If there’s one piece of clothing I absolutely detest with all my heart and soul, it’s the wig and gown. There’s nothing comfortable about the garment. The wig is scratchy and irritable; it digs into your ears and your scalp, it’s like using scraps of wood for a head covering (think Jesus’ crown of thorns). The gown is black and shapeless and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Altogether, it’s hot. Very hot. Imagine being in a courtroom without electricity. The air is oppressive, the stench of body odour is inescapable…let’s not even talk about how lawyers will be sweating like prime Christmas goats being roasted in symphony.

[In case you missed it]: “They said ‘take off your hijab’. She said ‘Girl’s not hot’” | TwitterNG reacts to the Hijab outrage

Here’s a checklist of what a lawyer must wear to court.

Male

Suit: check
Shirt with collar: check
Bib: check
Stud (plastic and goes on the neck): check
Wig: check
Gown: check

Female

Skirt suit or gown: check
Camisole: check
Collarette: check
Wig: check
Gown: check

This get-up combined with our weather equals unfortunate lawyer, but it’s the rules so hands are tied. Which brings us back to this hijab controversy.

[Muslims raise hell]: “Islamaphobe” “This is rubbish” | Muslims react to hijab ban

There’s been talk that faith should not be removed from law and all that, but what we should be talking about is a total abandonment of our colonial relic. Surely, the Body of Benchers can up with something more creative instead of this ridiculous holdover from Queen Elizabeth’s days.

That’s the thrust of Ayo Sogunro’s argument below:

The law should respect human rights, including the freedom of expression.

Law schools that repress free expression in their own affairs cannot safeguard freedoms for the wider society.

This explains why Nigeria has thousands of lawyers and yet the people lack rights.

— AYO SOGUNRO (@ayosogunro) December 15, 2017

Those who have a knowledge of BOTH law and legal history know that our court dress is an anachronistic colonial legacy, originating under post-feudal systems predating the human rights era.

Why do we still use these rules when we are no longer slaves to English cultural history?

— AYO SOGUNRO (@ayosogunro) December 15, 2017

As I have explained elsewhere: There is nothing inherently dignifying about wigs and gowns… pic.twitter.com/jr9SpcqmV6

— AYO SOGUNRO (@ayosogunro) December 15, 2017

Full details here: https://t.co/Xejlyc8oZU

— AYO SOGUNRO (@ayosogunro) December 15, 2017

Can I hear an Amen, learned friends?

[Read also]: “The Thread: How hijabis can get their way at Call to Bar”