 |
| Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) |
Undoubtedly, the legal icon’s name elicits courage and untiring efforts to give back to society as well as to provide a fulcrum for societal sustenance. This, he has, demonstrated through his various philanthropic activities that had become a reference point and endowed him in the heart of many.
For instance, Babalola was recently declared as “the African Man of the Year” for his contributions to education by All African Students Union with headquarters in Ghana. He initiated Endowment Fund Scheme in the University of Lagos. The yearly income from the scheme provides scholarships to students in the university. He also donated buildings, equipment and scholarships worth several billions of naira.
Before establishing a private university; the Afe Babalola University in Ado- Ekiti, Ekiti State, in 2009, to boost the quality of education in Nigeria, Chief Babalola has always believed in investing in the youths and developing the needy. He has trained over 1,000 lawyers among whom are Judges, Ministers, Attorneys-General (Federal and State) and has over 14 Senior Advocates (SANs) who have passed through his chambers. As a lawyer of outstanding brilliance, Chief Babalola, still teaches law at his university, even at his age of over 80.
Incidentally, the revered legal luminary and highest individual taxpayer in Ekiti State had a very humble beginning. His forage to the legal profession was also that of a happenstance and the circumstances surrounding his upbringing could make a best seller in movie industry. Born into a polygamous farming family in Ado-Ekiti, of the present- day Ekiti State, Babalola was introduced to farming at a tender age, by his late father, Joshua Babalola, who bought him a hoe and cutlass, with which he started going to the farm like his father, with one singular goal; to be a full-time farmer. Poised to be a successful farmer like his parents, Afe was enmeshed in farming that he never wanted to hear anything about school, because according to him, “life was complete and fulfilled in the farm. ”
However as fate would have it, the missionaries then persuaded his father to allow him, as the eldest child of the family, to go to school. With much pressure from the missionaries, his father agreed to send him to school, not for anything but to satisfy the whims and caprices of the missionaries. Finally, Afe was sent to Emmanuel Primary School, Ado-Ekiti in 1938, but on many occasions, he absconded from school because of his love for the farm. In spite of his pranks and truancy, he finished his Primary Education in 1945, and that became a tonic that had continued to drive him.
After leaving primary school and was employed as a teacher by the missionary, Afe was sent to St. Luke’s Primary school, Ikere-Ekiti, where he spent a few years before being posted to his alma mater, in Ado-Ekiti.
He wrote the then Lokoja-Ondo Diocesan Examination where he was Overall Second Best Pupil and was offered admission into secondary school. He started from Form Three at Christ School, Ado-Ekiti, yet he could not utilize that opportunity due to poverty. He, however, found solace in correspondence studies without Secondary School education and obtained Cambridge School Certificate, GCE, Ordinary and Advanced Level Certificate of London University, B.Sc. (Economics) of London University and LL.B (Hons) of London University, all by private study.
Today, Chief Babalola, who was called to the Bar in England in 1963, has surmounted many challenges that came his way, becoming an un-common person, with un-common achievements. Life has not only been fair to him as he marks his golden jubilee at the Bar, this year by joining the league of other privileged Nigerian lawyers that had made this mark. Before him, were lawyers such as the late Chief FRA Williams (SAN) QC, who was called to Bar in 1943 and had the final court session in 2005 after 62 years of active battle in the court room, then the late Chief Theophilus Sobawale Benson, who made 61 years post-call in 2008 having been called to Bar in 1947 and died in 2008, the ultimate solicitor, Chief Chris Ogunbanjo, joined the rank in 2010, having been called to Bar in August 1950. Then, the late Justice Emmanuel Araka, who was enrolled as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria by the Chief Justice of Nigeria in March 1951 and became the fourth Nigerian lawyer that had achieved the remarkable feat of reaching 60 years post- call.
Chief Tanimose Abioye Bankole-Oki (SAN) was called to the English Bar by the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s in November 1950 and was called to Nigerian bar in 1951 and made 59 years post-call. Then, Dr. Festus Adebisi Ajayi (SAN), who was called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn in 1953 followed next. Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN) was called to the English Bar in 1955 and a year later to the Nigerian Bar in 1956 followed next while the oldest Nigerian lawyer, Pa Tunji Gomez was called to English and British Bar in 1961, along side Professor Ben Nwabueze.
Afe, who is a member of Lincolns Inn, London, a registered member of the Bar of England and Wales and a most distinguished member of the Nigerian Bar has now reached the 50th mark alongside Chief Mrs. Folake Solanke (SAN), the first Nigerian female Senior Advocate. He started his legal pupilage at the chambers of Olu Ayoola from where he continued in legal practice till 1965 before he established Chief Afe Babalola & Co. (Emmanuel Chambers), reputed as one of the leading law firms in Nigeria today.
A Patron of over 10 Law Students Societies, legal institutions and corporate bodies, Babalola has assisted over 2,000 lawyers. In numerous ways , he has employed and trained over 500 lawyers and produced 14 Senior Advocates of Nigeria SANs (the largest number from any chambers in the country), several judges and Attorneys-General, State and Federal. His 50 years experience of uninterrupted legal practice have equipped him with versatility in most areas of law. He is a Solicitor and Consultant to several conglomerates in Nigeria and outside Nigeria. In 1981, he was a counsel to Federal Government in the 2.8 billion enquiries as well as counsel to the Federal Government of Nigeria between 1999 and 2007.
Babalola is an Arbitrator of repute and is actively involved in both domestic and international Arbitrations. He is the incumbent President of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators of Nigeria. He owns a huge law library strongly devoted to the advancement of law and the legal profession in Nigeria and is widely reputed as the advocate who never fails to unravel a knotty issue.
Afe as he is fondly called was admitted into the Inner Bar as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 1987 and is a holder of the prestigious awards of the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) and Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON). A Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Nigeria, Babalola is a Fellow of the Leadership Institute of Nigeria. He is a member of the Privileges Committee of the Supreme Court of Nigeria – a body that appoints Senior Advocates and was the Pro-Chancellor of University of Lagos (UNILAG) between 2001 and 2008 where he established transparency, discipline and integrity.
An advocate par excellence, Chief Babalola has made outstanding contributions to the development of Nigerian Law and Jurisprudence through his eclectic advocacy in court evident from the numerous celebrated cases, which he had handled, and the notable personalities who are his clients. Some of intellectual works credited to him include, Injunctions and Enforcement of Orders; Law and Practice of Evidence in Nigeria; Enforcement of Judgments; Election Law and Practice; and University Administration.
These works had contributed immensely to the promotion of legal education and practice in Nigeria. He has also authored over 500 articles in several books and law journals and has delivered over 500 brilliant lectures at various events. His autobiography entitled “Impossibility made Possible” has been described as “an extensive and tremendous opus, written in his unmistakable style, and stories comparable only to the Greek myths” and which book explains Babalola’s passionate embrace of philanthropy as an instrument of social reengineering.
In September 2007, Aare Afe Babalola was awarded the prestigious “Queen Victoria’s Commemorative Medal” in Oxford, United Kingdom European Business Assembly for his philanthropic activities and achievements in University of Lagos. He has handled hundreds of cases that had helped in expounding the nation’s jurisprudence, like the 1999 and 2003 presidential election petitions against the election of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, where he represented Chief Obasanjo and the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He was also instrumental to the enactment of laws establishing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Miscellaneous Offences Commission (ICPC). This followed his victory in the Supreme Court following the opposition by the then governor of Ondo State, the late Chief Adebayo Adefarati on the ground that the Federal Government lacked power to enact such laws that would cover other federating units (states). Chief Afe Babalola successfully argued this suit at the Supreme Court and the court had no objection in validating the establishment of those agencies.
Despite all these achievements, Chief Babalola’s love for farming has not dwindled as he owns the largest farm in Ekiti, no wonder he was appointed by the Federal Government to be part of a delegation to international conference on agriculture. Babalola, who holds several chieftaincy titles, says he derives his strength from engaging in active farming, which he does along with his law practice.
He is happily married with four children, and grand children.
culled from
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=126495:celebrating-golden-era-of-a-legal-colossus-&catid=42:law&Itemid=600
No comments:
Post a Comment