We have put the two contractors, who emerged, through a serious test and have insisted that all committee members should visit their projects and take a decision on who should emerge. We have kept to the very high standards of the bar and there is nobody in the committee that has any interest in any consultant or contractor. The selection process was done with total openness, with capacity, diligence and integrity as the yardstick for choosing the consultants. We made it clear at every stage that we were expending the association’s money and it must be accounted for to the last Kobo. “
Babalakin thanked lawyers who made out time to attend meetings, interview consultants and review projects, among other things. He urged members to pay their dues and donate to the project.
NBA National President, Mr Paul Usoro (SAN), said he was proud to be at the event, adding that as a member of Lagos branch, he had been involved in the plan to build a Lagos Bar Centre.
He said prudence was critical in project management and delivery, adding that at the national level, they were in the process of amending the constitution to make sure that corporate governance principles were put in place.
Ikuazom, who had earlier promised to deliver a Lagos NBA Bar Center during his electioneering campaign, thanked all members for their support towards the project. He said his committee had set aside a substantial sum of money for the project and urged his successor to ensure that the center becomes a reality soon.
The land was donated to the NBA by the Lagos State Government.