The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerian Newspapers

  • Collapse of institutions in Nigeria

    Institutions are the legal and to some extent, moral structures crafted by the leadership of any system or country for optimal conditions for effectivity and the reduction of uncertainty to the barest minimum.  These rules assign rights and responsibilities among other things to economic, political and social interactions.  By this token, institutions are anchored to the rule of law in order to robustly govern political and socio-economic systems.  In addition, they are not fixed once and for all, understandably because the grammar of human challenges, problems, aspirations and sensitivities is always changing with respect to its morphology and content.  Institutions or structures are about the universality of human experience.  They are also an age-long phenomenon.  No country or system can experience greatness in all its ramifications without paying sufficient attention to these structures that are a world away from a cosmetic exercise.

    But unfortunately, the Nigerian political leaders are yet to begin to see institutions as the solid foundations of a robust society.  This scenario which is enshrined in bad politics, and failed leadership leads to the retardation of development on a sustainable scale.  Arbitrariness and abuse of power make it difficult for our leaders at all levels to respect institutions, let alone focus on co-ordination of their activities.  Thus, for example, the manner in which the immediate past Chief Justice of the Federation –Walter Onnoghen was removed from office recently showed that Nigeria was/is on the verge of an abyss.  The role of the Nigerian Judicial Council (NJC) was thoroughly crippled by the president, while the 8th Senate that was supposed to protect the Nigerian Constitution kept mum.  In Nigeria, the president is the institution.  He is the law, enforcer of law and final arbiter.  Justice Ayo Salami was removed with ignominy as president of the Court of Appeal by Dr. Goodluck Jonathan when the latter was the number one citizen of Nigeria.  The principle of the separation of power remains alien to the executive arm headed by the president, who exerts his influence sometimes very dangerously on the legislature and the judiciary.  He does this at the peril of the generality of the people.  No respect for the rule of law.

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    Nigeria has many institutions which have been substantially crippled by the powers that be.  Even occasionally, the real power behind the throne makes the country more unlivable, more painful and messier than the “actual” leaders.  The bottom line is the inability of the system to make progress in a myriad of ways.  Thus, for example, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) is charged with the responsibility of implementing policies by the National Council on Privatisation (NCP).  Other policies include the preparation of public enterprises approved by the NCP for privatisation and commercialisation.  Accounts are also supposed to be thoroughly audited or updated to ensure financial discipline among those driving these commercialised enterprises.  But in practical terms, this is a ruse as executive corruption involving top government functionaries and their business associates is increasing at an exponential rate across Nigeria.  This deviant behaviour keeps most Nigerians in a deprivation/poverty trap perpetually. Corruption in a broad sense, is the major underlying factor for not respecting institutions/structures or laws in this country.

    The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) inaugurated in 2000 by the Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) founded in 2003 were/are to investigate financial crimes such as advance fee fraud (popularly called 419 fraud) and money laundering among others. These agencies have received and investigated many cases with a view to reducing corruption to the barest minimum in the country.  Huge amounts of looted monies have been retrieved while some individuals are serving jail terms.  In 2006, 31 of the state governors were investigated for corruption. There is no doubt that these two agencies are seriously needed.  Indeed, the fear of ICPC and EFCC is the beginning of wisdom to some degree.  But many Nigerians are now getting more apprehensive that these two agencies might be turned into a vendetta against political enemies. An application of a double standard of morality has the capacity to rubbish both ICPC and EFCC.

    The Maina case cannot be forgotten in a hurry.  Abdulrasheed Maina was alleged to have mismanaged huge pension funds when he was saddled with the responsibility of cleaning up the mess in the pension affairs sector in 2010.  He ran away from Nigeria following a public outcry against the manner in which this case was being handled by the powers that be.  Up to now, this case is inconclusive. A selective application of justice and morality by EFCC and ICPC makes a mockery of justice and fairness.  It seems to me that EFCC and ICPC have been shackled (to a large degree) to partiality.   It is an irritation to Nigerians and humanity generally to turn these two agencies into propagandist organisations.  There should be no sacred cows in the Nigerian socio-economic and political space.  Again, Nigerians deserve to know how much has been returned by the looters and how these monies are being spent by the government.  Greater transparency is of the essence.

    The Nigerian academia is also not showing sufficient respect to the structures put in place for robust intellectual growth.  Thus, for example, in recent times, the university council has become an avenue for making a fortune at the expense of the system.  The vice-chancellor, like an emperor controls the council who holds meetings upon meetings that involve huge honoraria without solving critical issues bordering on a healthy intellectual environment.  Not unexpectedly, the university manager today, is very resentful of criticisms no matter how constructive.  Evidence of institutionalisation of moral, academic corruption can be gleaned even from promotions exercise, where certain weak lecturers are easily elevated to higher levels at the expense of the strong ones. This has demoralising effects on profound intellectual productions in Nigeria. In April 2018, the Socio-economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) reported that the Nigerian higher institutions were notorious for corrupt practices.  These include examinations malpractices, misappropriation of university funds, and short-circuiting employment procedures.  Nobody seriously monitors anybody.  Currently, the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti is in crisis arising from alleged misappropriation of funds.

    The Buhari government has a lot to do to sanitise the filthy political and academic landscape in the interest of all. We cannot just continue like this.  Is Nigeria in the Stone Age period? It was reported recently in the local newspapers that a captain in the Nigerian Army went to a police station in Taraba State to forcefully release a suspect in connection with kidnapping. If this story was true, then Nigeria was in a much bigger mess than ever before. Boko Haram overlords are pitilessly mowing down some soldiers.  The remaining soldiers too are busy killing policemen while the latter group continues to harass and/or murder some innocent civilians almost on a weekly basis.

    The Ike Ekweremadu saga in Germany, despite its crudity was/is an eye opener for our leaders across the board.  They need to embrace selflessness and high ideals instead of the current hedonistic life-ways. Our leaders can only ignore this warning at their own peril. Amassing wealth at the expense of the ordinary Nigerians is now a highly punishable offence in the people’s court devoid of legal, technical jargon. It is the height of godlessness for our political/academic leaders to impoverish Nigerians, and thereafter begin to spend their ill-gotten monies in saner parts of the global village. Leadership is not a tool for economic, financial and political oppression and exploitation.  This underscores the reason why the political class cannot afford to rubbish established institutions.  Respect for the rule of law is critical to good governance.

     

    • Ogundele is Professor of Settlement and Public Archaeology, University of Ibadan.

  • Who are the new SAN designates?

    The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC), will on September 23 confer 38 lawyers with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). Ahead of the conferment, Legal Editor, JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU looks at the profiles of some of the awardees.

    The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC), at its 138th plenary session on July 4, 2019 elevated 38 lawyers to the highly coveted rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

    LPPC Secretary Hadizatu Mustapha said the new SANs would be conferred with the rank on September 23, 2019. Six days to that day, here are a few of them:

    Apata

    Adedayo Toba Apata (Dayo Apata) has 30 years’ cognate experience and diverse competence in legal, human, material and financial stewardship giving substance to good governance in Public Administration and excellent delivery of public services.

    An indigene of Ekiti State, he attended the University of Ibadan and obtained a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LL.B (Hons.) in 1984. He got his Barrister at Law (B.L) certification from the Nigerian Law School in 1985. He went on to obtain a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Ado-Ekiti in 2010.

    Mr. Apata began his professional career in 1986 as a Prosecuting Officer for the Nigerian Customs Service (as a Youth Corps member) and subsequently secured appointment into the Federal Ministry of Justice in 1987. He rose through the ranks to become the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary.

    In the course of his career, he served as Legal Adviser to various Ministries, Departments and Agencies including Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Ministry of Education and National Planning Commission, where he doubled as the Head Coordinator of the Secretariat of the National Economic Council.

    In August 2017, Apata was appointed as the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, a position which he presently occupies. He has facilitated reforms in the areas of administration of justice, capacity building, staff welfare and personnel management among others, which has improved the overall engagement and visibility of the Federal Ministry of Justice in a positive light.

    Adedoyin Rhodes-Vivour

    Mrs Adedoyin Rhodes-Vivour graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos (UNILAG) in 1980. She was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1981. She returned to UNILAG and bagged a Master of Laws degree, in 1986. In 2002, Rhodes-Vivour was conferred with the Master of Arts degree in  International Peace and Security, by Kings College London, University of London. She was sworn in as a Notary Public of Nigeria in 2007.

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    Rhodes-Vivour began her career as a Pupil State Counsel in the Lagos State Government Ministry of Justice in 1983 rising to the position of Principal Legal Officer prior to her resignation having garnered experience in the Directorate of Public Prosecutions and the Departments of Civil Litigation and Commercial Law.

    She resigned from the Ministry of Justice in 1990, pursuant to the invitation from the then Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Lagos, to take up the challenge of setting up the Legal Department of a state majority owned company. She resigned from the corporate field in 1997 to establish the law firm, Doyin Rhodes-Vivour & Co. (Legal Practitioners & Arbitrators).

    Rhodes-Vivour has garnered nearly four decades experience in the legal profession during which she made significant contribution to the legal profession in Nigeria and gained international recognition.

    She was the pioneer Chairperson of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law [NBA-SBL] Arbitration and ADR Committee from 2005 to 2010. She has served on the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Nigerian Bar Association. She is an active member of the Lagos Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). In 2012, she was presented an award by the Lagos Branch of the NBA in recognition of her distinguished service to the legal profession. She worked relentlessly with the Inaugural Council of the Section and other committee chairpersons under the leadership of the pioneer Chairperson of the section in laying the foundation of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law. During her tenure as pioneer Chairperson of the NBA-SBL Arbitration and ADR Committee, the NBA-SBL conferred her with the Chairperson of the Year Awards in 2006 and 2009 respectively.

    Rhodes-Vivour is internationally recognised as one of the world’s leading arbitrators. She is listed in various publications including Who’s Who Legal and Guide to the World’s Leading Commercial Arbitration Experts [Expert Guides] as one of the preeminent professionals in the world.

    In editions of Who’s Who Legal, she has been described as “second to none for her skill and versatile thinking” and as an arbitrator who “garners strong praise from market sources for her first-class practice”.

    Malik

    Aikhunegbe Anthony Malik is from Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State. He attended Baptist Primary School, Inalende, Ibadan, Oyo State between 1977 and 1982, Onireke High School, Links Reservation, Ibadan between 1982 and 1987 and Akpekpe Secondary School, Auchi, Edo State in 1988.

    Malik obtained his Bachelor of Law Degree from the University of Ibadan in 2000 and his Barrister at Law (B.L) certification from the Nigerian Law School in School in 2002.

    He was at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and obtained his Master of Laws [LL.M] in 2012. Malik also possesses a Certificate in International Criminal Justice and Administration and another Certificate in Public Prosecution.

    Malik has held several special duties at national level.

    He was Special Assistant to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, between August 2007 and March, 2011, Board Member/Legal Adviser, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), August, 2008 – March, 2010, Legal Adviser, Joint Tax Board between February 2009 and April, 2010. He was also Secretary, Coordinating Committee of the Murtala Mohammed Airport.

    Professionally, Malik was Secretary of the Committee which planned and organised the Nigerian Bar Association Conference on the Review of the Performance of election Petitions Tribunals in Nigeria on  March 15and16, 2012. Other posts include Secretary, NBA Abuja Disciplinary Committee, 2014 to 2016, Secretary, Nigerian Bar Association Committee on Boards and Parastatals, 2014 to 2015, Member, Conference Planning Committee, NBA-AGC, 2015, among others.

    He started his professional experience as an intern at AfeBabalola, SAN & Co. and is now Managing Partner, Alegeh& Co.

    At university, Malik won the award for the Overall Best Participant Prize at the 5th Human Rights Training Seminar for Law Students (Organised by the Constitutional Rights Project (CPR), Kaduna, 1999.

    Sule

    Usman Ogwu Sule was born into the family of Alhaji Sule Ogwu Ocholi and Hajia Salemetu Otiyodo Sule at Agbeji in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State. He had his primary school at the RCM Primary School Agbeji in 1977. He attended the Ochaja Boys Secondary School, Kogi State between 1977 and 1982.

    Sule studied Law at the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. 1988/1990 (Diploma in Law) and proceeded for his LLB between 1990 and 1995. He was at the Nigerian Law School 1996 and was called to Nigerian Bar in 1996.

    Sule worked at the Kogi State Ministry of Justice and also as a legal draftsman at the Kogi State House of Assembly, until he resigned to set up his own his law firm of U.O. Sule and Co. in Lokoja, Kogi State.

    Usman was an active bar man and brought Lokoja Branch to limelight on Bar activities. He was elected as the National Welfare Secretary between 2010 to 2012 under President J. B. Daudu SAN. He was also elected Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Legal Adviser under President Okey Wali SAN between 2012 and 2014.

    He served as an NBA Prosecutor from 2012 till 2017 at the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee and was a member of the NBA Committee on Confab head by Awa Kalu SAN in 2014.

    He got his LLM from the Benue State University, Makurdi, in 2006.

    Sule is married with kids amongst whom are Hafsat, who was called to the Nigerian Bar 2018, Farida who is about proceeding to the Nigerian Law School.

    Omoaka 

    Godwin Omoaka bagged an LL.B from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1997. He obtained his B.L degree from the Nigerian Law School in September 1999.

    He is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution practice group of one of Nigeria’s foremost law firms, Templars Barristers and Solicitors. He also doubles as the Head of the Real Estate practice group in Templars Barristers and Solicitors.

    Omoaka has 20 years of active arbitration and courtroom experience relating to a wide variety of disputes in the oil and gas industry, construction industry, taxation, anti-bribery and corruption etc., spanning different areas of law namely, complex commercial and taxation law issues, general civil litigation, energy law, copyright law, securities transactions, commercial arbitration and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.

    He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, United Kingdom, Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) Accredited Mediator, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Mediators & Conciliators, a Standing Conference of Mediation Advocates member.

    Other organisations include membership of the London Court of International Arbitration, the Lagos Court of Arbitration and the Lagos Chamber of Commerce International Arbitration Centre.

  • Towards reducing marine pollutants

    To tackle marine litter and microplastics in the ecosystem, the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Global Partnership Action (GPA), has developed a national action plan. MUYIWA LUCAS reports

    The ports are not suitable for very high capacity vessels because of the shallowness of most of them. Another problem is debris in the waters. About 80 per cent of marine litter is believed to be plastics. The problem is not limited to Nigeria. For instance,  reports and research have shown that, yearly, more than eight million tonnes of plastics end up in the oceans across the world, wreaking havoc on marine wildlife, fisheries and tourism. The damage to ecosystems is put at $13 billion yearly.

    To address the menace, the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Global Partnership Action (GPA) have partnered on how to sustain the management of marine litters in Nigeria.

    NIMASA/ UNEP-GPA partnership

    The NIMASA / UNEP-GPA draft report: “UNEP-GPA –NIMASA partnership on sustainable management of marine litter in Nigeria’s beaches and waterways: A case study of Lagos,” represents the country’s effort at tackling marine litters and microplastics. It is believed to be an initiative that has continued to attract global attention.

    The UNEP, two years ago, launched a global campaign to eliminate major sources of marine litter by 2022.

    Launched at the Economist World Ocean Summit in Bali, Indonesia, the ‘’#CleanSeas campaign’’ urged governments to pass plastic reduction policies, targeting the industry to minimise plastic packaging and redesign products, calling on consumers to change their throwaway habits before damage.

    Experts said the implementation of the NIMASA/UNEP-GPA initiative is vital to the sustenance of the blue economy.

    ‘Blue economy’ threat

    As NIMASA and the global shipping industry continue to tackle the menace of plastics waste on waters, facts have emerged that about $13 billion are lost to damage caused to the marine ecosystem by plastic pollution. This, according to stakeholders, is threatening the blue economy agenda.

    The Africa Blue Economy Forum (ABEF), for example, revealed that plastic pollution alone costs $13 billion yearly in damages. The forum, in its documents detailing its preparation for its meeting in Tunis, said: “Ninety per cent of ocean plastic waste originates from Asia and Africa, mainly due to mismanagement of waste and can be traced to just 10 rivers, including River Niger.”

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    ABEF further noted that oceans were being recognised as a major driver of the world’s economic development. Conservative estimates for the next 12 years suggest that the ocean economy would add yearly global value of about $3 trillion and contribute some 40 million jobs to the labour market.

    The body also noted that African governments have a major role to play in tackling ocean pollution and plastic waste in particular, noting that Africa is the second largest continent with 26,000 nautical miles of coastlines and maritime zones, totalling 13 million km2.

    ABEF further said linking the issue of ocean pollution with the blue economy development approach could help meet its targets as set out in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs and the Africa Union’s Vision 2063).

    Experts have also warned against dumping of items, such as plastic bottles, bags and cups  into the seas, saying by 2050 there would be more plastics than fish and an estimated 99 per cent of seabirds would have ingested the plastics.

    Besides, the United Nation has estimated that 15 per cent of litter floats on the sea surface, 15 per cent remains in the water and 70 per cent rests on the seabed.

    Also, the experts said 5.25 million plastics, weighing 268,940 tonnes, are floating on the world’s oceans. That’s why it is expedient for shipping firms and crew to comply with rules on ocean plastics reduction.

    For instance, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) said it had received warnings from some scientists on the problem, and its impacts on the environment. This is why the IMO adopted an action plan to enhance regulations, and introduced new measures. The plan stipulates actions to be completed by 2025.

    The hazards

    Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Managing Director Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman agrees that marine litters are hazardous to vessels such as submarines, passenger ferries, fishing trawlers, and can result in loss of lives.

    She explained that the major risks to navigation from marine litter, mostly during poor weather, include furling and entanglement of a vessel’s propeller, which reduces its stability and the ability to manoeuvre; blockage of water inlets by plastic bags; sub-surface debris affecting anchors and equipment deployed from trawlers and research vessels; collisions which can damage a vessel’s propeller shaft seal and hinder recovery procedures.

    “Apart from the normal navigational hazards by pleasure craft and commercial ships, the same risks also apply to military activities which are active in the marine, submarine and inter-littoral zones. Marine litter can disturb the physical environment, affecting the ability to detect certain phenomena many of which are important to the Navy’s defence capability,” she said.

    NIMASA’s initiative

    To meet the IMO’s 2025 target, NIMASA inaugurated Marine Litter Marshals early this year.

    During the inauguration of the first phase of the initiative with 120 marshals in Lagos, its Director-General, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, charged Nigerians on the sustainable use of ocean resources, adding that there are many activities dependent on the ocean.

    Peterside noted that marine litter  impacts on ocean life, marine habitats, human health, and navigational safety with potential impacts on socio-economic development of nations.

    According to him, the marshals have been directed to go to the ports, coastlines and littoral communities and enlighten people on the need to maintain cleaner oceans. They were enjoined to keep watch and ensure that the right thing is done so that the ecosystem can be preserved. He warned that the agency would not condone indiscriminate dumping of waste at sea.

    He said the need to rid the waters of waste necessitated the agency’s collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Global Partnership Action (GPA) in 2015 to carry out a study on the marine litter challenge in Nigeria. The outcome, he said, led to the development of the national action plan on marine litter and its campaign concept.

    Peterside added: “The presence of marine litter in our waters is impacting negatively on NIMASA’s strategic objectives, most notably the drive to make Nigeria a greener, wealthier and fairer, safer and stronger and healthier nation.’’

    Also, stakeholders have said to achieve a sustainable blue economy, there is the need to strengthen pan-African partnerships and encourage more international collaborations.

  • ‘Why NBA must educate members on transformation of legal practice’

    The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Sokoto State, Mr. Sulaiman Usman (SAN) has  alerted  the Nigerian Bar Association ( NBA) on the need to educate its members on multi-disciplinary professional network services  as a major component of firms.

    This, he said, will enable them to understand the transformation the legal profession is undergoing globally and to appreciate  the urgent need for regulation.

    He presented a paper, ‘The incursion of multi-disciplinary firms, any regulation’ at the last Annual General Conference (AGC), in Lagos.

    Usman said: “There is the need to create a Multidisciplinary Committee to advise the NBA, the General Council of the Bar and Body of Senior Advocate (BOSAN) on the need to consider whether it is in public interest and in the interest of clients,  to allow multidisciplinary firms, practice and partnership in Nigeria.  And whether so doing will not impede and prejudice lawyers ethical obligations.

    “Changes need to be proposed, if need be to the Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC)  for legal practitioners  as well as the Legal Practitioners Act (LPA)  following the example of American Bar Association (ABA). Experience from United States, United Kingdom,  France, Canada, Spain and Australia point to the need for careful examination of the nature and extent of the activities of multidisciplinary firms in deciding the proper regulatory architecture to be put in place.”

    He went on: “The legal profession must be the straw that stirs the drink in regulating multi-disciplinary firms, and should be the one who will bundle professional services in Nigeria.

    “It is noteworthy that while law practice is regulated in Nigeria, there is a complete absence of regulation for establishing law firms except the regulations under the guidelines for award of the rank of Senior Advocates of Nigeria.

    “This is one valid lacuna that needs to be filled as obtainable in other jurisdictions  and the proper body to address this is the Nigerian Bar Association, so I recommend that the President should set up a committee to advise the NBA on the need for law firm regulation in Nigeria as well as enhance public confidence and respect for the rule of law.

    “Moreover, law firms are the main contact point between lawyers and clients.

    “In terms of client intake, retainer agreements, conflict of interest and billings, law firms are intermediaries through which legal services are delivered.

    “Multidisciplinary firms and practice are part of the future, the legal profession will face in Nigeria, it beckoning unto us and we have to prepare to  face the future that it brings to legal practice,” Usman said.

    Quoting  Professor Peter Grabosky, Usman said “’Those who fail to anticipate the future are in for a rude shock when it arrives.’

    He continued: “All I have tried to say is that the incursion of the multidisciplinary practice is real, and it affects the future of legal practices in this country and we need all hands to be on deck with Body of Benchers, Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, General Council of the Bar and the NBA in the saddle to fashion out a proper regulatory architecture and amend the Legal Practitioners Act and Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners and make them modern and up to date in line with new realities brought about the incursion of multidisciplinary firms and the impact of technology.”

  • SANs seek improvement in legal education

    •Olanipekun, Gadzama hail Ngige on appointment as Council of Legal Education chairman

    Senior lawyers have urged the Council of Legal Education to find new ways to boost the quality of tuition Law School students receive.

    They urged the council to introduce students to “complementary competencies,” which can help equip them for critical roles and duties.

    The lawyers included a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Chief  J-K Gadzama (SAN),  Femi Falana ( SAN) and Prof Fabian Ajogwu (SAN).

    They spoke at a reception last week, organised by friends of Chief Ngige (SAN) who was named chairman of the Council of Legal Education by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The Silks also congratulated Ngige for his appointment and expressed confidence in his ability to advance the course of the Nigerian Law School.

    Ajogwu, who spoke on “Rethinking legal education in Nigeria to meet needs of 21st century,” urged the council to expose students to knowledge that would enhance their efficiency.

    He said: “Students must be exposed to the rudiments of business – having a basic understanding of the tools that managers use to understand and evaluate business opportunity and provoke and sharpen their critical thinking skills.

    “Also the basic tenets of New Technology must be made known in such learning platforms. The increasing speed and sophistication of information technology is reshaping virtually every aspect of our world.

    “Lawyers who expect to operate in this new environment must understand how technology is reshaping the markets in which their clients compete, as well as the practice of law itself, including the use of “big data,” he said.

    He suggested that to equip students for critical roles and duties, “learning platforms must endeavour to introduce students to the array of complementary competencies designed to integrate knowledge and techniques from other disciplines into the curriculum.”

    Olanipekun, who was chairman on the occasion, described Ngige as: “One of those who made the legal profession robust and interesting. He deserves to be honoured; he is a lawyer to the core.”

    He added: “We are producing lawyers in their thousands every year, but nobody thinks or suggests what lawyers would do tomorrow. I pray that for every Nigerian lawyer, tomorrow would be rosy. But how do we plan a rosy tomorrow for ourselves?  Younger ones must learn from the older ones, Rome was not built in a day or two but one step at a time.”

    For Gadzama, “Emeka is somebody you can go to any length to sacrifice for. He is a man of deep intellect, wisdom, truthful; you must appreciate him as a good and dependable friend. He interacts very well, has creativity, foresight, and above all, he is hardworking.”

    The Director-General, Nigerian Law School, Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma (SAN), said: “We will work together to move the Law School forward. The Council which comprises the NBA President, 36 Attorneys-General, Deans of Faculties of Law of Nigerian Universities, 15 NBA Representatives as members, about 100 people sitting as council under him will formulate good policies or approve policies for the school will make the Law School at par with such schools in other climes.”

    President of the League of Anambra Professionals (LAP) Chijioke Okoli (SAN) described Ngige as a “very dependable ally”.

    He added: “Emeka is a lawyer’s lawyer, he fights on the side of the people, besides courtroom, there is this issue of character, he is as constant as the Northern Star, unrelenting in his commitments and convictions, hardworking, integrity and  he will tap into the untapped resources that the Nigerian Law School has.”

    Former Country Representative of the International Bar Association (IBA) in Nigeria, Chief Richard Oma Ahunaruogho, stated that “having somebody like Chief Emeka Ngige who knows the feeling of the Bar as Chairman of the Council of  Legal Education is a great thing.”

    He called for the ceding of the NBA House in Abuja to the Nigerian Law School “for the training of our young children.”

    Chief Guy Ikokwu said of Ngige: “Ikemba means a strong man and Ngige has been a strong man in the NBA.

    “Ngige has attended all the meetings of the NBA and contributes greatly to the development of the law.”

    M.K Ahmad said: “We must envisage the law and future of the law by rethinking the legal profession. We will help the honouree to achieve his vision for the Nigerian Law School. A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.”

  • S.O.S. to Oyo State governor

    SIR: I wish to appeal to Governor Seyi Makinde to come to the aid of residents of Bioku Aladun, Bolorunduro Alapata, Jagun Eleshin (all in Ona Ara LGA) down to Adegbayi in Egbeda LGA, of Oyo State. The residents of the areas mentioned lack basic social amenities like good roads, hospital, potable water to mention but a few.

    The road connecting the areas together, right from Idiroko by Ekefa Alimi Petrol station to Adegbayi is an eye-sore. The road is not only untarred but also not motorable. Residents with cars do not derive any joy using the road as it causes more damages to their cars than expected, forcing many to put their faith in motorcycles (Okadas) plying the road with its attendant hazard, since Okada can still manage to find their ways through the rough road. The situation of the road is worse during raining season.

    There is also no medical facility to cater for the health of the residents except they get to Idiroko, which takes a lot of time to achieve, because of the bad road.

    Another basic infrastructure that is lacking is potable water for the people of these areas, leading to serious hardship during dry season and capable of leading to health hazard, even when everybody agrees that “water is life.”

    These areas need more transformers for effective power distribution within the communities.

    The few infrastructures being enjoyed by the residents are through the communal effort which is not enough, as the residents on zonal basis have to be tasking every house and even undeveloped plots. The assistance of the government is therefore imperative.

    All previous chairmen of Ona Ara LG were approached for assistance, but all the residents got were unfulfilled promises. One of the promises was to provide health centre in the area, for which the residents laid the foundation and even donated building blocks to make the dreams come true, but nothing came out of the promise.

    The same unfulfilled promise in the case of borehole, especially during campaigns for elections, but those promises are often buried as soon as the elections were over.

    The residents of Bioku Aladun, Bolorunduro Alapata, Jagun Eleshin and Adegbayi will therefore be happy and grateful to Engr. Seyi Makinde if something urgently can be done to provide lasting solutions to the above problems being faced on a daily basis.

     

    • Babalola Jacob O.

    Bolorunduro Alapata, Zone C. Oyo State.

  • Odunmbaku: Loyal politician at 73

    Emmanuel Oladesu extols the virtues of the Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) member Cardinal James Odunmbaku, who clocks 73 this month.

    Cardinal James Omolaja Odunmbaku is evidently a beneficiary of God’s endless grace in all facets of life. His 73 years of existence is a testimony that attests to the fact that God is truly a rewarder of those that diligently serve Him. He has been living a life that is dedicated to the service of God;  and in return, the Almighty has been working through him and working for him.

    Baba Eto as he is popularly known, is heavily anointed for service in the vineyard of God; just as he is highly respected for being a consummate politician and unrivalled grassroots mobilizer. He is undoubtedly a highly gifted clergyman who has been using his spiritual powers for the propagation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. God has over the years been using Cardinal Odunmbaku to minister to the spiritual and physical needs of his congregants.

    Baba Eto has over the years managed to strike an enviable balance between spiritual calling and partisan politics. His rare gift in ensuring effective mobilisation and organization with a determined conviction to achieve success is loudly underscored by his sobriquet Baba Eto, which was coined by the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola. It was on the strength of the ability of Cardinal Odunmbaku to effectively organise and conduct grassroots mobilisation that he was appointed Special Adviser on Grassroots Mobilisation by M.K.O Abiola in the run up to his ill fated ‘Hope 93’ Presidential campaign.

    Odunmbaku is definitely seen to be head and shoulders above his contemporaries in the demonstration of uncommon ability to progressively combine politics with church ministry. He has simply made his impacts felt in Lagos politics. It is noteworthy that he has distinguished himself in all facets of human endeavours; thereby leaving clear and enduring imprint in the sands of time.

    Odunmbaku is also a passionate philanthropist who has extended helping hands to a good number of Nigerians that include the young, old, poor, widows, widowers, destitute, sick persons, as well as those in serious and special financial needs.

    Above all, he enjoys an extremely cordial relationship with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a former Governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC). The existing robust relationship between the duo has, to a large extent, helped Baba Eto to occupy a place of pride in Lagos politics.

    The relationship between Cardinal Odunmbaku and Asiwaju Tinubu started before the emergence of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as Lagos State Governor in 1999. In the run up to the election, Odunmbaku was appointed the State Chairman of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Campaign Organisation (BATCO)  that is now known as “The Mandate Group.” He remains the group’s chairman till date.

    Odunmbaku was appointed in 2015 as the State Campaign Director of Akinwumi Ambode Campaign Organization. He justified this appointment with the overwhelming victory in 2015 of the immediate past governor of Lagos State. He was also the Chairman, Campaign and Mobilisation Committee of Action Congress in 2007 and 2011. He had earlier been appointed the Director of Mobilisation of Independent Campaign Organisation (ICG) in 2003. He served as a member of Central Working Committee of Alliance for Democracy from 1998 to 2006. He was the Patron of Community Development Council, Lagos State between 1992 and 2006. Cardinal Omolaja was a prominent member of Social Democratic Party between 1992 and 1993, as well as a committed member of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) from 1978 to 1983.

    Baba Eto had a glorious working career which began in 1966 with a towel making company, Millet Nigeria Limited as a Clerical Assistant. He worked with Dunlop Nigeria Limited where he rose within a very short time to the position of Production Supervisor due to his demonstrated hard work and dedication to duties. He also worked as a Director at Everly Brothers before joining Nigerian Maritime Services as a Personal Assistant to the Chairman, Chief Henry Stephens Fajemirokun. The company was a subsidiary of Henry Stephens Group. Odunmbaku later went into private business practice by setting up his own company after the demise of Chief Fajemirokun. He floated Bakujofam and Company Limited, a company that dealt in general supplies, clearing and forwarding. He later established J.O. Oduns Farm Nigeria Limited.

    Odunmbaku is Parish Spiritual Head of the City of God Cathedral, Celestial Church of Christ that is located in Ojodu, Lagos. He is also the General Overseer, Christ Ambassadors Soul Winners Ministries International and the founder of Cardinal Interdenominational Theological Seminary Incorporated, Atlanta Georgia. He is the founder of Cardinal Interdenominational Theological Seminary in Lagos and the General Overseer of Canadian Diocese of Celestial Church of Christ in Ontario Canada. Odunmbaku is a member of the  Supreme Council of Celestial Church of Christ Worldwide.

    The cleric is a recipient of the Most Distinguished Rev. S. B. J Oshoffa Memorial Gold Award in recognition of his contributions to the growth and development of Celestial Church of Christ. He is also a worthy receiver of Doctor of Divinity (Ph.D) at Indiana Christian University, USA in 2000. He is also a recipient of Award of Commendation from The Apostolic Church, Lagos and Western/Northern Areas (LAWNA). He is equally a winner of United Nations Ambassador of Peace Award, winner of 2011 Edition of Lagos State Man of The Year Award as well as a recipient of European-American University Honorary Doctorate Degree (Doctor of Humane Letters D.HI). Baba Eto has also won other awards that are too numerous to mention in appreciation of his contributions to the growth of Celestial Church of Christ and propagation of the gospel within and outside of the shores of Nigeria.

    The politician was born on 4th September, 1946 into the family of the late Pa Daniel Somorin and Ajike Jimaima. He was educated at African Church Primary School and African Church Modern School, both in Abeokuta from 1955 to 1964. He is the Managing Director /CEO of Highways Managers Limited and has provided employment opportunities to hundreds of Lagosians through this company. He is also the founder of the Centre for Humanitarian Support, a drug abuse and awareness Non Governmental Organisation.

    Odunmbaku is one name within and outside of Lagos State that opens doors and attracts utter reverence.

    The fact of being a close ally of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has given him a monumental advantage within the political space of Lagos State and Nigeria at large. He is a man that is helped by God and who has also risen to prominence through the dint of hard work.

    At 73, the clergyman cum politician has consistently proven himself over the years as a pacesetter, a goal getter and a uncommon leader of repute.  Above all, Odunmbaku is a major factor that matters as far as spiritual and political activities are concerned in the Center of Excellence and Nigeria at large.

  • Who says it won’t happen again?

    From Lagos to Harare, Lusaka, Accra to Johannesburg, it’s been nearly two weeks of unrestrained rage back and forth. For once, the victims appear to have had enough of the seasonal madness called xenophobia from the rainbow country. In Zambia, scores of bitter and angry students marched on the South African High Commission where they burnt tyres and an embassy sign in apparent frustration. Not done, they went after South African-owned shops such as Pick n Pay, Shoprite and MTN, forcing them to close shop. Accusing South Africa’s government of not doing enough to prevent the attacks against Africans in South Africa, Zambia National Students Union (ZANASU) Vice President Steven Kanyakula warned that “South Africa was not an island and the actions of South Africans pose a serious risk to South African investment and businesses in African countries”.

    By this time, Zambia Radio stations had stopped playing South African music; a friendly football tournament against Bafana Bafana, the South African national team, was swiftly cancelled by its football association.

    The Zambians were not alone. From the African Giant, the response would follow the same pattern. Sufficiently piqued by the madness in South Africa, cultural icon Tiwa Savage would release a volley on her twitter handle September 4: I refuse to watch the barbaric butchering of my people in SA. This is SICK. For this reason I will NOT be performing at the upcoming DSTV delicious Festival in Johannesburg on the 21st of September. My prayers are with all the victims and families affected by this.

    Perhaps even more dramatic however was Nigeria’s Sheila Chukwulozie, who left her booth at the Johannesburg’s FNB Art Fair empty – with a boldly printed message “Thanks, xenophobia,” on her space.

    Meanwhile, in Lagos, the mob simply descended on the Sangotedo and Surulere Shoprite malls carting away everything on sight. Typical of the police, an attempt to minimise the destruction would leave one dead. Similar attacks were reported on Shoprite malls in Abuja and Ibadan with varying degrees of destruction.

    Moments before, the federal government had announced its boycott of the World Economic Forum in Cape Town, to join Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s Félix Tshisekedi in the league of boycotters. All of this in addition to other diplomatic shuttles to contain what was already a festering crisis.

    By Wednesday last week, thanks to the local carrier, Air Peace, what would ordinarily have been deemed unthinkable happened: the evacuation of 178 Nigerians (actually the first batch) from the former apartheid enclave.

    Read Also: Xenophobia: 320 Nigerians to return from South Africa on Tuesday – Mission

    None of the above however yet compares with the cold reception accorded the South African leader, Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, at the burial of former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe in Harare at the weekend.  As reported by this newspaper, the crowd booed the South African leader as he was introduced by the master of ceremony at the funeral held at the National Sports Stadium.

    Thoroughly embarrassed, the South African leader could not but eat the humble pie: He apologized to the people of Zimbabwe for the acts of violence “directed at our brothers in other African countries”.

    Hear him: “I stand before you, fellow Zimbabweans, fellow Africans to say that we are working very hard to encourage all our people in South Africa to embrace people from all other African countries.

    “We welcome people from other African countries and we are going to work very hard that will encourage and promote social cohesion of all the people of South Africa working side by side with people from other part of our continent. This we shall do, because we want to embrace the spirit of unity that President Mugabe worked for throughout his life.”

    Call it a Pauline conversion coming from a man who, en route to the presidency, read what amounted to a Riot Act to foreigners who he tagged with operating businesses without permit. Of course, the born-again President Ramaphosa couldn’t have been speaking for Goodwill Zwelithini, the Zulu monarch who in 2015 famously declared that ‘foreigners must pack their bags and go home’! (He later blamed the media for grossly misrepresenting him, while nonetheless maintaining that “this country would be reduced to ashes” were he to issue such a directive).

    Or, Bongani Mkongi, the country’s deputy minister of police who while claiming that residents of the Hillbrow neighborhood of Johannesburg are 80% foreign born, insisted that “We cannot surrender South Africa to foreign nationals… We fought for this country, not only for us, but for generations of South Africans.”

    Official denial or not, the fact of the matter is that xenophobia is deeply ingrained in the country’s DNA. According to Xenowatch, more than 500 attacks occurred between 1994 and 2018.  In 2008 alone, more than 100 xenophobic attacks occurred during which more than 60 people died.

    Yet, much as the current outrage is understandable, xenophobia ought to be seen merely as a derivative of the same forces driving Trumpism, Brexit and other nativist sentiments.  In a fundamental sense, the objective conditions as indeed the forces driving them are the same. Both are fearful of the future in which they see themselves as losing out to an army of invaders. However, whereas the champions of ultra-nationalism exploit the fears of the mob while presenting present themselves as champions of a mythical past, the xenophobic mob seizes the initiative while the elites waffle in abdication.

    This is where Ramaphosa deserves pity. Special envoys might help to the calm nerves of the injured party; the question of how a government that was practically missing in action when the violence broke out will suddenly acquire the capacity to put a brood that has tasted blood on the leash is one that only he can answer at this time.  As Ramaphosa and his ANC crew will soon be finding out, statesmanship isn’t exactly the cheapest of commodities.

    Of course, Nigerians will remain Nigerians, warts and all; for sure, the brashness, the swagger and if you like, that tinge of deviance that evokes love/hate is unlikely to change overnight. It is even unlikely that this latest cycle of violence will curb their appetite for greener pastures. As far as I can see, the Rainbow Country will remain a fair destination.

    And the South Africans with their sense of entitlement?  Which is easier to confront between the hapless 3.6 million foreign nationals who make up a mere 7% of the population and the local white priviledged class who although make up a mere 8.9% of the population but hold the bulk of the nation’s wealth?

    Your guess is as good as mine.

  • Atiku’s Burden

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s camp is agog over his victory at the presidential election petition tribunal, which sat in Abuja. The panel of five justices of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Mohammed Garba delivered a unanimous judgment in favour of Buhari and his party, the All Progressive Congress (APC).

    According to the judgment, the petitioners failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Buhari did not poll the majority of lawful votes cast in the 2019 general election, as declared by INEC, and so they dismissed the petition as lacking in merit. The first petitioner and the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar has vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court.

    While congratulating Buhari on the expected victory, we must wish Atiku journey mercy, if he insists on carrying his evidential burden to the Supreme Court. This column was never apprehensive of an upset in favour of Atiku at the tribunal; because the burden of proof that a petitioner at a presidential election petition tribunal must discharge to cause such an upset is a near impossibility, except the respondents condone or connive.

    So, even though Buhari may have thoroughly beaten Atiku at the polls, his victory at the tribunal is because the judicial process makes it nigh impossible for a petitioner to garner the kind of evidence that is needed to prove otherwise. With 120, 000 polling units in the country, and a manual recording of the election results, a petitioner to succeed, must tender election results in majority of the units in dispute and lead primary evidence that elections in those disputed units were in his favour.

    Considering the size of the country, the impossibility of producing enough willing INEC officials as primary witnesses, the gamut of documentary evidence that needs to be tendered, the technical inhibitions of the evidence act, the limitedness of time within which to lead the petitioner’s evidence, and the available opportunity for tentacles and delay tactics by the respondents, the proof required of the petitioner is herculean.

    In the petition by Atiku and his party, the smoking gun would have been the existence of a central server which would have the collated result electronically stored. While Atiku and PDP claim such a server exists; Buhari, his party and INEC claim it does not. Unfortunately, there is no incontrovertible independent evidence that such a server exist. The electoral act also does not provide for such a server and so for Atiku to prove that he won the election, he must tender election result sheets from the disputed polling units, before the tribunal, and that would be thousands of INEC documents.

    Real Also: ‘Why tribunal declined to rule on Atiku’s citizenship’

    Whether for his lawyers or the tribunal, the size of the documents that need to be tendered would be so overwhelming to glance at each of them, not to talk of examining them critically to determine the evidential value. The weight of the evidential burden required can crush the best legal giants, and perhaps they have crushed Atiku and his lawyers.

    One glaring instance is the tribunal’s finding that relevant INEC document that should be tendered by witnesses were dumped on the tribunal by the petitioner, instead of tendering each and every one of them through a primary witness, who in accordance with the evidence act, must either be the maker, or receiver, or if a public document, produced from the custody of the document keeper, in such manner as provided by the evidence act.

    With the huge gap in the number of votes garnered by the two presidential candidates as declared by INEC, the petitioner had a lot of work to do, to prove that he, instead of Buhari won the election. In reality, there will be so many polling units to lead evidence on the outcome of its results. Even if INEC becomes a willing witness for the petitioner, it will need to produce witnesses from the polling units who will render primary evidence about what they witnessed, and give evidence that either the result was manipulated or the process was marred by violence.

    This column not long ago, wrote on the two main legal systems, the inquisitorial and adversarial legal systems, and called for a review of our present adversarial legal system. Without prejudice to the Atiku versus Buhari’s case; the outcome of several election petitions and the difficulties associated with proving the petitioners’ cases reinforce the need to re-examine our legal system. This column again pushes for a national review of the adversarial legal system vis-à-vis the inquisitorial legal system.

    In the adversarial legal system, the judge stands aloof and allows the theatre of legal combat between the lawyers, and even when one of them is taking an unconscionable advantage of the loopholes in the legal system, he must never descend into the arena. On the other hand, in inquisitorial legal procedure, the judge proceeds to find the truth and achieve a judgment that approximates to his findings based on the facts presented by the parties, and the findings he is able to make and the conclusions arising therefrom.

    But importantly, while President Buhari may have his second term judicially reinforced by the judgment of the presidential election petition tribunal, he must swiftly move to secure a legacy for himself and our country Nigeria, by strengthening the electoral process. He can do so by ensuring electoral reforms to gift Nigeria some form of electronically backed voting system. The president should work with the national assembly to improve the electoral laws to allow the use of technology to make the election more transparent and secure.

    There is no reason why election results at all levels, should not be sent to a secure INEC server, from which indisputable election results can be retrieved. Indeed, election results at every polling unit ought to be transmitted electorally to a nearby server, perhaps one server for each state; and which servers will electronically feed a central server. All such servers must be treated as national assets and as such secured from any form of hacking or unlawful interference. While Atiku’s petition may not have served its preferred purpose, it has promoted the need for an INEC central server, from which independent election results can be procured.

    Of course, while Atiku may have lost this time, he must recall that it was such challenge which he now faces that candidate Buhari faced in the three elections he lost, and challenged at the election tribunals. The lesson for everyone, including President Buhari and his party is that what goes round, comes round. While they APC may believe in the sanctity of their victory, they should appreciate the challenge associated with election petitions under the prevailing judicial procedure.

  • ‘I dream of becoming a teacher when I quit law’

    For 31 years, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Ade Adedeji quietly left his footprints in several areas of Law: corporate, commercial, telecoms, trademark, patents and design, etc. In this interview, he tells ROBERT EGBE why, despite the immense joy he derives from law practice, he wants to spend his retirement in a classroom.

    Please tell us about yourself

    I am a lawyer and I have been in law practice for 31 years. I read Social Science as my first degree and Law as a second degree from the University of Lagos (UNILAG). I also did my Masters in Law from UNILAG. Effectively, I was at the University of Lagos for almost 10 years. I gained admission to UNILAG in 1979, finished my first degree in 1982 and did my youth service in 1982-1983. I returned to UNILAG to study law in 1984, graduated in 1987, finished from the Law School in 1988, and I was called to Bar in 1988 the same year. I returned to UNILAG in 1990 for my Masters in Law and I’ve been in practice ever since.

    What informed your choice of law?

    I was never counselled as they do these days. By the way, neither of my parents was a lawyer. I became interested in law through my association with very good friends of mine. After we left school, we started thinking of what to do and, because we were young, we took a conscious decision that we needed to be in school for a longer period than what any Masters degree could offer us at the time. So, the first option was to consider Law, which, perhaps, would keep us in school. For a 21-year old, you probably still wanted to be in school for another three, four years.

    Was it because university was fun?

    School was fun, we were young, we were not prepared to go to the labour market. So, you can say that, but it was not until we actually got in that we started getting inspired and getting more and more interested. At least from my own perspective, I won’t say the same for my friends, Dayo Owotomo, my partner, whose dad was a very successful lawyer and another good friend of mine, Femi Fadahunsi, who is also a very successful lawyer who also convinced me at the time, considering my age, we should go and spend more time in school and acquire all the degrees and all that. He also convinced me that Law might be very interesting and that we should consider it as option.

    Your first day in court, what was it like?

    Wow, my first day in court was very exciting I must say. I still recall that my very first day in court was before Justice (Adebayo) Desalu of the High Court at Ikeja, Justice Desalu was highly admired by young lawyers in those days because he would always encourage young lawyers and if possible argue their cases for them, because once he spotted your wig as very grey, he would ask you “how did you get here?” and so on; very friendly and very accommodating. May his soul rest in peace.

    Tell us about your most memorable day

    I’ve had so many memorable days. One of them was when I appeared before the full panel of seven judges of the Supreme Court; that was a very memorable day because prior to that time, I had only appeared before a panel of five justices. This was 2012, 2011 and I was invited to come and address the full court on an issue. Other prominent lawyers were actually invited, but I was fortunate to be one of the lawyers that was invited to come and address the court on an issue to assist the court to come to a determination on what decision to take, because its previous decision had conflicted. I was invited as a friend of the court, an amicus curiae, to come and address the full panel of the Supreme Court on an issue which conflicted a previous decision it had taken in the past.

    This event is more memorable than when you won your first case?

    Yes, it was, because in this case, it was a privilege to have been identified as one of the lawyers to come and address the full court, it was like coming to advise the court on what decision to take. I think that was a privilege and it was an honour and for me, particularly appearing before the seven justices of the Supreme Court and other prominent lawyers, and for me to be on my feet actually engaging them on various issues for about 35 to 40 minutes. I was highly honoured and I think it was a rare privilege and one appearance that I cannot forget for a very long time.

    What is the craziest thing a client has ever done to you?

    That’s a tough one, but I’m just thinking now; I’ve never thought of this before, but there was a case I was handling for a top accountant, Otunba Kuforiji Olubi of blessed memory. She was one of the first female chartered accountants in this country, very articulate, brilliant woman and I was doing a lot of things for her. On this particular day, she came to court and we were handling an application which I had discussed with her beforehand, because she always wanted you to brief her from time to time. In the middle of my argument and after watching for a while, I saw somebody trying to pull my gown from behind; lo and behold, it was madam! She was calling my attention and passed a little piece of paper to me. On the piece of paper, she wrote an authority there, “you have not told the judge about this authority and you’ve not addressed the court on this authority.” (Laughs) I was embarrassed and was like wow. At that moment, my feeling was between anger and embarrassment. I was angry that she had distorted my flow of thoughts and also I was like eh! That was one of such occasions when I really felt that there was something not right here.

    Young lawyers often complain about poor remuneration and welfare. What was it like in your time?

    I was lucky to start one of the top law firms at the time in 1989, 1990, 1991; Alan and Ogunke and then Western House. They’re still there but a bit old now, the partners are a bit old now. Alan and Ogunke was one of the topmost law firms in those days and Western House was a beehive, the best lawyers in the country at the time. The reason I am saying that is  that we were better paid than most of our contemporaries, so we couldn’t complain when others were complaining. But, for the most part, our contemporaries used to tell us all sort of stories, some of them not even earning half of the salaries we were earning at the time. For those of them, yes, I can confirm that it was not too good. Things have changed a great deal, but, unfortunately, the bad habit of the past still flow into what we still experience. I believe we need to address it, I believe a lot of firms can do a lot more than what they’re doing.

    Your firm is a partnership but we rarely hear about your partner Dayo Owotomo. How did your partnership start?

    Well, the firm turned 30 this year, by the way, and it started informally. But, over the years, we developed what we call some kind of loose form of partnership because we started a New York office and my partner moved to New York and got licensed 29 years ago to practice as a New York State Attorney, and that has been the face ever since. So, my partnership is a loose form of partnership to that extent. I’m the local Nigerian lawyer here and I handle everything that we do here in Nigeria. We have two offices in Nigeria; the Lagos office and the Abuja office.

    Looking around your offices, you seem to have gone to great lengths to make your law firm comfortable and functional for both your lawyers and clients? 

    I travel and I have associates, I can say all over the world, and I have seen offices particularly in Europe and in the US and I have always thought that if there is anything I want to leave behind, it is that standard and quality of what a law office should be. I have always looked forward working in an environment that will inspire you to work even harder and that philosophy invoked my decision to actually go all the way out to build this kind of law office. Yes, a lot of people have come here and have expressed the same sentiment you just expressed now, and I thank you and I’m really grateful that we have been able to achieve that. But, of course, more importantly it’s also a statement that we are trying to make, to try to encourage our colleagues that they can do something like this as well. I believe that law practice in Nigeria has gone to a level where we can no longer do work in substandard environment and environment that really does not say much, considering the nature of the services we offer, considering the expectations from lawyers and the clients, we must strive to provide the best and I believe that nothing short of that should be acceptable.

    What are some of the facilities here that you’re really proud of?

    Well, I am always very proud to say that one facility that is beyond the structure is the Library, the library is the power house of lawyers and here we spent quite a lot and to get a library that will serve the purpose in terms of the kind of business we do, so we have what we call the physical library, we also have what we call the E-library. They complement each other to be honest, but the most important thing is that there is no resources that you need that you cannot get here, if you can’t get it on the shelves, trust me, you will get it through the E-library, you get it online, and we have put in place everything that will make that happen. That is number one. Number two, we are in the electronic age, so, the office is also equipped with all sorts of gadgets to make our world a lot easier. For instance, we regularly have telephone conference with clients even outside Nigeria, we don’t have to go out there or travel out to have meetings and all that. We have all these things within the comfort of our office. We also have a gym, if you are tired and lawyers do get tired and we have since discovered that the health of the lawyer is actually very key, in terms of the output, what he is able to deliver. So, if you are tired, we always advise you either go to the gym or go to one of our rooms and take a nap if just for 30 minutes. We have comfortable rooms fully equipped, so, if you work late and you want to pass the night, yes you can do that. We have the kitchen, restroom and of course we have shower facilities and all these things. We have put in place all these things to be sure that our lawyers are always very comfortable and they are in a good environment where they are inspired so that they actually do what they know how to do best.

    Any other lawyers in your family?

    Yes, incidentally my wife is a lawyer and like my prof and brother use to say, not my kind of lawyer but lawyer all the same. Yes, we are both lawyers and that has helped me. My daughter just finished from the university. She just finished her first degree and she is looking forward to law school. I have a son, he is 14 years old, he is in college.

    How did you meet?

    How did we meet? Interesting. We met through a mutual friend and, as it turned out, she is also a cousin to another friend of mine. It was just like an arrangement that had been perfected somewhere that we were just playing out, so when we met it was just smooth running. We met through a mutual friend and we later found out even her cousin who she was living with was also my very good friend. So, the totality of that was what facilitated what we are talking about now, and we have been married for 26 years.

    Some lawyers prefer to hand over their practice to their children or other family member when they retire. Would you, for instance, like your daughter to succeed you at your law firm? 

    To be honest, I wish I knew what tomorrow holds. For each and every one of us, I know as of today that, of course, my wife is passionate about what is happening here, I know my daughter is interested in pursuing a career in law, but, like I said, we never know, so what we try to do is have an open mind about it. Right in this office, we have one junior partner, I’m sure in another couple of years, we are going to have another. With that, I believe we are already setting the stage for (succession) and if I am lucky, if I am privileged that my daughter decides to follow, yes, why not? She too can follow and rise up to that level at some point in the future, but for now, nobody can say to be honest.

    You were 60 on September 9. As a SAN, one could say you’ve reached the heights of the profession. You also run a successful practice. What does the future hold for you? Any plans to go into politics?

    When I became a SAN in 2015, I remember a lot of people telling me that this is the pinnacle of your career, there’s nothing more to aspire to and I felt like sitting on my hands. But, for as long as we live, I believe there’s always something up there that you aspire to truly. To be honest for me, it’s not politics; I’m not looking forward to buying a private jet. I am saying all these because you’re going to be disappointed when I finally tell you. It’s simple, I look forward to becoming a teacher, I look forward to having an opportunity to teach somewhere and impact knowledge and be part of the success of people that are coming after me.

    I did not mention this, but, in between the time I had my first degree as a lawyer and my earning my Masters degree in law, I ventured into teaching. I taught at different levels. I taught on a part time basis; accountants, bankers, company secretaries in the course of their preparations for their professional qualifications and certifications and I discovered that there’s nothing as fulfilling as when you have an opportunity to impact on people and you grow people and be part of the growth, it’s something fulfilling, I look forward to that, I aspire for the opportunity of walking into the classroom and doing something like that.