When I got admission to read law in 2018 at Leadcity University Ibadan as a direct entry student at the age of 50 ,I thought it was going to be a walk in the pack as a student with over 25 years working experience in Public Relations , Advertising, Marketing and Journalism
In my first year as a direct entry student , I attended practically all the classes, did all my assignments , participated in the group discussions
During examination, i wrote all I could remember .With such high hopes that i had , I was of the opinion that I'll score high marks
Alas, when the result was released a few weeks later ,my best result was a C .
I had Ds and Es in my courses like TORTS , LEGAL METHODS , CONSTITUTIONAL LAW, HUMAN RIGHTS etc
In the second semester, I took part 2 of the same courses, and it was the same result
My GPA was hovering a little above 2nd class lower , I was few steps away from a 3rd class
I was shocked
When the next session resumed ( 300 level ) , I summoned courage to visit one of my lecturers
I asked him , "How come I have been getting Ds and Es in his courses
He sat me down ,What he told me shocked me
He said CKN , I know you're one of our elderly students , I also know you're a smart media person ( because I watch you on television regularly) , I also know you're committed to your academics , you attend classes, participates in group assignments and also tests
All these are good , but you're missing the fundamental aspects of your studies ,
"YOU WRITE LIKE A JOURNALIST AND NOT LIKE A LAW STUDENT
LAW HAS IT'S LANGUAGE..
YOU HAVE TO LEARN IT ELSE YOU WILL GRADUATE WITH A VERY LOW GRADE"
He took time to explain to me , brought out my exam slips, and pointed out my errors
I was shocked , instead of learning how to write and marshal my points like a student , I thought I was still in journalism school , where we write lots of grammar
In law , we deal mostly with facts , cases , sections, and precedents
You can not marshal your arguments and points without backing it up with relevant sections of the law
I took his advice to heart and promised to redirect myself
At the end of my 3rd year , I was inching towards 2nd class upper
First semester 400 level , I was a strong 2nd class upper student, a position I maintained till my graduation in 2022
What am my trying to say , I see a lot of UNLEARNED people trying to interpret the law without having the faintest idea what law is
Law is not English Language , you can not interpret literarily by the English Language it is written
It goes beyond that , there are many factors behind those pronouncements ,except you are LEARNED like some of us , you can not fully understand it
One of the definitions of LAW as I was taught in school is LAW IS WHAT IT IS
Chris Kehinde Nwandu is a journalist, blogger and Law graduate