Afe Babalola (SAN) does not need further introduction. At least not in Nigeria and by extention, Africa. Though, I may not be incorrect? Prove me wrong, if you will. So much has been written and said about this legal icon. Let's take our eyes, for a minute, pass the recent controversies that made a buzz in the media. Not enough to cloud the garland festooned legal star.
He is no less an oracle in the Bar. Here and beyond. The proprietor of Afe Babalola University is in a class of his own. Cast in the mould of Rotimi Williams, Richard Akinjide and Bola Iges of this world. Just to mention of a few. He may not be the exact answer to Lord Denning of Great Britain. He commands equal respect and adoraration within and outside our shores.
His legal opinions on thorny legal issues cannot be faulted-given his level of sound legal reasoning. A man of gravitas, he never loses sight of his mission on earth.
What you probably didn't know about this great son of Ekiti State is his grass to grace story. A titan of sort. He rose to the pinnacle of the legal profession through determination, dint of harwork and the "conspiracy" of providence. Afterall, the Lord was quoted as saying in bible, I will bless whom I will and curse whom i will... I conjure the word "conspiracy" for want of a better expression.
Not many persons know that Afe started out as a professional automobile mechanic in Ibadan. This is on good authority.
Law was never an option in his frame of pictures except perhaps as a childhood fantasy. We all had our moments of building castles in the air?
One fateful day however, that narrative changed for the good. Providence guided the footsteps of a lawyer to Afe auto mechanic workshop. The man came to service his fairly new a car. Afe as he then was, had never seen such an exotic car before. He admired the four-wheel marvel on the road, to no end. So, out of curiosity, he engaged the owner in a friendly chit chat as mechanics are wont to do. He enquired about the man's profession. The car owner told him politely "I am a lawyer."
The Afe retorted: "Do, you know that that was my childhood dream. But my indigent parents could not afford to send me to school, so I ended up being an apprentice mechanic. But today I am a professional mechanic."
The lawyer then asked him, "do you still nurse the ambition of becoming a lawyer?
Afe answered in the affirmative. "Of course, I would love to be a lawyer, if the opportunity presents itself."
The lawyer left the workshop after his car was thoroughly serviced.
A few days later, the lawyer invited Afe over to his law office. There and then, he offered Afe an employment as a clerk in his chambers. Armed with Cambridge O level certificate, young Afe was very diligent and studious. He was a voracious reader. And brilliant to wit. Before long, he acquainted himsrlf with the nuances of the legal profession. He was so passionate about legal practice hence, he promptly enrolled as a correspondent student of law. In no time, he was called to one of the most prestigious English Bars, The Lincoln Inn.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
As the Chinese proverb says, the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Afe Babalola was not afraid of taking a second pathway to reach his dream.
What is that obstacle that is holding you back from pursuing your dream?
You are the only barrier to your success. As the Hausas would say, "tashi ka mike" meaning stand up and walk tall towards your dream. That dream is possible. Why not? If Barack Obama can aspire to become the first black American President, you too can achieve your dream. All it takes is- the audacity of hope. QED.
Thomas Peretu wrote in from Abuja