PERSONALITY
Mr. Squib
It is the Bible that said that our children will dream dreams. Surely the babies in the legal profession are determined to cleanse the legacy of rot inherited from our older generation of lawyers who have allowed the profession to slide gradually into decay. One man who represents the new generation of dreamers is our personality of the month Adesina Ogunlana.
Mr. Ogunlana, popularly known as Mr. Squib can easily pass as a lover boy, black, handsome, debonair and always neatly dressed. But that casual look hides an uncompromising caste of character that will not tolerate corruption. He does not just preach against corruption; he tries in his little way to live it and to fight it. His magazine, Squib, revolutionalised the justice system in Lagos State. Judges who treated casually their duties saw their action in print few days after. Those that sit by 11 a.m. and rise by 12 noon were confronted in print with their lackadaisical approach to work. Gradually and surely, the attitude of judges began to change and today in Lagos State a judge came into court 9.02 a.m which is two minutes late and apologized to lawyers for coming late.
In this interview with Justice Watch, Mr. Ogunlana revealed to us the genesis of his dream, the struggles and the challenges faced and still facing. Enjoy Mr. Squib.
WHO INFLUENCED YOU IN LIFE?
My parents were the major influence in my life. My mother who died when I was 12 years old was very strict and never allowed me to misbehave. But my greatest influence was my father. He took great interest in our education. Even though he was not well off he made sure that we received good education. I remember the time he set out to teach me. I learnt the multiplication table by heart when I was seven years old and he did things I do not think I will do for myself to ensure that I receive a good education.
When I was thirteen years old and he wanted to change school for me, he actually knelt down for the principal while begging that they should accept me in their school. I was there looking and wondering why he should do that. I think to some extent the honourable Attorney-General of Lagos State Professor Osinbajo also influenced me. He was my teacher and I was touched by his gentility, brilliance and progressive mindedness. My wife has also been a comfort. She is very honest and sacrificially loyal.
But beyond these people I will say that my life has been shaped a lot by the books I have read. Before I studied law, I graduated in English studies from the University of Ife. The study exposed me to the classics, Thomas Hardy, Jane Austin, Somerset Maugham, etc. The classics open your mind and widen your horizon so much and help you to become progressive minded.
WHAT IS YOUR IMPRESSION OF THE LEGAL PROFESSION?
I have very radical views about the legal profession. I believe the legal profession is very pompous and overrated vis-à-vis their contribution and conduct in the Nigerian polity. I think that the legal profession is the bastion of elitism in Nigeria and it is an unfortunate elitism we have in Nigeria. An unprogressive elitism. The average lawyer is arrogant and selfish. I don’t see lawyers working for the advancement of the nation. A lot has been given to them. They are the social scientists and social engineers. Law governs the engine of the society and to that extent lawyers are the first citizens because they operate that engine. You will agree that Nigeria is backward and underdeveloped and as leaders of this society lawyers must be blamed.
If you are unscrupulous, selfish and parochial and call yourself learned how can you be learned. To be learned you must be intellectually and mentally sophisticated and you must be a wise person. If you are filled with crass materialism, how learned are you? We are supposed to be the first citizens, yet we cooperate with political leaders to ruin this country since our independence.
JW CUTS IN ‘SURELY THERE ARE LAWYERS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED IMMENSELY TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS NATION
Name them
JW Gani Fawehinmi, Femi Falana, Olisa Agbakoba, Yemi Osinbajo, Awa Kalu.
When you mention Gani, Falana, Agbakoba, Osinbajo, Awa Kalu continue mentioning. All those you have mentioned are in the painful minority. We are supposed to be shepherds. People respect us and seek guidance from us. But we are anxious to acquire property, wealth, position, etc. the ethics of our profession should make us at par with the clergy and yet where are we? It is not for nothing that most institutions ask for recommendation from the clergy and lawyers. They do not ask from doctors, or accountants or architects, etc. Yet many Senior Advocates of Nigeria win their cases by Jankara practice. Many lawyers say they are speaking from the bar and yet they are telling monumental lies. No wonder many believe we are liars.
WHAT BROUGHT ABOUT SQUIB?
Squib started in the region of the mind in 1995 before I became a lawyer. One day at the Law School a guest lecturer called Chief Debo Akande SAN came to deliver a lecture to teach us the practical aspect of law practice and emphasized that we must get results. In the course of the lecture he gave the distinct impression that he was deriding lawyers, who for reasons of religious principles will shy away from bribing and tipping even though such may hinder their success.
When he finished I was annoyed. Very angry. I felt my fate was insulted. It should have been a different thing if Chief Akande was apologetic about the Nigerian situation that makes it obligatory for tips or ‘egunje’ to be given, but he was not only justifying the situation but glorifying the practice. I may be mistaken but that was the impression I got. I was determined not to follow that kind of advice when I became a lawyer.
When I started practice I discovered that the system was egunje driven. Egunje to bailiff, egunje to court registrar, egunje to court orderly, egunje to registry staff; egunje to cashier, always egunje and one heard stories upon stories of judges and magistrates who are said or known to be egunje compliant.
It is even more of extortion and I understand that even outside Lagos, Lagos lawyers are notorious in other jurisdictions for corruption. Between 1997 and 1999 there were terrible judges, one outrightly eccentric. He resigned in 1996. Another one, Olugbani was notorious for late coming. Olorunimbe was not popular with lawyers not because of late coming or corruption but because of judicial terrorism. He abused lawyers anyhow; intimidated them no matter their age. I saw him reduce a lady lawyer to tears. In my presence he lampooned a lawyer as a fuji musician. Those days, judges were terrors.
I was young in the system but at a point it became unbearable to me. At the end of 1999 I started writing the learned Squib article and would distribute it to people expressing my opinion about what was happening in the judiciary. I wrote because I saw that the way we were going, the profession was dying of corruption and the NBA that was supposed to function as an internal regulatory agency was not strong and active enough.
After about 12 editions of The Learned Squib somebody called me and suggested that I should turn it into a magazine. I thought about it and here is Squib with its motto, “the heavens will not fall.”
WHY THE MOTTO?
The heavens will not fall means nothing will happen. Nothing adverse will happen. We have lived intimidated by the power of judges. When we know that what they are doing is wrong, lawyers keep quiet. We say we will expose them. It is a cry of positive rebellion and to send a signal to anticipated foes that we have counted the cost and we are ready to sacrifice for our belief, trusting providence that good will always overcome evil. I will tell you something. I do not bribe court officials. They know me. Whoever dares to suggest tip I will advise to ask the government for increase in their salary if they are not satisfied with their paycheck. There must be a way to get government to pay them adequately; it is not for me to pay them. The court officers know that Squib cannot bribe them and yet we get our work done with dispatch.
SINCE SQUIB WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR CHALLENGES?
My basic challenge is finance. People think we have made a lot of money because of the extreme popularity of the magazine. But we have not been making money. We are rather losing money. We hardly get any advert. We rely solely on sales. We have about 10 workers and even without paying salaries to me as editor-in-chief and to my deputy editor we still lose money. Readership is vast but sales low. About 10 people read one Squib. It sells for only N100 and yet they complain that it is too much. In view of its militant character the magazine has not attracted advert. It is entirely self-funded. What I get from my practice I put into it. Squib is in the market because I am fanatic about Squib. It is a gospel to me.
The second challenge is the hateful opposition of the Chief Judge of Lagos State,Mrs. Ibitola Sotuminu who has done everything except possibly assassination to stop me from continuing the publication of the Squib. My workers and myself were beaten. We have been dragged to 3 police stations, the G.I.D., Lions Building and Area ‘F.’ My workers were detained five times and charged to court 2 Ikeja for breaching the ban of selling magazine in court. I am happy that many magazines are now selling in the market; Justice Watch, the Gavel, Access to Justice, etc. We paved the way. I proved that you could fight the powerful and win.
After she was frustrated, she petitioned NBA for my expulsion from the legal profession. But by the grace of the Almighty God the CJ will not succeed.
WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE AT THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE?
Sometime in February 2003 I received a letter from NBA purportedly written by NBA Secretary General Mr. Dele Adesina. The letter was unsigned but asked me to make a response to a petition written against me by the Chief Judge of Lagos State Mrs. Ibitola Sotuminu to NBA. I wrote back to NBA Secretariat asking for confirmation from Mr. Adesina as to the authenticity of the letter. But unfortunately it was another person unknown to me who claimed that the letter was genuine. In the circumstance of the 2nd letter I could not accept it. I wrote again asking for Mr. Adesina to confirm it. He never did. After a long while, specifically on 15th October 2003 I saw my name in the newspaper that I am to appear before the Body of Benchers Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee. I went there with my lawyer Baba G.O.K. Ajayi SAN and six other lawyers including the chairman of my branch, Mr. Bisi Ade-Ademuwagun. The complainant did not attend and even though in the notice it was specifically stated that if the complainant fails to come the matter will be struck off, yet the matter was adjourned probably sine dine. We raised the issue of proper service.
The LPDC agreed that we ought to be properly served and it was held that I would be served and it was held that I would be served with the processes of the matter. Incidentally up to date neither my lawyer nor myself has received any papers.
ADVICE TO YOUNG LAWYERS
My advice to young lawyers is that they should enter the profession with a determination not to be corrupted. They should not subscribe to the philosophy that anything goes. They should be true to their ethical calling as lawyers and as such become useful patriotic citizens of this country. The lawyer should not be a liar. They should dress well and try not to give the poor excuse that they are poorly paid. They should stand up for their rights, for the heavens will not fall. They should join the Squib crusade of righteousness in the legal profession and not see themselves as hopeless and helpless because they are not. Almost single handedly the Squib has caused a revolution in the Lagos State Judiciary. Junior lawyers can do better because unlike us they now have precedent.
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