As reactions continue to trail the death of former president of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nelson Mandela, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Adekunle Oyesanya, has called on Nigerian lawyers to learn from his example.

Oyesanya, who spoke with Vanguard Law and Human Rights on telephone, pointed out that Mandela contributed his quota to the development of South Africa, saying “we, Nigerian lawyers, can learn from Mandela example. He contributed his quota to the development of South Africa. He made South Africa a better place than he met it, that is what we as lawyers should strive to do for the country.”

The senior lawyer, Managing Partner in Chief Bankole Oki and Oyesanya Chambers, said: “Mandela started by going to courts to challenge so many things, asking people to go to courts to defend their rights. But when it became too unbearable, he went underground to form the militant wing of ANC and confronted the federal government.”

He noted that late Chief Gani Fawehinmi was exceptional and nobody can be like him, adding “but since his demise, the professional body has not gone to sleep. There are some lawyers that are doing their best and not keeping quiet at something wrong done. There are many senior advocates that are challenging government decisions.”