Akwa Ibom Civil Service Recruitment: Meti Ukpeh, Esq., Chairman NBA-YLF Uyo Branch, Makes Case for Young Lawyers.

In his words: "this[recruitment] is highly commendable and the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, continues to dazzle us on daily basis, rolling out deserved dividends of democracy to Akwa Ibomites. For a long time, there has been little or no recruitment of this magnitude in this state.

I am not oblivious of the fact that under this dispensation, a child of a nobody has become somebody, owing primarily His Excellency's sterling style of leadership in the state.

My primary constituency, the legal profession, welcomes this opportunity. The Hon. Attorney-General of the State, Uko Udom SAN, is a calm and collected man, a revered and consummate Bar Elder which my immediate constituency, Nigerian Bar Association Young Lawyers Forum (NBA-YLF) has benefited from.

Be that as it may, recruitment of this magnitude does not happen on 'daily basis', hence becomes a thing of concern to me and young lawyers in the State 

Thus, I appeal to the Governor, Pastor Umo Eno and the Hon. Attorney-General, Uko Udom, SAN, to take special supervision of the recruitment processes of lawyers for the Ministry of Justice so that ' a child of nobody can sincerely and meritoriously become somebody'.

Akwa Ibom State is blessed with sound and intelligent Young Lawyers, but owing to lack of efficient engagements, the state suffers a brain-drain orchestrating incessant migration of these young ones to other places for greener pastures.

Out of God's fragrance of grace, I am a proud and comfortable private legal practitioner and do not have any interest in civil service; however I am compelled by Rule of Law, good conscience, prestige and integrity to make a solemn and deserving case for my constituency (Young Lawyers in Akwa Ibom State), especially the sound and intelligent practicing ones whom have gone through the needle-eyes and rudiments of the legal practice, hence distinctive and well-distinguished.

It is my earnest prayer that the recruitment exercise will not be a mere puff, a fluke and 'already done deal' or caught up by the Nigerian factor of 'who is who or who knows who'. Since I cannot preempt the recruitment nor take for granted the laudable exercise of the state government, I most humbly appeal that our young lawyers who have taken the pain to go through the recruitment exercise be accorded premium consideration on the basis of merit.

May such a day never come that I and other members of the legal profession will shake our heads in disbelief of the outcome of the recruitment exercise. The world may be bad, but we still have lawyers who are not just lawyers by virtue of Sections 2 and 24 of the Legal Practitioners Act, but also lawyers by the greatest calling and admonishion well-engraved in Rules-1 and 15 of our Rules of Professional Conduct. Far be it from this government, whom has shown in character and prided itself in decency, to allow the 'Nigerian Factor' catch up with this recruitment exercise, particularly against young lawyers in the state who may not have "Angels to stir the waters" for them in the entire exercise. If we have it wrong in the recruitment of Lawyers (tagged as the torchbearers and conscience of the society) then I am afraid of the state and the society we will procreate. May the child of a nobody become somebody on the basis of MERIT.

 I donate my heart wholeheartedly, in trust, believing fervently that the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, and the Hon. Attorney-General, Uko Udom, SAN., will lend its hands to the Civil Service Commission, on a special supervisory role, to ensure that lawyers recruited to the Ministry of Justice, Akwa Ibom State, include deserving young lawyers (who may be children of nobodys).

Unreserved regards...

Meti Ukpeh, Esq.

Chairman NBA-YLF, Uyo.

Chairman of Chairmen,

 NBA-YLF, AKS."