Bayelsa Deputy Governor, Ewhrudjakpo Charges Female Lawyers To Draw Line Between Family, Work and Health

Bayelsa Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has urged female lawyers in Nigeria to redouble their efforts towards building strong institutions and effective systems that could not be easily manipulated to the detriment of society.

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Senator Ewhrudjakpo made the call while declaring open a two-day maiden workshop of the Nigerian Bar Association Women Forum (NBAWF), Bayelsa State Chapter, at the State High Court complex, Yenagoa.

In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr Doubara Atasi, the Deputy Governor identified inequity and focusing on individuals instead of building virile institutions as some of the causes of strife and underdevelopment in the country.

He argued that no individual can single-handedly develop any society without effective supporting systems, hence the need to build institutions that could transform society through law and order.

Senator Ewhrudjakpo, who advised practicing female lawyers to draw a line between family, work and their overall wellbeing, urged them to create time for relaxation with loved ones to prevent being burnt out.

According to him, countless young people die of hypertension and other preventable ailments nowadays because of stress, noting that society places so much demand on legal professionals, which leaves them with a huge work load.

Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, Deputy Governor || Bayelsa Deputy Governor, Ewhrudjakpo Charges Female Lawyers To Draw Line Between Family, Work and Health

He noted, however, that Bayelsa had achieved the threshold of digital documentation and recording of judicial proceedings as part of efforts towards improving the welfare of its judiciary staff.

Senator Ewhrudjakpo, added that government projects in the state are all targeted at achieving equity among all segments of the populace, describing inequity is the bane of peace and tranquility in society.

His words: “Drawing a line between your job as a lawyer and your family life is essential. Today many young people are dying of high blood pressure or hypertension because of stress.

“Society is putting much pressure on lawyers to deliver. But you don’t have to accumulate your job. You just have to do the job that is required for each day. Don’t allow it roll over to the next time, and don’t attempt to please everybody.

“I want to encourage the NBA Women Forum to build systems and not individuals. More often than not, we build individuals, and if those individuals are corrupt, they end up corrupting the system. But if we build strong systems, there is no way a corrupt individual can corrupt such a system.

“Here in Bayelsa State, the Prosperity Government is determined to ensure equity, and that is why all our developmental projects are geared towards achieving equity and balancing of the state.

“All the the three major roads- the Bayelsa West Senatorial Road, the Bayelsa Central Road, and the Bayelsa East Senatorial Road projects are all going on. That is equity.

In her keynote address, the State Chief Judge, Honourable Justice Kate Abiri, described the workshop as most timely, stressing that women lawyers need a work-life balance which comprises good health, marriage, family, rest and recreation.

The Chief Judge, who spoke through a Bayelsa High Court Judge, Justice Doris Adokeme, maintained that work-life balance can be achieved through making right priority to avoid work overload, paying attention to personal health, and delegation of duties.

Earlier in her welcome address, the state Lead of the NBA Women’s Forum, Mrs Dise Goddy-Harry, explained that the workshop was the first ever to be organized by the Forum in Bayelsa to promote the welfare, growth and upliftment of its members.

Mrs Goddy-Harry expressed optimism that the workshop would “inspire young and old female professionals to think and act in such a way that would enable them to excel both at their workplaces and homes.

With the theme, “The NBA Woman of Today: Striking a Balance Between Career Growth and Family Life as Well as Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle“, the workshop featured panelists discussion featuring seasoned lawyers, medical doctor and experienced bankers.