There is this new trend in the nation’s judiciary, about senior lawyers, ‘shopping’ for judges, regarding the matters they want to file in courts. What is your reaction to this?
It’s so scaring; so embarrassing, so scandalous. I’m not defending any group of lawyers, be they junior, senior or intermediate. But it’s unconscionable for any lawyer to do it. One would least expect, and I want to repeat it with emphasis at my disposal, one would least expect any judge, that has taken the oath of allegiance to the constitution, to countenance processes which, ordinarily, should not have come before him. I must also confess that it is becoming the in-thing now amongst lawyers, don’t let us talk of senior lawyers alone. There is what we call sovereignty of one state in relation to the other, in jurisprudence, in legal practice. The constitution also recognizes this. Lagos State jurisdiction is sovereign to those of Oyo and Ogun, its neighbouring states. Unfortunately, it is not in political matters alone. We only hear this often in political matters because they are so sensitive and sensational. They do it everywhere. They do it in commercial matters. They do it in respect of execution of judgments. One cannot over-emphasise the fact that it is scandalous.
So the assumption that federal high court is one division is erroneous?
It is. It can’t be one division. A contract that is consummated in Lagos is taken to Bayelsa to litigate upon. Does that make sense? The parties are in Lagos: the plaintiff is in Lagos, the defendant is in Lagos, the business, in Lagos, then you say the federal high court is one judicial division, then you go and institute action in Bayelsa, does that make sense?
Why has this practice lingered?
I don’t want to fathom any reason, other than to say that some of us, in the practice of law, have not learnt our lessons. We are not being fair to the profession.
What’s your take on the recent raid of Justice Mary Odili’s residence, in Abuja?
I’m worried. I’m also scared in the sense that up till now we don’t know those who did it (the interview was conducted before the recent parade of suspects in Abuja). Are we having another story of unknown soldiers, who invaded Fela’s house during Obasanjo’s regime, and up till today they have not been unveiled? Are we going back to that dark era? Odili is a woman, and justice of the Supreme Court. I keep on asking: has she committed any offence known to law? Can they do it to a governor? Can they do it to the President of the Senate? Can they do it to the Speaker of the House of Representatives? You gentlemen of the press owe our nation a duty to unravel the people behind the attack because.
Today, when you look back, you cannot but have that feeling of a highly fulfilled man. But, what was it like in the beginning?
Let me confess that it wasn’t my choice to read Law in the beginning. At every juncture, I’ve seen God at work in my life. At Amoye Grammar School, in Ikere Ekiti, in 1969, I was a hybrid student. I was fair in the sciences, but very good in the arts, most humbly. A teacher of mine accosted me, two months into my Higher School, Lower Six, and asked: ‘What do you want to become?’ I said, ‘Geologist’. He said, ‘Why don’t you think of Law, because of your prowess in English?’ That was the first person who introduced Law to me. In 1970, around the time the civil war had just ended, University of Nigeria, Nsukka advertised. They wanted fresh students to come and resume. I applied, I wanted to be a pen pusher like you people. They admitted me for journalism. They sent the Telegram. I was at Ilesha Grammar School, but the Telegram sent to Ikere. It wasn’t brought to my attention until a week after, I think it was my dad who brought it to Ilesha. I travelled overnight, and got to Nsukka the following morning, and went to the Student Affairs, with the aim of registering, and they said, ‘Young man, we matriculated yesterday’. I broke down. What would I tell them in the school I had bidden them bye? In those days, any course would matter, and journalism is not just any course. I buried the shame, and came back to school. Again, when I was young, the late Justice Ogundare used to come to my father’s house. My father was his political ally when he was still practising as a lawyer, and my father would tell me that ‘oh, that man, he’s the most brilliant man in the world’, telling stories, myth about him. So I got interested in Law. I picked Law at Unilag and Ife, and I was admitted in the two universities for Law. English at UI, I was admitted. Geography at ABU, I was admitted. No JAMB then. Nigeria was a free place. No over-regularisation. I now wanted to do Law, my father said no. ‘Lawyers, they say, get involved in one society or the other and you are from a Christian home.’ He got me persuaded, and I wanted to change my course again to Mass Communication. Interestingly, when I was on the verge making the change, from Law to Mass Comm, the late Dr. Abiola Ojo, who later became Professor Abiola Ojo who was to sign me off, refused. He saw, on my form, Ilesha Grammar School, which he himself attended, and also saw a very good result. He told me, I was number 3 on the merit list for Law. He said young man, ‘Where do you want to go? I told him Mass Comm. He said, ‘I’m not going to release you.’ He said, ‘Although eight people are eager to take your space, I’m not going to release you. You’ll be a pride to the legal profession. You are an old student of Ilesha Grammar School. I was there before you were born. I would not release you.’ So that was how I ended up being in the legal profession. And I would say it’s the finger of God. Nobody is self-made.
What do you think is the best approach to resolving some of these agitations that we’ve been seeing in the country, of late?
This question is so profound and it touches on the very essence of our nationhood. To me, what should be done is that we should be sincere with ourselves. We should be honest with ourselves. We have left undone, and still leaving undone what we ought to have done. Very simple. There must be honesty of intention. Nigeria is manageable if you want to. We were proud of Nigeria then because Nigeria was operating true federalism. As a young man, we believed in Awolowo. Right from my cradle, and there was no pretence about this. We believed in a government of Western Region that was not a failure. We believed in the government of a Western Region that would cater for our welfare, health education, whatever. We saw a government that offered us free education. We grew up under a region that we believed the sky was not the limit. We were spoon-fed to appreciate the fact that we were not inferior to anybody. Everything was smooth. And the federal government then was not domineering because there was a constitution. All items in the concurrent legislative list enabled Awolowo to do what he did. How did we get to this sorry pass, because there is no federalism that is run this way? What can Nigeria do? We have to return to true federalism. Nigeria is the only federal state that I know that would say there will be only one police force.
At over 70, any regrets?
I don’t have any regret. I want to thank God for my career. I’ve seen the legal profession as a ministry, and I’ve devoted my adult life to the legal profession, going in and out of court, within and without this country, and in the process contributing my own quota to Nigeria and to the evolvement and emancipation of the rule of the law. God has been kind to me and my family. But talking about regrets? I think every honest adult in this country, every sincere parent, who is above the age of 65, who loves the country and wants to be sober, must have a regret. It’s not enough for you to be successful, but you must think in terms of successors. And when you talk about successors you are not talking in terms of your immediate successors. Generations following us constitute our successors. We were the successors to the Awolowos , and we are proud successors to these potentates. We didn’t have any difficulty in climbing the ladder. When we left the university, jobs were waiting for us, irrespective of our disciplines. Can we say that now? No. As a young graduate, I had a vehicle. It wasn’t difficult to buy. I wasn’t born with the proverbial silver spoon. But then I had things working for me because the environment was conducive. The regret I have is not because of my personal failure, not because I’ve not seen God’s goodness, but because of the way Nigeria is. How can I say I’m happy as a senior citizen in Nigeria when I see people dying, when I see people falling, including soldiers. That is my regret.
Any retirement plans?
We’ll retire. We are planning (laughs). In fact we are taking it easy now, handing over to these younger ones. But atimes some clients will still insist in and out of the country, that they want you to be there. But I must confess, for the past two years, I’ve not been going to court as I used to. I’ve been trying to organise myself, giving myself some time to read. But also frankly speaking , I don’t see myself being happy without reading. I also enjoy the legal practice. I enjoy being in court. I’m always excited. I’m always at my best when I’m in court.
No comments:
Post a Comment