Hills, Valleys and Triumphs
Chief Folake Solanke makes remarks about her life's journey, and some urgent issues facing our country Nigeria, on the occasion of her 85th Birthday on March 29th, 2017, which was commemorated with two book presentations, 'Reaching for the Stars', her upd
Remarks by Chief Folake Solanke, SAN, OON, CON at her 85th Birthday Celebration at the Ibadan Civic Centre, Iwo Road, Ibadan, March 29th, 2017
When I turned 80 in 2012, I became Exhibit “A” in London at the event held by the International Bar Association (IBA) Women’s Special Interest Group where I was decorated with the Distinguished International Woman Lawyer Award 2012. Everyone
was pointing at me and saying “look, she is 80". Now, that I am 85 years old, I am Exhibit A2, and people say: “look, she is 85". I pray that all of you here present will be blessed by God with longevity in good health. Amen. Life Journey
Now, how can one chronicle a life journey of 85 years on this planet Earth, with its stings and arrows, hills and valleys, triumphs and lamentations: • Starting as a motherless two-year old child in the Blessed Jacob’s Home of my illustrious
father of the Alabukun powder fame,
• to pre-primary school, • to primary school, • to secondary school – Methodist Girls’ High School, Lagos,
• to Queen’s College, Lagos for the rudiment of the “A” level course,
• to Newcastle Upon Tyne, England at Kings College in the University of Durham,
• to teaching Latin and Maths in two fee-paying public schools in England as a Resident Teacher,
• to Yejide Girls’ Grammar School, Ibadan,
teaching the same subjects • to Students’ Office No. 7 in the Nigerian High Commission, London,
• and to being called to the Bar in England after passing all the Bar Examination in 22 months as
a student of Gray’s Inn, London.
Recently, I have joyfully re-connected with my former English pupils after 60 years! They have acknowledged by e-mail that I taught them Latin and Mathematics. I plan to meet with them on my next trip to England. Deo Volente! Of course, my former Yejide pupils are here with us today. They always participate in all my celebrations. All the details are in the updated edition of my Autobiography: “Reaching for the Stars”.
I have been so fortunate about what God has empowered me to achieve in the one and only learned profession within which I enjoy limitless goodwill, huge respect, deep appreciation, real affection and more besides. I am always overwhelmed by the spontaneity of the excitement and interest, which always welcome me to any legal gathering. Such a welcome fills my heart
with tremendous joy.
Corruption in Nigeria
However, I do agonise over the problems of corruption in my own constituency – the law. I assure you that we are not all corrupt. Many of us abide by our professional ethics, tradition and oath of office. My prayer is for the restoration
of the golden years of the administration of justice. A restoration needs the collaboration of each member of the learned profession – both the Bar, the Bench, and the public. It is an onerous
task that must be accomplished, because if the law fails, the nation fails. Let us all remember that the law is the regulator of the society. Now, even in my early years at the Bar, people I
have never met, would call on me in my Alabukun Law Chambers, because they had heard of me. One of them was in his early twenties serving as a Youth Corper. That young man is now Arakunrin Oluwarotimi O. Akeredolu, SAN – the newly minted Governor of Ondo State. He always publicly declares that he has two mothers – one biological, the other professional! Many in Ondo State and elsewhere know that I am a professional mother of a State Governor! Praise God. Alleluyah. The other caller, (who came with a friend) was a teenager from Yejide Girls’ Grammar School, Ibadan – Mojisola Adedipe, now Hon. Justice Mojisola Olatoregun and the Administrative Judge of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division.
Now, having been born last century in 1932, I have a broad landscape of the history of our dear country – Nigeria. On our past experience, Chinua Achebe wrote the book titled : “There was a country”. My memory of that country, was one where law and order prevailed and a good name – better than gold and silver – was revered. Proverbs 22: 1 says “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches and loving favour rather than silver and gold”.
At that time, to be called a thief or become a convict or a prisoner, was the worst monumental calamity which could befall a family. Now, they wear their shameless behaviour, like a robe of honour, and people steal with impunity at all levels. Consequently, there is economic stagnation, because our assets and patrimony have been looted in gigantic and unimaginable amounts. The quantum in each case is simply bewildering.
Recovered Loot
Although, I acknowledge the efforts by the current Administration to hunt down oil thieves and other predators of our pillaged national assets, yet, on the basis of integrity and transparency, Nigerians need urgent information on a regular basis on:-
• How much has been recovered from the
looters?
• Where is the recovered money being kept? • Is it in the Central Bank of Nigeria? • How is it being applied? • Is it being utilised for the payment of monthly allocations to States? Answers to these critical questions are imperative.
In view of the foregoing, I recommend that a Registry for recovered national assets be established. The Registry will publish regularly, maybe monthly, details of recovered stolen goods both in the traditional media and on-line. The Registry should also publish information on how much is being disbursed and for what. Such important information is currently lacking. Pity.
There should be strict rules on how funds are recovered. The whole operation should be on video in order to ensure that stolen funds are fully accounted for after transportation of the humongous loot from the place of crime.
The Constitution
The “fons et origio” of our laws – must be massively overhauled. It has been said ”ad nauseam” that the centre is too powerful. More power must be deviated to the States which cannot truly boast of autonomy now, when they exist mainly on allocations from the centre. Our democracy is a sham because of the lop-sided arrangement of the Federal and State governments. I will now briefly address a few burning national issues, namely:-
The Judiciary
The Judiciary is the shelter and hope of the common man and everyman. The law is the rallying cry for our existence. Success will allude us, if the citizen cannot trust the Judiciary and our legal system.
Federal Character
The application of federal character enshrined in Section 14(3) of the constitution has supplanted excellence and substituted mediocrity, in all our endeavours. As Nigerians, we must all reject mediocrity in all that we do.
Despondency of the Citizenry
People are now so traumatised, that they cannot even recognise the standard expectations of a normal society in the 21st century. They laugh, when they should weep over the successive failures of successive governments in Nigeria. Imagine: there was a power outage at the Airport, and the place was thrown into pitch darkness, all that some of the airport authority staff did was to laugh and say, “welcome to Nigeria”, as if lack of electricity is an accepted norm. No, it is not. It is catastrophic that Nigerians do not even expect anything better. No lamentation for a near – failed state situation after successive governmental failures to fix the power debacle. We cannot laugh off our disaster, disgrace and
the mockery of foreigners arriving at our borders.
We must demand better governance and not throw up our arms in capitulation.
Wage Disparity
The time is now to address the current disparity in the income of those who have everything and those who have precious nothing.
I have emphasised the duties of the individual citizen to create a new and prosperous society. And how do we do that individually? We need
certain principles of discipline such as: (1) the fear of God (2) industry (3) perseverance (4) courage (5) honesty (6) patriotism (7) compassion
(8) lending a helping hand (9) environmental consciousness and preservation (10) scholarship and more besides. There are certain constants in a decent society which must not be compromised.
Detractors
Now, along the path of life, everyone will come across people who will malign you. You must never be distracted. You must pursue your goals; applying your God-given talents. In this regard, I quote St. Paul the Apostle: 2 Corinthians 4: 8-9: “We are troubled,
Yet not distressed, We are perplexed,
but not in despair persecuted, but not forsaken cast down but not destroyed.” We may “be knocked down, but we must
not be knocked out.” Gender Discrimination I recall with unmitigated filial gratitude and affection that my beloved father did not discriminate between his male and female children. I salute all fathers, like my father, who treat the children equally because the fate of a nation depends on both the male and female citizens. Let us applaud those fathers.
Conclusion
As St. Paul said in Phillipians 4: 8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things”.
Let that admonition be “how to be a Nigerian”, not the bombastic caricature described by Peter Enahoro in his book: “How to be a Nigerian”.
Finally, my elder Sister, Chief Stella O. Odesanya OFR, is 94 years old. So, see you all in the year 2022 for my 90th birthday. “Deo Volente”! I pause with thanks.