BEHOLD! LAGOS NEW JUDGES

In a few weeks time, the announcement of the appointment of six new judges of the High Court of Lagos State, will be made. Their swearing in will, all other things being equal also take place almost immediately.

Informed observers of the Lagos State Judiciary are speculating on December as the month of the elevation of these appointees.

But who are these new appointees? It would be recalled that this magazine in her last edition Vol. 13 No 2 had published a short-list of sixteen “Bench seekers to wit:

1.  Ogunsanya Sedoten Sosi (Mrs.)                    Director (MOJ)

2.  Ogala Oyindamola Adesola                    Chief Magistrate I

3.  Solebo Serifat Oloruntoyin (Ms.)            Chief Magistrate II

4.  Williams Fazi Kazeem Olusegun              Private Practitioner

5.  Ipaye-Nwachukwu Arike Mutiat (Mrs.)     Chief Magistrate II

6.  Animahun Wasiu                                  Private Practitioner

7.  Bankole-Oki Folashade Janet (Ms.)                Private Practitioner

8.  Savage Michael Akintunde                     Private Practitioner

9.  Lawal Abdulfattah Olawale                     Private Practitioner

10.  Olukolu Rasil Oluyomi                         Private Practitioner/Lecturer

11.  Isaac Akintunde Olufemi                             Chief Magistrate (Admin)

12.  Safari Ganiu Ali                                  Chief Registrar

13.  Oke Senami Theodora                         Chief State Counsel (MOJ)

14.  Bashua Jubril Abisoye                         Private Practitioner

15.  Bajulaiye Adegboyega Oyewole                   Deputy Director (MOJ)

The Squib can now authoritatively reveal that out of the fifteen short-listed nominees, only six have successfully scaled the final hurdle of selection.

The six are:

1.  Ogunsanya Sedoten Sosi (Mrs.)- Ministry of Justice

2.  Ogala Oyindamola Adesola (Mrs.)- Lagos State Judiciary

3.  Animahun Wasiu- Private Legal Practitioner

4.  Savage Micheal Akintunde- Private Legal Practitioner

5.  Lawal Abdul-Fatai Olawale- Private Legal Practitioner

6.  Safari Ganiu Ali- Chief Registrar Lagos State High Court

Thus we have two female appointees as against four males, the first time in almost fifteen years in the Lagos State Judiciary where male appointees would number more than females in any appointing session.

This, as some observers contend, is an indication of the interest of the authorities to redress the sharp gender imbalance on the Lagos State Bench. However it is “not yet uhuru” for any of the six finalists as very intense lobbying still rages to  substitute some of the ‘finalists’ with others who were dropped.

Geckos have it that politicians particularly of the ruling party in Lagos State (Action Congress of Nigeria) notable monarchs, retired judges and chief judges, old and influential senior  legal practitioners as well as members of the business-elite are piling serious pressure on the Lagos State Judiciary to have a change of mind on their ‘finalists’ which the Squib learnt were drawn up when the focus of lobbyists particularly politicians shifted temporarily to the recently concluded gubernatorial contest in Ondo State.

On the other hand the lobbyists want the number of ‘finalists’ to increase by at least two more to accommodate their interests.

The Squib has also learnt that the lobbyists are waiting impatiently for the Chief Judge (Ayo Phillips .J) who alongside other judges are outside the country to return, before resuming their lobbying bombardment. The Chief Judge is the chairman of the Lagos State Judicial Service Commission.

As things stand, observers appear sure of only one nominee- Safari Ganiu Ali, of  maintaining his position on the ‘finalists’ list. As for the other five nominees, especially those of them who made the final list by the sheer force of outstanding performance in tests, examinations and surpassing credentials, it is a case of prayers and supplications.

15 JOSTLE FOR JUDICIAL APPOINTMENT IN LAGOS

For some time now, the Lagos State Judiciary has been trying to employ more high court judges. Around May 2012, it was widely believed by many observers of the judiciary that, the immediate past administration of the judiciary under Chief Judge Inumidun Akande would swear in a new set of judges before his Lordship bowed out of service in June 2012.

However the expectation failed, even though the judicial recruitment exercise had advanced greatly, at the time of Justice Akande’s exit. With a new helmswoman in charge of the Lagos judiciary, in the person of Honourable Justice Ayo Phillips, the desire to employ more Judges got a renewed fillip.

The Squib authoritatively learnt that hardly had the word gone out that the judiciary was recruiting than applicants in their dozens signified their interest. Thus about a fortnight ago, when the Judicial Service Commission, held an examination for judicial applicants, no less than 60 persons turned up for the exercise.

However at the end of the day only the following fifteen legal practitioners were found possibly appointable. They are:

Ogunsanya Sedoten Sosi (Mrs.)                           -        Director (MOJ)

Ogala Oyindamola Adesola (Mrs.)             -        Chief Magistrate I

Solebo Serifat Oloruntoyin (Ms.)               -        Chief Magistrate II

Williams Fazi Kareem Olusegun                 -        Private Practitioner

Ipaye-Nwachukwu Arike Mutiat (Mrs.)      -       Chief Magistrate II

Animahun Wasiu                                        -        Private Practitioner

Bankole-Oki Folashade Janet (Ms.)            -        Private Practitioner

Savage Michael Akintunde                         -        Private Practitioner

Lawal Abdulfattah Olawale                        -        Private Practitioner

Olukolu Rasil Oluyomi                               -        Private Practitioner/Lecturer

Isaac Akintunde Olufemi                                      -        Chief Magistrate (Admin)

Safari Ganiu Ali                                          -        Chief Registrar

Oke Senami Theodora (Mrs.)                      -        Chief State Counsel (MOJ)

Bashua Jubril Abisoye                                -        Private Practitioner

Bajulaiye Adegboyega Oyewole                 -        Deputy Director (MOJ)

A careful perusal of the list shows the following realities:

All but one of the shortlisted applicants are Lagosians.

While the ladies are 6, the gentle men are 9.

The Public Bar has the least number of candidates (3) while the Private Bar has the highest (7). Interestingly only one of the seven is a lady.

Coincidentally or otherwise, there is about a 50-50 Christian – Muslim parity in the number of applicants shortlisted.

Now that the short-list of preferred candidates is out, observers say the race is now at its peak and most delicate, as only five or six out of the fifteen candidates on the short-list would eventually be picked for the certainly juicy and respectable appointments.

Many observers contend that the very best of the candidates may lose out of the hot race because at this stage of the competition, merit has ceased to be a strong propelling factor unlike influence and power of behind-the-door lobby a.k.a “long leg” or “man –know-man.”

FAKE LAWYER BECOMES NBA TREASURER

Like other branches of the Nigerian Bar association, the Ibadan Bar is still battling with the scourge of quacks in the legal profession. In a recent move to curb the plague, the Branch in March 2012 under its chairman Seun Abimbola Esq. set up the Anti-Touting and Ethics Committee of the Branch under the chairmanship of Tunde Gade Esq.

 

The foremost term of reference of the Committee predictably is “to identify, expose and ensure the prosecution of fake lawyers or unqualified lawyers masquerading as lawyers.”

 

The committee soon set to work and within a short time nine persons, including one Miss Abiodun Anne Omolayomi suspected to be fake lawyers, practicing in Ibadan were invited by the Gade Committee to forward to her, documentary proofs of their qualifications as legal practitioners.

 

Now the said Miss Abiodun Anne Omolayomi was no ordinary member of the NBA Ibadan Branch. She was the treasurer of the association by virtue of winning election a few months ago.

 

A lithe pretty chick of a lady and always attractively packaged, “the Barrister” was well known at the Bar and featured prominently at the programmes of the Branch. She was also known to be married to one Mr. Lucas, a well known staff or independent contractor with the national body of the Association.

So when the news seeped out that she was one of those the Gade Committee was investigating, many dismissed the allegation with a wave of the hand.

However concerns for the lady’s integrity rose when instead of simply furnishing the Gade Committee with the necessary proofs demanded, she resorted to filibustering.

She did this by sending a letter to the Committee to the effect that she would comply with the demands of the Committee only if the committee obliged her with a copy of the petition against her.

Undeterred by this response, the Committee formally enquired about her status from the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the custodian of the Rolls of Legal Practitioners duly called to the Nigerian Bar.

When the response came, it stated categorically that the name of Abiodun Anne Omolayomi could not be found in the said “Sacred Rolls.”

It was the time for the police to move in. However the smart alec of a lady who had paraded herself for years as a qualified Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigerian avoided apprehension by the expedience of doing a disappearing act till date, from Ibadan and all her other known locations.

The Squib authoritatively learnt that the fake lawyer’s husband was terribly gutted at the exposure of his wife as a quack. The poor man never knew the ‘lawyer’ he married was a liar!