Lagos, Nigeria — November 10, 2025
Dr Tolu Aderemi accepted the Business Law Advocates Award at the Nigerian Legal Awards on 9 November 2025 and rededicated the honour to young lawyers, with particular emphasis on members of the Nigerian Bar Association Lagos Branch. “I accept this award on behalf of the rising generation of lawyers, especially those of the Lagos Branch, whose energy and ambition will define the future of our Bar,” he said.
Aderemi said entrepreneurship and the business realities of legal practice are not sufficiently taught in universities and at the Nigerian Law School. “Too many graduates leave our faculties with superb legal knowledge but little preparation for running or growing a modern legal practice,” he said. “This education gap helps explain why entrepreneurial skills are not widespread among lawyers today.”
To address that gap he announced the Tolu Aderemi Mentorship and Empowerment Programme TAME in partnership with Lawlexis. The programme is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of next year and will provide training in the business of law, mentorship and exposure to commercial practice.
The event opened with remarks by Kamal Shah, Senior Partner at Stephenson Harwood UK, who commended the depth of legal practice in Nigeria and across Africa. The keynote address was delivered by Pastor Godman Akinlabi, Global lead pastor of the Elevation Church, who challenged lawyers to lead by example, not aid and abet corruption, and to leave a lasting legacy.
Organiser Lere Fashola gave welcome remarks in which he commended the legal community for the work it is doing and congratulated all the awardees, including Dr Aderemi, for lifting the legal profession bar high. The announcement of TAME was met with approval from attendees who described it as a timely intervention to bridge the gap between academic training and the commercial demands of modern practice.
