TIGERS' GREAT WEEK OF FUN, LAW AND SERVICE

From 23rd April 2010 to 2nd May 2010, the Ikeja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association involved its members in a welter of stimulating and renewing activities, in the celebration of her Annual Law Week Programme.
The hugely successful programme which spanned eight days drew the participation of the heads of all the arms of government of Lagos State and eminent Nigerians.
The great promise of successs manifested from the very first day of the week, being Friday 23rd April 2010. The event of the day was the press conference about the Law Week which took place at the Temporary Bar Centre of the Tigers in the premises of the Ikeja High Court. The Bar Center was over-filled with legal practitioners and journalists at the occasion.
On Monday 26th April 2010, the turn-out of members of the branch for the prison visit was impressive and in actual fact, unprecedented. Those who participated in the visit to the Medium Security Prison Kirikiri, in companyof the Honourable Chief Judge of the state Inumidun Akande J. could not be less than eighty in number.
The Honourable Chief Judge, graciously released nineteen of theinmates, adjudged to be deserving of his lordship’s clemency in the course of the visit.
One of the lucky inmates moved the assembly of lawyers to tears, when upon hearing the pronouncement of his release, he showed his gratitude by an unabashed fulllenght prostration on the floor the honourable Chief Judge. The young man had been in detention for more than a year over a manslaughter case.
During the visit, the women lawyer group. Know as F.I.D.A donated some gift items, to the prison inmates.
On Tuesday 27th April 2010, the Tigers gathered in even greater numbers a the RENAISSANCE HOTEL, ALAUSA IKEJA for the launching of a book commissioned by their branch in honour of the Governor of Lagos State Barrister Babatunde Raji Fashola S.A.N.
The event kicked off about seventy five minutes after schedule, even though government sources disclosed that the honouree, Governor Fashola S.A.N was ready to be at the venue for 10.00 am prompt as scheduled but had to tarry so as not to meet an empty hall.
Also the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Justice George Oguntade until recently of the Supreme Court of Nigeria did not turn up. However a good replacement was found in the person of Chief Omolade Okoya-Thomas, the well known business guru and who holds the important title of the Asoju Oba of Lagos.
Chief Omolade Okoya-Thomas so adroitly presided over the programme wihin minute of being saddled with the responsibility of being the chairman of the occasion that the Master of Ceremony wasted no time in promoting him from ‘Acting Chairman’ to ‘Chairman.’
Other dignitaries who came for the programme included Mrs. Aka-Bashorun, the widow of NBA’s most famous president, Alao Aka-Bashorun, some Lagos State commissioners like Mr. Muiz Banire, Mr. Supo Shasore SAN, honourble Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Lagos State, some chairmen of Local Government in the state and Mr. Fola Arthur-Worrey, former Solicitor-General, Lagos State and later Commissioner for Lands.
The review of the book edited by Dave Ajetomobi Esq., containing 40 papers was done by Mr. Arthur-Worrey. The cover price of the book is N10,000 per copy. Mid-way into the programme, His Excellency the Governor arrived and more excitement gripped the hall. His short, stimulating speech in which he described politics as a decent game, was well received.
The book launch was expertly handled by Chief Omolade Thomas and his exertions were not in vain as close to seven million naira in pledges and donations were realized by the Tigers at the occasion.