By Abubakar D. Sani, Esq.
It’s been a long time now - Since the penultimate week Of the tenth month of 1986 ‘Is it that long? – Holy Cow!’ I hear you say ‘It’s surely been an age!’ Yes, indeed, when we penned our names In the School for aspiring advocates – As we sought to walk in the footsteps Of at least four generations Of our forebears Proud inheritors – Of the banner Of the Honourable Profession Of Legal Practitioners Private, Official and Law Lords – The Bench, that is So good was the experience The camaraderie And the ambience That one was ever-so-eager To attend classes I honestly doubt that There were cases of truancy What with the stellar Academic cast Led by the inimitable B.A. Ibironke, SAN (r.i.p) Knowledgeable, strict, uncompromising During his time as the School Director Exam malpractices were unheard of Instead, standards were never higher And that remains, till date, the benchmark But a General is nothing Without his troops So, was Ibironke – eminently To say that his staff was good – Would be an understatement They included D.V.F Olateru-Olagbegi Mrs. (now Justice) Amina Augie Messrs. Fawole and Fagbure Mr. Adubi, Mrs. Doherty And Mr. Kole Abayomi - All of blessed memory Others were the likes of Mr. Anaekwe and Mr. Onadeko, SAN (Who later became the Director) Not to forget Ms. Toun Oni (who can?!) Mr. Yusuf, and Mrs. Taiwo Suffice it to say That those were the good old days The days of innocence Of non-interference In the School’s administration A far cry from the present situation When the usual Nigerian factor Has split the School into several locations With the inevitable fall in standards Leading to the unthinkable - The spectacle of counsel Struggling to string sentences together Even worse Are confirmed reports Of counsel resorting To open criminality Such as fabricating court judgements - In furtherance of applications for ‘Silk’ (It’s so coveted now, it’s hard to believe that it’s a privilege) And of counsel – who are ex officio Justices of the Peace - Engaging in physical combat (In one instance, one of them was pregnant!) In yet another, in open court Such is the rot Surely, this is not The banner we inherited From our illustrious predecessors As aptly captured by Ibironke In his message In the School’s Year Book For the period under review That is, 1986 – 1987 When he enjoined us To be conscious of The responsibilities Of our calling He further admonished us That there was no room in the profession For the indolent or insolent The mediocre or sloven Happily (at the risk of immodesty) No member of our Class Has been found wanting In this regard A class, comparable to the Ivy League Which has produced so many Trail-blazers in all fields That we are rightly the object of envy – No exaggeration As, our colleagues – Ahead of, and behind us Frequently consult and solicit our ‘Silk’ For inspiration, ‘briefs’ ‘Connections’, mentorship And everything in between They are truly a force to reckon with A roll-call At this juncture Ought to make it all-too-clear (Errors and omissions excepted!) So, here goes: They include Rickey Tarfa, Aliyu Saiki, Kemi Pinheiro, Steve Adehi, Adekunle Oyesanya Sam Ologunorisha, Ibrahim Bawa, Abdul Ajana Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma Olalekan Yusuf, Hassan Liman Oluseun Akinbiyi Adetunji Oyeyipo Wale Akoni Biriyai Dambo Supo Shasore, Sunday Ameh Benbella Anachebe, Olusola Oke Seye Opasanya, Richard Ahonaruogho Nasiru Dangiri, Tawo E. Tawo Chuwkuma-Machukwu Ume And Yusuf Akirikwen We are represented On the Bench By at least two dozen Erudite and cerebral jurists Starting with the Court of Appeal, Where we have Hon. Justices Uche Onyemenam James Abundaga & Danlami Senchi Below that, in Lagos, we have Hon. Justices Oyebanji, Ogunjobi & Ogala In neighbouring Ogun, We have Hon. Justices Adetokunbo Jibodu And Sonia Akinbiyi While in Oyo we have Hon. Justices Akintola and Bolaji In Imo, we have Hon. Justices Victoria Isigizoro, Chinyere Madu and Marcel Nwagboso While in Edo, we have Hon. Justices Courage-Ogbebor And Igo Braimoh In Rivers, we have Hon. Justice Chigozie In Anambra, Hon. Justices Nwankwor & Nweze and in Ondo by Hon. Justice Kolawole We are also represented in Benue – By Hon. Justice Theresa Shija In the Plateau by Hon. Justice Nafisa L. Musa In Enugu, by Hon. Justice Okechukwu Onovo And, at the Federal High Court, by Hon. Justices Kuewumi, Okeke, Onu & Agomoh In the far North, precisely in Kano We have Hon. Justice Amina Adamu Aliyu While her Lordship’s surname-sake (Hon. Justice Hussaina) Serves in neighbouring Jigawa In academia, They don’t come higher Than the School’s Director-General Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN Yes - he is an alummus of our set! Also flying the flag Is Prof. R.A.C.E. Achara He has been put to the test – And came out in flying colours As did Prof. Jamila Nasir, Dr. Ese Malemi And others too numerous to mention It would, however, be a travesty – To omit Pa Julius Adelusi As a young man, he trained as a pharmacist But went on, in his forties To beat others far younger than him – To clinch the best graduating student award Among other prizes, of course Also deserving of honourable mention Are alummi who shone under the present dispensation The likes of Distinguished Senator Ike Ikweremadu And Chief Emeka Wogu Erstwhile Deputy Senate President And Minister, respectively So, we are justifiably proud To beat our chests And say we are among the best Out of the thousands turned out – By the School Little wonder Our social media forums Are ever-so-cool In fact, it’s no exaggeration To say that the quality of posts and chats (Especially on Whatsapp) Is second-to-none Never mind the occasional flare-up Among members – always quickly resolved In the spirit of ‘No Victor, No Vanquished’, ‘Let’s agree to disagree’ Having said this, however, The worsening security situation in Nigeria Has not spared our members - This has manifested in bitter brick-bats Perhaps, our primordial sentiments And base prejudices Have overcome our professional calling As learned men - and women Who – like the learned jurists In our midst Are expected to be detached And rational – Most – if not all – of the time Alas, sustained governance deficits Have pushed us all to the limits Of our patience – if not our minds To that, I say: ‘Hope springs eternal’ May we never see the day When brother turns against brother We are all related – yes Albeit, not in a consanguine sense But, in its broader meaning Of our shared humanity Ties, experiences And professional calling Precisely what The Law School stands for So, my learned friends, I say: let’s always strive to keep our heads When everyone else (read “the unlearned”) Is losing theirs Both in our private And public interactions That way we would bequeath a banner without stain To generations yet unborn.
Abubakar D. Sani, Esq. 1st May, 2021