Reminiscences as Olanipekun Fêtes Ekiti, Ondo Lawyers
The 2017 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association might have come and gone, but to legal practitioners from Ekiti and Ondo States, the memories will linger for a long time. For Lawyers, the annual event has always turned out as the period of reunion and networking, as get-togethers and re-union parties often spring up from the main event.
That was what happened on Tuesday, August 22, when a former President of NBA, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, decided to host attendees from Ondo and Ekiti States. The revered legal practitioner hails from Ikere, in Ekiti State, but he was one time the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Ondo State. The get-together, which was held at Mr. Chang Chinese Restaurant on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, was attended by members of NBA from Ondo and Ekiti States, as well as members of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) from both states. Also in attendance were two former Secretary-Generals of the NBA, Messrs Obafemi Adewale and Dele Adesina, SAN.
Welcoming guests to the event, Chief Olanipekun said he was a happy man, being in the midst of his brothers and sisters from both states. He expressed his delight, on the level which people from the States have attained in Law practice, despite their late entry.
“I feel excited and at the, top hosting this gentlemen and ladies, who are doing well in the profession, to accord our place of origin a respected place in history. We were like them at a time. You feel fulfilled, when you find yourself mentoring and teaching younger ones in your profession, how to tie the ropes. I remember when we were following the Aka Basoruns, the Gani Fawehinmis and the Kanmi Osobus as their ‘boys’, to be guided right in the law profession. We saw them as role models and worked assiduously to make a mark, the way they had done. Today, not by our power, but by His grace, we are where we are. I’m convinced and persuaded, that it is the duty and responsibility of senior lawyers to lift up the junior ones, consciously, unconsciously and deliberately.’’
While disclosing that he will soon quit the stage and pass on the baton to the younger ones, Chief Olanipekun charged those who will take over, to guard it jealously, and mentor the next generation of Lawyers.
Beyond the sumptuous lunch that heralded the luncheon, it was also an evening of tributes as young and senior members of the bar, including a former Ondo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Aderemi Olatubora, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ekiti State, Mr. Kola Kolade, Permanent Secretary and Solicitor General, Ekiti State Ministry of Justice, Mr. Lawrence B. Ojo, took turns to eulogise Chief Olanipekun, who they all referred to as a beacon of the legal profession. Olatubora, who said he has maintained close contact with Chief Olanipekun for 25 years, described him as a builder, who has over the years mentored many lawyers.
“Chief Olanipekun is a special being, who is genuinely interested in affairs of his younger colleagues. Before, during and after my tenure as Commissioner for Justice in Ondo State, Chief Olanipekun remains my number one Adviser. As a senior member of the bar and a former Attorney-General of the same Ondo State with lots of experience, Chief was always willing to lift me while in office. Recently, Chief Olanipekun shocked me when he shelved a foreign trip, to attend the dedication of my office complex in Akure. I was shocked when he appeared at the venue with some Senior Advocates of Nigeria, who came to Akure with three Rolls-Royce in their convoy. Till date, the occasion is still a reference point, and it boosted my profile among the lawyers in the Sunshine State."
Chairman, NBA, Ikole Ekiti, Mr. Bayo Idowu, commended Chief Olanipekun’s contribution to the growth of the legal profession in Ekiti State, especially the donation of an ultramodern bar center for the Ikere Ekiti Chapter of the professional body. Like Oliver Twist, Idowu called on Chief Olanipekun, to help work on other prominent Lawyers of Ekiti origin, to identify with the local chapter in the area of mentorship and provision of bar center for the Ikole Ekiti Branch.
Speaking on behalf of lawyers, who passed through the Olanipekun Chambers, Barr. Kabir Akingbolu, said he was confident that there is hardly any chambers in Nigeria, where one can get exposure to the real essence of law practice, like the Wole Olanipekun Chambers. Akingbolu said professionalism and ethics, will be stronger in the nation’s law practice, if all senior lawyers can pay attention to the younger ones, the way Olanipekun does to those that work with him directly, or those that cross his path in the course of his law practice.
Vice Chairman, NBA Ikere Ekiti Branch Oludayo Olorunfemi, who gave the vote of thanks, commended Chief Olanipekun for being a good leader, who wants the best for all. She described the philanthropic gesture of the former NBA President as next to none, calling on those coming behind, to emulate him.