A SELF-MADE-MAN', this is how the legal colossus, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), is referred to by people who know his humble beginning or those privileged to have read about him.The story of Afe, as he is fondly called by friends, appears more like a movie story. A man who nobody, including his parents, ever gave the slightest chance of becoming a primary school teacher, turned out to be the grand commander of the legal profession in Nigeria as he is now widely known.Afe hailed from a polygamous farming family in Ado-Ekiti, then in Ondo Province, as that area in the Western Region was politically called during the colonial era. As soon as he was on his feet, his father, Joshua Babalola bought him a hoe and cutlass, with which he started tilling the earth like his father, with one singular goal; to be a full-time farmer.Eager to be a successful farmer like his parents, Afe never wanted to hear anything about school, because according to him, life is 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 the year 1938, but on many occasions, he absconded from school because of his love for farming.He said: 'I love farming, I didn't want anything or anybody to abort my desire to take up farming as an occupation.'I was too enthusiastic with farming that I never waited for my father to call us out to go to farm before I got myself ready. But as fate would have it, the missionaries persuaded my father to send me to school. Of course I didn't like it, but at the end of the day, they prevailed on him. Several times I ran away from school in order to go back to the farm, it was a better place for me as at that time, life was very easy on the farm', he said.In spite of his pranks and truancy, Afe finished his primary education in 1945 and that interlude became a tonic that has continued to drive him. Today, Chief Babalola has surmounted many challenges that came his way, becoming an uncommon person, with uncommon achievements.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.Having tasted education, Afe's quest for education became insatiable, even though his parents could not afford it.He had joined other primary school pupils to write the then Lokoja-Ondo Diocesan examination where he was overall second best pupil and was offered admission to start secondary school from Form Three at Christ School, Ado-Ekiti, yet he could not utilise that opportunity due to poverty.In spite of his outstanding intellectual capability and offer of admission to Christ's School, Ado-Ekiti, the opportunity of having secondary school education eluded this brilliant and exceptional man due to lack of funds.He, however, found solace in correspondence studies without secondary school education.He 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.A legal luminary of outstanding brilliance, Aare Afe Babalola was called to the Bar in England in 1963. He 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.Afe Babalola cut his teeth in legal practice in the chambers of Olu Ayoola from where he doggedly 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 (the largest number from any chambers in the country), several judges and Attorneys-General, State and Federal.His experience in 48 years 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, counsel to Federal Government in the N2.8 billion enquiries of 1981 and counsel to the Federal Government of Nigeria between 1999 and 2007. Afe 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.Afe Babalola owns a big law library strongly devoted to the advancement of law and the legal profession in Nigeria. He is widely reputed as the advocate who never fails to unravel a knotty issue.He 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).Babalola is a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Nigeria. He 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.He was the Pro-Chancellor of University of Lagos (UNILAG) between 2001 and 2008 where he established transparency, discipline and integrity. In the white paper issued on the visitation panel report on University of Lagos, the Federal Government stated that: 'the leadership style of Aare Afe Babalola was exemplary'.He acted commendably by paying his bills any time he chose to stay in a hotel by donating his sitting allowance to the University Endowment Fund. The Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) also adjudged UNILAG as the best university in 2006. He won the award as the best Pro-Chancellor of all Nigerian Universities in 2005 and 2006. He was the chairman of the Committee of 85 Pro-Chancellors.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.He was a lecturer at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (the highest Institute for study of Law), the LL.M class at the University of Ibadan and the Centre of African Law and Development Studies, Lagos. He was also the author of 'The Law-Afe on Monday,' a column published by the Nigerian Tribune Newspapers on Mondays.His autobiography titled: '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 is the Vice President of European Club of Rectors based in Oxford, England.Chief Babalola was declared as 'the African Man of the Year' for his contribution to education by All African Students Union with headquarters in Ghana in January this year.A philanthropist of exceptional calling, he has donated buildings, equipment and scholarships worth several billions of naira.He also initiated Endowment Fund Scheme in University of Lagos. The annual income from capital investment of billions of naira is being used to award scholarships to students in the University of Lagos annually.Afe Babalola believes in investing in the youth and developing the needy. He has trained over 1,000 lawyers among whom were judges, ministers, attorneys-general (federal and state). Over 14 Senior Advocates have passed through his chambers.Despite all these achievements, Chief Babalola's love for farming has not dwindled, as he owns the largest farm in Ekiti.He was appointed by the Federal Government to be part of a delegation to international conference on agriculture.Although this exact date of birth could not be ascertained because of poor record keeping as the time of his birth, findings from available records of events during his birth put his age at 82.Some of his contemporaries during his studying days are Chief Christopher Kolade, Nigeria's former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, who they both attended same primary school, Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, who was one of his mates when he was studying at home for his B.Sc. Economics at the University of London (by correspondence).Afe Babalola was called to the Bar at Lincoln Inn in the United Kingdom in 1963. After his brief but memorable practice at the chamber of late Chief Olu Ayoola, elder brother to Justice Olayinka Ayoola (former chairman of the ICPC), Afe decided to set up his own chambers in Ibadan in 1965. His chambers has the unequaled and unbeatable record of producing 14 Senior Advocates of Nigeria, among whom were Chiefs Lateef Fagbemi, Morakinyo Esan, Adebayo Segun Adenipekun and Adegboyega Awomolo.The closest record, according to him, was by late Chief Rotimi Williams, whose chamber produced six SANs.Afe Babalola, a teacher of law and a lawyer's lawyer, has handled hundreds of cases, top of which were the 1999 and 2003 presidential election petitions against the election of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as president of Nigeria. In these suits, he served as the counsel to Obasanjo and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But surprisingly, he doesn't consider these as landmark cases he had handled.According to him, the most memorable suit he handled and considered the most important was when he defended the then Obasanjo government when in its bid to formally fight corruption, sought to establish the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC), but was opposed and challenged by the then governor of Ondo State, 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.His words: 'There are very many landmark cases I have handled, but let me go to the one that touches the whole country. In 1999/2000, the then President Olusegun Obasanjo enacted laws establishing the EFCC and the ICPC as part of his determined efforts to fight corruption in Nigeria. Operation of these agencies were to cover the whole of Nigeria. The Ondo State government under late Chief Adebayo Adefarati went to court to challenge it. The government of Ondo State hired late Chief Rotimi Williams who led other 19 lawyers, as its counsel, while the Federal Government hired me. After the whole arguments, it was my submission, following deep research and references all over the world, that was upheld. I told the court in my submission that corruption had no boundary, it was not limited to a state, corruption should not be a matter for one state, it should be a matter for the whole country. Following my submission, the Supreme Court validated the establishment of EFCC and ICPC'.Afe Babalola holds the historical title of Aarebomofin of (old) Oyo (Empire) conferred on him by Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi in July 1998.The man who walks at least five kilometres everyday says he derives his strength from engaging in active farming, which he does along with his law practice. He says he has the largest commercial farm today in Ekiti State.Babalola is married to Modupe Afe Babalola. They are blessed with four children and grand children.
Click here to read full news..
