Honorable Judge Debra James, fellow learned colleagues, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, good evening.   
 

With profound gratitude and great humility, I assume the mantle of service to the Nigerian Lawyers Association (NLA) as its highest steward, along with other outstanding individuals on the Executive Board – Yomi Ajaiyeoba (Vice President), Diran Ajayi (Secretary), Chisom Ananaba (Parliamentarian & Acting Treasurer) and Alozie Etufugh (Public Relations Officer). On behalf of this newly sworn-in executives, let me express my appreciation to you for being here tonight. To Judge Debra James, we thank you greatly for your time and appreciate you administering the oath of office. We are deeply appreciative of your continued support of the NLA. Fellow Nigerian Lawyers, I am grateful to you all for the honor you have bestowed on me and my fellow colleagues on the Executive Board. We look forward to working with the 2010 Board of Directors.  
 

I stand here tonight humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices born by our founders and past presidents and administrations. I thank the immediate-past President, Emeka Chinwuba, for your service to our association, and the cooperation you have shown throughout the transition.    
 

A little over a decade ago some visionary lawyers brought forth a new association, conceived in service, and dedicated to the facilitation of the administration of justice and access to the law. That association was and is the Nigerian Lawyers Association. Now, we are in the second decade, testing whether the association, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. Most of us will little note, nor long remember, what we say here tonight, but you and the community we serve will remember what we do in the coming year. It is, therefore, for this administration to be dedicated to the work which those who have who served in the past decade have thus far nobly advanced. I use this opportunity to thank the past presidents in our midst, Kunle Deru (NLA’s 8th President, 2008) and Emeka Chinwuba (NLA’s 9th President, 2009).   
 

NLA is a vehicle that represents the interests of attorneys of Nigerian descent both in the United States and all over the world. It advances the professional needs of its growing members and provides leadership and advocacy for the legal needs and interests of the Nigerian community in the United States and around the world. NLA's principal objectives are to cultivate the science of jurisprudence, facilitate and advance the fair and equitable administration of justice, serve the needs of the members of the Nigerian legal community, as well as the Nigerian community as a whole, in their understanding and access to the law and to educate and assist such persons in their day to day dealings with the law.   
 

The above are very lofty goals and objectives, which the NLA has been striving (successfully too) to fulfill in the last decade. We just begun a new decade and the NLA needs to be at the forefront of service; serving its constituents with all that its got – you and me! The vision that is the NLA can only continue to be realized when we stand up to serve in whatever capacity – as speakers, volunteers, CLE coordinators, as committee members, Merit Award Dinner guests, and so on. The NLA needs us. But, more importantly, our community – the one that we serve – needs us.   
 

So, for this 2010 Administration, the task set before us is very clear:

 

The list of what we hope to achieve is endless. The road ahead will be long because these are challenging times. Our climb will be steep because some of our members are facing difficulties. We may not achieve everything we set out to achieve this year, but fellow colleagues – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we are poised for great things. We as an association, together, through hard work and sacrifice, we will achieve great exploits. Nigerian Lawyers, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to be done. In the spirit of service, I say we choose to serve the NLA. We choose to serve our community. “We choose to do what needs to be done, not because it is easy, but because it is hard, because this lofty goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because this challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win."

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I want us to understand this truism, a genuinely strong NLA cannot be a spectator association. Advancement, significance and impact, in their deepest sense, require participation – zestful participation by all our members. On this note, I humbly ask you to join us as we endeavor to take the NLA to the next level of distinction this year. My favorite President, Barack Obama, once said "The challenges we face will not be solved with one meeting in one night. Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time.  We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” Fellow Nigerian Lawyers, in this time, in this moment, in this year, let us be the many called and the few chosen.   
 

Thank you. God bless us all.