By Deborah Onyofufeke, Abuja
The new Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), yesterday resumed duty after being sworn in at the presidential villa by President Bola Tinubu.

The new AGF arrived at the Federal Ministry of Justice Complex where he was received by the Solicitor General of the Federation (SGF) and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs Beatrice Jeddy-Agba, directors and top management staff of the Ministry of Justice along with Heads of Parastatals under the Federal Ministry of Justice.

In his address, Fagbemi warned against acts of insubordination and urged the management and staff of the ministry to be guided by their conscience and the oath of office they took.

He called on the ministry staff to redouble their efforts in the discharge of their duties, adding that, the office of the AGF in the country is a strategic one that services all government Ministries, Department, and Agencies.

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He solicited the cooperation of the Permanent Secretary and staff of the ministry to fulfil laid out plans and achievements of his mandate.

He said he will be open to suggestions and constructive criticism, adding, “If you must criticise, you proffer solutions also.”

Fagbemi also promised to fulfil the dreams of many lawyers of becoming a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

He said he is aware that the ultimate goal of any lawyer is to become a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

He said, “I am happy that one, two three of you are SAN. Before I leave office, we are going to have many more in the ministry”.

Earlier in his welcome address, the SGF and the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Jeddy-Agba pledged the support and un-alloyed loyalty of management and staff of the ministry to enable the minister to function well in office.

She said, “We will deploy all the human and material resources of the ministry and its Parastatals to support and assist you in realizing your set objectives, and more importantly, in achieving the enormous constitutional and statutory mandates and responsibilities vested in the Federal Ministry of Justice.”

She described Fagbemi as a consummate professional and core gentleman, who rose to the top echelon of the legal profession through hard work and tenacity.

With a legal career that has been flourishing for close to four decades, the SGF said the minister has crisscrossed different courtrooms across the country in many high-profile cases, civil, criminal, election petition, alternative dispute resolution, criminal law, and others.

“A consummate professional and core gentleman, Mr. Fagbemi rose to the top echelon of the legal profession through hard work and tenacity. He honed his legal skills under the tutelage of another accomplished legal icon, Chief Afe Babalola, for 11 years, before establishing his Law Firm under the name of Lateef Fagbemi & Co. (Temitope Chambers), which later converted to a partnership under the same name.”