AFE BABLOLA AT 98: HE NEVER ATTENDED SECONDARY SCHOOL, YET HE BECAME A SAN AND FOUNDED A UNIVERSITY - Nonso Smart Okafor

AFE BABLOLA AT 98: HE NEVER ATTENDED SECONDARY SCHOOL. YET HE BECAME A SAN AND FOUNDED A UNIVERSITY - Nonso Smart Okafor

AFE BABLOLA, SAN

There is something about this legal icon I find very interesting.

It is not just the fact that he became one of Nigeria's most accomplished lawyers or that he established a university. 

It is how he managed to achieve all these, considering where he started and the financial difficulties his parents faced.

Imagine a young boy growing up in a farming family in Ado-Ekiti, with little indication that he would one day become a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, train generations of lawyers and establish a university.

That boy was Aare Afe Babalola, SAN.

According to Wikipedia, he turned 97 this October.

Today, I have chosen to celebrate this remarkable man whose life story I believe deserves to be told, especially to young Nigerians.

Aare attended Emmanuel Primary School in Ado-Ekiti, where he completed Standard Six.

He subsequently qualified for admission into Christ's School, Ado-Ekiti, but his family could not afford the school fees, reportedly just £6.

Consequently, his formal schooling ended at primary-school level.

He never attended secondary school.

But he was determined to further his education.

He worked as a teacher while studying privately through correspondence courses offered by Wolsey Hall, Oxford. His assignments were sent to England for marking, and he continued preparing for examinations without the benefit of conventional classroom teaching.

He passed the Cambridge School Certificate examination and subsequently passed four Advanced Level subjects at one sitting.

He then enrolled for the University of London's external degree programme.

In 1959, he obtained a BSc in Economics, followed by a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) in 1963.

Both degrees were obtained through private study, without passing through the four walls of a conventional university as a full-time student.

He later travelled to England, completed the necessary professional requirements and was called to the English Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1963.

So, a young man whose family could not afford £6 for secondary-school fees eventually became a qualified lawyer without attending secondary school or studying through the conventional university system.

But his story did not end with obtaining a law degree.

Upon returning to Nigeria, he began his legal practice in the chambers of Chief Olu Ayoola in Ibadan.

In 1965, barely two years after being called to the Bar, he established his own law firm, Emmanuel Chambers, which later became known as Afe Babalola & Co.

What began as a one-man practice eventually grew into one of Nigeria's prominent litigation firms, with offices in Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.

In 1987, he attained the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

Over the years, Aare built a reputation as a formidable courtroom advocate, particularly in constitutional and election-related litigation.

His achievements in legal practice go beyond the several prominent cases he personally handled up till Supreme Court.

According to information published by his university, his chambers have trained more than 1,000 lawyers, including 25 who subsequently became Senior Advocates of Nigeria. The university also credits him with handling over 10,600 court cases during his legal career.

His chambers have also produced lawyers who went on to become judges, Attorneys-General and other prominent members of the legal profession.

I think this is very remarkable. Building a successful legal practice is one achievement. Building a practice that helps produce other successful lawyers is another.

Interestingly, Aare has disclosed that he turned down ministerial appointments offered to him by different presidents, choosing instead to continue his legal practice.

That's a very instructive decision, especially in a country where political appointments are pursued and celebrated as major achievements.

There is also something worth learning from his approach to litigation.

He once explained that when preparing for a case, he does not concentrate only on his client's arguments. He also prepares for the arguments likely to be presented by the opposing side.

As a law student, I find that an important lesson. It is not enough to know why your client should succeed. You must also understand why the other side believes your client should fail, so you can effectively prepare to counter arguments that might otherwise take you by surprise.

Beyond courtroom advocacy, Aare has contributed to legal education and alternative dispute resolution. He served as President of the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators, further extending his influence beyond conventional litigation.

He also served as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Lagos for two terms. His experience in university administration helped shape his views about the challenges facing higher education in Nigeria.

In 2009, at approximately 80 years of age, he founded Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD).

Imagine undertaking such a massive project at 80!

At an age when many people would have retired from active work, Aare was committing enormous financial resources, time and energy to establishing an institution of higher learning.

Today, ABUAD has gained international recognition.

There is another aspect of his contribution to education that I find meaningful.

In 2023, he donated £10 million to King's College London to support the establishment of the Afe Babalola African Centre for Transnational Education, which provides educational opportunities, including online learning and scholarships, for young Africans.

Considering that his own educational journey depended heavily on correspondence learning, I find that contribution significant.

The young man who depended on distance education to overcome his circumstances is now helping to make similar opportunities available to others.

Of course, his educational journey followed legitimate external examination and degree programmes available at the time.

Nevertheless, his experience demonstrates that there may be alternative legitimate routes to achieving one's educational ambitions and, indeed, other ambitions in life.

I particularly hope that young Nigerians whose educational ambitions have been frustrated by financial difficulties will find some encouragement in his story.

Sometimes, the fact that you cannot follow the same path as others does not mean you cannot reach your destination.

And for those who believe they have already passed the age of pursuing their dreams, perhaps there is also a lesson here.

As I celebrate Afe Babalola, SAN, today, I wish him continued good health and many more years of fulfilment.

Happy birthday sir.

©️ Nonso Smart Okafor