Abuja-based legal practitioner and Ikom indigene, Abang Odok, has distributed free wigs and gowns to law graduates from Cross River State who qualified in the last Nigerian Law School Bar final examinations.
The ceremony was witnessed by the state commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Mr Johnson Ebokpo Jnr, who lauded the initiative and said it was a boost for young professionals from the state.
In a chat with LEADERSHIP in Calabar yesterday, Odok said the donation was driven by his commitment to ease the financial burden on the new wigs.
“The cost of call-to-bar regalia is often a heavy load for young lawyers from rural communities like Ikom. I want them to enter practice without debt hanging over their heads,” he stated.
Odok said that the gesture was his way of “giving back” to the community that supported his own journey to the legal profession.
“A wig and gown is not just cloth. It is identity, dignity, and the symbol of a lawyer’s responsibility to justice. If I can help more Ikom sons and daughters wear it, then I have done my part,” Odok added.
One of the beneficiaries Stella Mbiab thanked Odok for the timely intervention saying “After law school fees and call-to-bar expenses, buying a wig and gown would have delayed us.
“This support means we can proceed to enroll at the Supreme Court immediately.”
Also commenting on the issue, Cross River State Agric Commissioner Johnson Ebokpo Jnr. commended the effort and urged other professionals of Cross River extraction to invest in human capital development.
“Government welcomes partnerships like this. When our lawyers are supported at the grassroots, Cross River’s justice system and communities benefit directly,” Ebokpo stated.
A community leader in Agbogbo farm settlement, Chief Jimmy Ojong, while commenting on the issue, described Odok’s action as “leadership by example” and called on other indigenes of Ikom in public and private practice to mentor and support the next generation of lawyers.
