In this interview with GBENGA OLONINIRAN, legal practitioner and coordinator, University of Benin Law Class of 2004 20th Reunion Planning Committee, Olakunle Fapohunda, speaks on the nitty-gritty of the legal profession in Nigeria

As a 2004 UNIBEN Law graduate, looking back over the past 20 years, how would you describe the legal profession in Nigeria?

When we left the university in 2004, our democracy was merely five years old and the legal profession had just started to take shape. The military had just returned to the barracks, and the judicial arm of government was beginning to enjoy its pride of place under our then nascent democracy. Over the years, the judicial arm of government has grown and it has now come of age under successive civilian administrations. I can safely state that our democracy has fared well since 2004 despite the presence of little hiccups here and there.

There are concerns about low remuneration for lawyers, which some fear could discourage law undergraduates. What is your advice for young lawyers and students in the country?

Generally, remuneration of lawyers has always been an issue in Nigeria. When most of us got called to the Nigerian Bar in 2006, the average monthly take home pay of most of us was in the region of N25,000, but we forged ahead and refused to give up. It is a different ball game entirely today. As much as we all appreciate the fact that money is essential, our profession is such that only a few were lucky in terms of remuneration in the early years. My advice to the younger ones is to look beyond the moment and endure because there is always a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Although it behooves the national association of lawyers to ensure that lawyers are better remunerated.