TheCable

Festus Keyamo, Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, says he will not thank those who wished him well on his “long and tortuous” journey to becoming a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

Speaking after he was conferred with the prestigious title, the lawyer said he would rather thank those who did not wish him well, because they pushed him to his success.

Keyamo was one of the 29 individuals who received the title on Monday.

He thanked God for reaching the pinnacle of his legal profession even though it was through a road, “full of thorns and thistles”.

“For too long the inner bar has been perceived as too elitist and deployed only in the service and defence of the rich and powerful or the upper echelon of the society. That narrative has to change,” Keyamo said in a statement.

“There cannot a be greater injustice than giving arms to the already powerful to fight the weak and defenceless.

“For me, the only honour I can do to the silk robes I adorn is to help the weak, defenceless and just, against the oppressive might of the powerful and unjust.

“And on the flip side, it is also to ensure that the weak do not use the weakness as an excuse to unjustly blackmail the powerful and manipulate society.

“For me, my admission into the inner bar is an encouragement to continue to speak truth to power; to continue to hold government accountable to the people; to continue to confront the high and mighty in defence of truth and justice; to make my modest contributions to the reforms in the judiciary and to continue in the pro-people path I charted for myself since my call to Bar.

“I will not thank all those who wished me well in this journey. Why? Because we succeeded together; it is our collective elevation. It is those who did not wish me well that I wish to thank specially. Why? Because they were the ones who pushed me to my limits in order to succeed.”