Adewale KUPOLUYI (Ibadan Provincial Officer of NACL)

 

The National Association of Catholic Lawyers, Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province has given its report of activities at the just-concluded Provincial Executive Council (PEC) meeting of the Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria, Ibadan Province, which is made up of the Archdiocese of Ibadan, and Dioceses of Oyo, Osogbo, Ondo, Ekiti, and Ilorin.

The Protem Provincial President of the association, Barr. Michael Agbolade, who doubles as President of NACL, Archdiocese of Ibadan, gave the report of the association at the PEC meeting, which was held at the Pope John Paul II Pastoral Centre, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

According to him, Catholic lawyers in the province had shown positive response to the association after their last meetings. Since then, members had considered the structure of the association at the national and provincial levels on which the report is being presented, having earlier reported to the Provincial Bishops at their January meeting this year in Ibadan.

The President said it was at the 2023 plenary meeting of the Bishops in Ibadan that a Chaplain was appointed for the association, Very Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Akingbade of Ekiti Diocese. He added that after the inauguration of the association in Ibadan Archdiocese in 2015, its activities had been centered primarily on the progress made since the last meeting, saying the body would continue to have first-hand information from members spread across the province.

In Ibadan Archdiocese, the Legal Year Thanksgiving Mass was held with His Grace, Most Rev. (Dr.) Gabriel Abegunrin, serving as the Chief Celebrant while dignitaries of Church and State were invited with awards presented to deserving members of the association, and a public lecture.

Agbolade disclosed that the tenure of protem officers would soon be expiring, and it is expected that a new executive would be elected at the next summit. “Presently, we thank the protem officers for their commitment and selfless sacrifice to the association in the province. We are happy that our Ibadan Archdiocesan Patron, Hon. Justice Peter Olabisi Ige (JCA, Rtd), has also been recently appointed as the Chairman of National Board of Trustees of the association from our province. We congratulate him and his team of trustees”, he stated.

In Ekiti Diocese, the Legal Year Thanksgiving Mass and retreat was held in January 2025. The association is yet to be formally inaugurated, but there is hope that this would be done before next meeting of the association. From Ondo Diocese, a former Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice in Ondo State was present at the meeting held in Akure and reported about activities of lawyers in the Diocese even though, they are yet to be recognized by the national body. In Ilorin Diocese, our Patron, Mr. Titus Asaolu (SAN) reported that lawyers in the Diocese are yet to have their regular meetings, even though, the Bishop of the Diocese had appointed a Chaplain for them, urging members to support the association.

In Osogbo Diocese, since the last summit in Osogbo, not much had been heard from members, as they are yet to be inaugurated and recognized by the national body of NACL while in Oyo Diocese, members were invited for the Ibadan Archdiocese Legal Year Thanksgiving Mass. “The Bishop has been a source of inspiration to the association whenever there is need for lawyers in Ibadan Archdiocese to call on him since we are in the same state. The association is yet to be inaugurated depending on the number of lawyers in the Diocese.

Jurisdictional link within the province has been made possible for easy networking. With this in place, we expect members in each Diocese to link up with each other when there is need for our activities to spread throughout the province with the full support of Bishops and Chaplains”, he said.

In the final analysis, Agbolade appreciated all the Bishops, Chaplains and the Laity of Ibadan Province for mentoring the association, noting that since the lawyers have been attending the meetings, our Bishops have been relying on us, as an association of versed professionals, and having appointed the substantive Chaplain and Bishop Adviser, Most Rev. (Dr.) Jude Arogundade of Ondo Diocese. The President specially thanked His Grace, Most Rev. (Dr.) Gabriel Abegunrin, Chairman, Ibadan Provincial Bishops’ Conference, who had continued to greatly assist the association in many ways.

NACL is a non-profit and non-political association with the aim and objectives to help members realize their full potentials as lawyers and to bring the practice of the Catholic faith to their profession. The group is dedicated to promoting justice and upholding the rule of law by bringing together lawyers from across Nigeria to work towards a just and equitable society.

Membership is open to qualified and enrolled lawyers, as members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), solicitors and advocates of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, and of the Catholic faith. Sir Thomas More, venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, an English lawyer, judge, author, social philosopher, statesman, and theologian, is the Patron Saint of NACL.