David Oluwafemi Omojola, 63, is a retired Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) of Police. He was called to the Nigerian Bar recently. He speaks on why he cannot go into politics.
How do you feel being called to the bar at 63?
I have all along cherished law as a profession but my enlistment in the Police Force reinforced this desire. It’s a dream come through and something I desire so much, but due to the ups and downs in my career, I was unable to finish it on time but I believe so much in the adage of ‘better late than never.’ So I really bless the name of the Almighty for really making me to be considered fit and proper to be called to the Nigerian Bar.
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Do you have intent to practice as a lawyer?
Normally once you are called to the Nigerian Bar, the purpose is for you to practice to advance the course of justice, though I may not be as active as I would love to be, but then it is still my desire to go to court. We have very senior members of the Bar who are older than me and still come to court. During our internship I saw many of them and that served as an inspiration that I can be and God has made it so.
Do you want to go into politics?
No, no, no, far from it, never, I don’t have the temperament for politics; I prefer to stay out of it. But as a good vote during election and I would support the candidate of my choice.
How is life in retirement?
I would say life in retirement have been wonderful because it is not possible to continue working nonstop, the only issue with my retirement life is this issue of going to law school. This really took a lot of my time. I started , I had issues with my results I couldn’t find them in time but eventually when I did I was able to be enrolled as a student of Nigerian law school where I met students who are more or less a little above my grandchildren, but I sat down with them at Nigerian Law School, Lagos Island. It was a wonderful experience because one thing I know is that there is no barrier to education and enlightenment, education is a continuous process because in all, you would continue to read until your last day on earth.
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Law is very dynamic you just have to keep in touch with reality and what is on ground.
What do you miss about police?
Yeah, I am missing the discipline of the force, the respect for constituted authority, they exist elsewhere but not as pronounced as in the Police. You earn so much respect for authority and I have to say police is the only organisation that units this country. For me as a police officer, I have served in every part of this country. There is nowhere in Nigeria that I don’t know, if you mention your village I would dare you on the location and what they are doing there. So I think it is an advantage.
What do you cherish most in law?
One thing I like about law is this issue of doing things formally, not cutting corners and I saw the height of it at the law school. You can’t cut corner in Nigerian Law School, they don’t lower their standard for anybody to pass, and you just have to be fit and proper in their language. It’s just like that and when you get to court, they respect themselves they have honour from the senior ones, you can hardly see them fighting themselves, they can disagree but at the point of even say raise their voices, but at the end of the day when they get out of court they shake hands and everybody goes home. You would see the formality of their dressing, apart from the military and the police, you dress like gentlemen, like they say ‘no woman in law practice’, and that is why if you are going to address those in superior court, you put ‘sir’ or ‘your lordship’, and things like that. Law is a wonderful profession, things are very straight forward, you just have to go in accordance with the rules and regulations. Every step is guided by law.
What do you want your children to be, lawyer or police?
I have no say in what they choose to pursue. Incidentally my second daughter is a lawyer, Adeola Adebayo, she even graduated before me, I think it should be seven or eight years ahead of me. But my son has taken after me, he is an ASP now and they use to call him officer Omojola. Now that I am
a lawyer, he is Omotayo Omojola, he joined as an ASP. One of my children is a chartered accountant, the other one is into ICT, and the last one has MBA and is working with an oil company in V.I