'Gagging A President' By Adesina Ogunlana

The other day, Rotimi Akeredolu S.A.N, president of the NBA wanted to speak. In a public gathering. Gathering of lawyers. Lawyers young and old. Old enough to understand simple English. English grammar which we have been told is not the African’s mother-tongue.
Now the tongue is a small but mighty member. A member that can cause commotion. Especially when it had a punch to land or a sting to deliver.
Now nobody likes to be visited by pain. As we all know we run away from pain and pleasure. My wonder then, that lawyers were and are still aghast that the number judge in Nigeria, stopped the number one lawyer in Nigeria from uttering a word at the conferment ceremony of the new sets of alleged senior advocates of Nigeria.
A man may not mind private discomfiture even ridicule but will well mind a public disgrace. Since the morning shows the day, it was clear,from Rotimi Akeredolu’s antecedents that he would not miss the opportunity of the conferment ceremony to wax his tongue eloquently if given an opportunity to talk.
The eloquence is not the issue, but its predictable sting.
So what to do? The Chief Justice of Nigeria knew what had to be done. Which was, the issuance of a gag order against Akeredolu. The order went thus:
“Mr. Man you can see, smile or even scowl but you must not say anything here.”
That was a smart move, that caught the bearded Aketi napping.
However I wonder at Mr. NBA president’s reaction to this reasonable and proper order. He got hot under the collar and threatened to stage a walkout if he would not be allowed to have a say.
I am still at sea, where a guest gets the courage to challenge his host. Since it is afree world where the Bar is a self deluded and self acclaimed partner with the Bench but in reality, is a toss-bag and spit bowl of the judiciary. Akeredolu should have known better than issuing ultimatum to the master class?
I was even more amazed to learn that other lawyers started to plead with Akeredolu not to stage a walk-out. Why beg Akeredolu to stay? Is anybody now indispensable?