SQUIB DIARY
MONDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER 2009
Hurray! The Squib is out. After so many weeks of vacation. The cover story? THE TRUE AND FULL CAUSE OF GANI FAWEHINMI’S DEATH.
The Lagos Judiciary celebrated the New Legal Year (2009-2010) today. Was at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, for the Christian service. The judges were there, looking noble and pious in their red ceremonial out-fits. Why do judges ceremonials come in red? Well, well. Saw lawyers too, plenty sef in the holy building, but not looking quite as pious as the judges. Well may be because the learned friends were wearing their eternal, if not fraternal-black gowns. Even the gold overlays on the silk-lawyers’ gown could not help cast any holy halo on them. They only looked like fat cats.
After the service (sermon delivered by Bishop Ademowo) there were photograph sessions in front of the church House. Hearty greetings, here and there. Amongst judges, magistrates and counsel alike.
Saw Geckos mingle with men and women. And, horror, saw some magistrates even judges deigning it fit to take photographs with the first Gecko, Yours truly!
Later the party moved to the High Court, Igbosere. For the march past and light entertainment. Only that the entertainment was not all that light. The food spread was impressive, adequate for the rather large crowd of ‘celebrants’ that turned up.
There were three ‘tents’. The best decorated and comfiest with our conditioners pressed to work was right in the middle. It was for the first class and Senior Advocates. Ahem.
At a point a gecko saw in there, a turbaned figure and was told that that was Serikim Musulumi Ikorodu Chief Imam Fatai Adeyinka of the Ikorodu Central Mosque and formerly Chief Judge of Lagos State. Where upon the gecko exclaimed “Ah, Alahu Akbar! So Fatai too is now one of the prophets?"
Earlier on in the day the scene gecko saw another retired judge of Lagos state High Court - James Oduneye J. After the Church Service. The attempt to dye the shaven head of the judge, turned the head into a welter of blue-black lines and shapes.
The second tent was for the second class citizen magistrates, while the third tent was for the ordinary un-silky lawyers 3rd class citizens. As for the judiciary workers, there was no tent for them. They just queued up along a window, from where “manna” dropped down.
Must not forget to mention that the entertainment included light music from a Robot. Musician: the turntable of a Disco-Jockery. Oh, my! Forgot to mention about the march past.
Was told it was a very brief affair may be less than fifteen minutes.
TUESDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER 2009
Went to the Events Centre CBD Ikeja to attend a training workshop on “Crime Scene Management”. Just for forty minutes - poor acoustics drove restless me away.
WEDNESDAY 30TH SEPTEMBER 2009
Came to the Lagos High Court Tafawa Balewa Square. My matter could not go on. Spent time there geckoing about the court.
THURSDAY 1ST OCTOBER 2009
Public Holiday. Nigerians love few other things than a public holiday. Every-time holiday! Please don’t mind me jare - just the rantings of an over-worked, over-heated-gecko, who was still in his den up to 11.00pm. On Independence Day!
FRIDAY 2ND OCTOBER 2009
Came down to Lagos high Court. For a case. Judge absent. On the way for I.B.A conference. Reportedly. Later left for the Maximum Security Prison to see some of those who put bread on my table.
On the way back, at the Airport fell into the hands of Towing Vehicle Family of Vultures, about seven in number. The Squib-mobile had minor hiccups, rectifiable within minutes, by simply opening the bonnet and allowing greater sweep of wind to the engine. The vehicle was safety parked on a shoulder, causing no obstruction. But the vultures would not listen to any ‘sense’ outside ‘settlement’.
"Your offence is #25,000.00! We have to tow away this vehicle. Speak our language or the vehicle will be towed away! “We are the task force!" All this, despite the fact the SM had come out of her coma. At the end of the day #2,000.00 was extorted from me - and that for not acting the uppity “alakowe”. The vultures (young male adults 21-36 years of age thereabouts) came in their raiding van, a post world-war contraption with a FAAN sticker, with plate number CA 578 FST. Time 3.20p.m.
SATURDAY 3RD OCTOBER 2009
Was at the Police College, Ikeja. For Tigers’ Sportif. But was even too unwell to come down from the car to exercise the ailing body. Learnt later that one other Tiger had arrived and left before I came. Tiger Farounbi Olayinka.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
4TH WEEK JULY (27TH-1ST AUGUST 2009)
SQUIB DIARY
MONDAY 27TH JULY 2009
The Squib’s not on the stands. The ‘fiery one’ on holiday too!
Today was her publisher’s birth-day. A birth-day forgotten in the furnace of preparation for battle in the case of C.J Lagos vs Adesina Ogunlana coming up the very next day in Abuja.
The said birthday was forgotten, until when the Generalissimo of the campaign, Daddy 3, Chief G.O.K Ajayi S.A.N in the middle of battle plans and preparation at about 3.42 am in the morning of 27th July 2009 suddenly asked his troops of lawyers and secretary “will you gentlemen care for (a bottle of) red-wine?”
Much later in the day, got the suit FHC/L/CS/792lag Adesina Ogunlana vs Ibitola Sotuminu & Ors filed at the Federal High Court, Lagos (see Bar & Bench NEWS 2).
TUESDAY 28TH JULY 2009
Was at the Court of Appeal Abuja. For my case C.J. Lagos vs Adesina Ogunlana esq before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee. The matter was adjourned at Respondent’s Counsel (Chief G.O.K Ajayi S.A.N) request. Counsel had filed on behalf of Ogunlana an application for leave to apply for an order of prohibition against the LPDC.
Some fireworks though, before the adjournment was granted. It started when the prosecutor in the matter, Dele Oye esq ‘reported’ the respondent to the LPDC that in the interval of the matter, Respondent had caused certain negative things to be published about him calling him in the said publication therein a persecutor. Thereafter the following conversation took place:
Chief Awomolo S.A.N: (addressing Dele Oye) Where is the publication? What you should have done is to bring it here and show us. (Turning to Ogunlana) Em, Mr. Ogunlana, you see how well meaning your publication may be, you must avoid being personal or sentimental in what you write. There is no need to be personal about things, Mr. Oye is only doing a job on appointment. And you know he is yet to reach his peak. Anything can be used against him in the future.”
Ogunlana: My Lords, can I possibly address this honourable committee?
Committee: Yes, you can.
Ogunlana: Mr. Dele Oye here is complaining about me, that I wrote some things against him. But what I want to say is this, the person who wrote the petition against me, saying I publish defamatory articles against judges of Lagos State stated the years 2001 and 2002 for the articles But Mr. Prosecutor here is charging me for articles written in 2004 even up till 2007!
Chief Awomolo S.A.N: Mr. Ogunlana please take it easy. Afterall you have not crossed paths with Mr. Dele Oye. Or have your paths crossed?
Ogunlana: Yes our paths have crossed.
Chief Awomolo SAN: It’s alright. We won’t go into that now.
Ogunlana: I got upset because I showed the complaint to him (Dele Oye esq) but he said it was typographical error!
Committee: Yes, but that’s the issue you should bring up before this committee.
Dele Oye: We saw that we made a mistake, which we have now corrected but when we wanted to serve Mr. Ogunlana now with the new complaint, he refused to accept it.
Committee: He wouldn’t accept it?
Ogunlana: I wouldn’t! I am represented by counsel!
Chief Awomolo SAN: You wouldn’t want to waive your right and collect it?
Ogunlana: Sir I’ll like to continue to hide behind the shadow of the presence of my counsel. I need the advice of my lawyer whether to accept this new complaint or not and he is not here.
Chairman: Yes, you are right. Since he has a lawyer, let them serve his lawyer. Mr. Ogunlana we don’t want you to see any one as being against you. We all here are on an assignment, including Mr. Dele Oye. You present your own case against theirs.
Please convey our message to Chief Ajayi about this case he has filed at the Federal High Court. Chief Ajayi is a lawyer we have a lot of regard for just as we have for every other counsel. May be he has not adverted his mind to the position of the Supreme Court that nobody can stop us here to look into the issue of professional misconduct. We have series of rulings on that by the Supreme Court and the High Courts themselves have been careful not to go against the position of the Supreme Court.
However we will grant the adjournment that he has requested for, till the next session. Please convey our message to him.
Mr. Dele Oye: We will not ask for cost
Chairman: Even if you ask for cost I am sure Mr. Ogunlana here will not give you a kobo or will you, Mr. Ogunlana?
Ogunlana: Sir, Mr. Oye said he came back from London only yesterday. Such a man will not need a kobo!
It must be on record that before the proceedings went under way, Mr. Rafiu Lawal-Rabana S.A.N one of the committee members, announced in open court that he was opting out of the committee in respect of the C.J Lagos vs Adesina Ogunlana matter. According to Mr. Lawal-Rabana his decision was informed by the fact that during his time as General Secretary, of the Nigerian Bar Association (2006-2008) he had had cause, in his official capacity to have some dealings with the Respondent and would not want to give any impression of having any bias against the respondent on account of that.
WEDNESDAY 29TH JULY 2009
Was at the Ikeja High Court. For continuation of the trial of a case. The rest of the day, spent on some personal runs.
THURSDAY 30TH JULY 2009
Was at the Ikeja High Court. Noticed that human-waste fluid continued to seep out from a poorly re-constructed sewage tank at the entrance of Justice Kazeem Alogba’s court. Death for sale, here?
FRIDAY 31ST JULY 2009
Was at the court of Appeal Lagos, this morning specifically at the registry to check up on the progress of a lodged appeal. In the late afternoon, with other members of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the NBA conference 2009 (holding in Lagos) held a meeting with the Central Planning Committee (CPC) of the conference, at the National Secretariat of the NBA.
The LOC via her sub committees chairman on Security, Accommodation and Transportation reported extensively on these important headings to CPC. Other important issues like the feeding (free lunches) of the conferees also discussed critically. One important heading (publicity) was not discussed at all, as the National Executive Committee are said to be in charge of that. From all indications, preparations are on top gear to have a successful bar conference in Lagos come 17th -21st August 2009, more so as the Lagos State Government is partnering seriously with the NBA on the project.
SATURDAY 1ST AUGUST 2009
Only one Tiger, this writer, turned up for the Sportif programme of the Ikeja Bar at the Police College grounds Ikeja. But it was worth the while, I tell you.
MONDAY 27TH JULY 2009
The Squib’s not on the stands. The ‘fiery one’ on holiday too!
Today was her publisher’s birth-day. A birth-day forgotten in the furnace of preparation for battle in the case of C.J Lagos vs Adesina Ogunlana coming up the very next day in Abuja.
The said birthday was forgotten, until when the Generalissimo of the campaign, Daddy 3, Chief G.O.K Ajayi S.A.N in the middle of battle plans and preparation at about 3.42 am in the morning of 27th July 2009 suddenly asked his troops of lawyers and secretary “will you gentlemen care for (a bottle of) red-wine?”
Much later in the day, got the suit FHC/L/CS/792lag Adesina Ogunlana vs Ibitola Sotuminu & Ors filed at the Federal High Court, Lagos (see Bar & Bench NEWS 2).
TUESDAY 28TH JULY 2009
Was at the Court of Appeal Abuja. For my case C.J. Lagos vs Adesina Ogunlana esq before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee. The matter was adjourned at Respondent’s Counsel (Chief G.O.K Ajayi S.A.N) request. Counsel had filed on behalf of Ogunlana an application for leave to apply for an order of prohibition against the LPDC.
Some fireworks though, before the adjournment was granted. It started when the prosecutor in the matter, Dele Oye esq ‘reported’ the respondent to the LPDC that in the interval of the matter, Respondent had caused certain negative things to be published about him calling him in the said publication therein a persecutor. Thereafter the following conversation took place:
Chief Awomolo S.A.N: (addressing Dele Oye) Where is the publication? What you should have done is to bring it here and show us. (Turning to Ogunlana) Em, Mr. Ogunlana, you see how well meaning your publication may be, you must avoid being personal or sentimental in what you write. There is no need to be personal about things, Mr. Oye is only doing a job on appointment. And you know he is yet to reach his peak. Anything can be used against him in the future.”
Ogunlana: My Lords, can I possibly address this honourable committee?
Committee: Yes, you can.
Ogunlana: Mr. Dele Oye here is complaining about me, that I wrote some things against him. But what I want to say is this, the person who wrote the petition against me, saying I publish defamatory articles against judges of Lagos State stated the years 2001 and 2002 for the articles But Mr. Prosecutor here is charging me for articles written in 2004 even up till 2007!
Chief Awomolo S.A.N: Mr. Ogunlana please take it easy. Afterall you have not crossed paths with Mr. Dele Oye. Or have your paths crossed?
Ogunlana: Yes our paths have crossed.
Chief Awomolo SAN: It’s alright. We won’t go into that now.
Ogunlana: I got upset because I showed the complaint to him (Dele Oye esq) but he said it was typographical error!
Committee: Yes, but that’s the issue you should bring up before this committee.
Dele Oye: We saw that we made a mistake, which we have now corrected but when we wanted to serve Mr. Ogunlana now with the new complaint, he refused to accept it.
Committee: He wouldn’t accept it?
Ogunlana: I wouldn’t! I am represented by counsel!
Chief Awomolo SAN: You wouldn’t want to waive your right and collect it?
Ogunlana: Sir I’ll like to continue to hide behind the shadow of the presence of my counsel. I need the advice of my lawyer whether to accept this new complaint or not and he is not here.
Chairman: Yes, you are right. Since he has a lawyer, let them serve his lawyer. Mr. Ogunlana we don’t want you to see any one as being against you. We all here are on an assignment, including Mr. Dele Oye. You present your own case against theirs.
Please convey our message to Chief Ajayi about this case he has filed at the Federal High Court. Chief Ajayi is a lawyer we have a lot of regard for just as we have for every other counsel. May be he has not adverted his mind to the position of the Supreme Court that nobody can stop us here to look into the issue of professional misconduct. We have series of rulings on that by the Supreme Court and the High Courts themselves have been careful not to go against the position of the Supreme Court.
However we will grant the adjournment that he has requested for, till the next session. Please convey our message to him.
Mr. Dele Oye: We will not ask for cost
Chairman: Even if you ask for cost I am sure Mr. Ogunlana here will not give you a kobo or will you, Mr. Ogunlana?
Ogunlana: Sir, Mr. Oye said he came back from London only yesterday. Such a man will not need a kobo!
It must be on record that before the proceedings went under way, Mr. Rafiu Lawal-Rabana S.A.N one of the committee members, announced in open court that he was opting out of the committee in respect of the C.J Lagos vs Adesina Ogunlana matter. According to Mr. Lawal-Rabana his decision was informed by the fact that during his time as General Secretary, of the Nigerian Bar Association (2006-2008) he had had cause, in his official capacity to have some dealings with the Respondent and would not want to give any impression of having any bias against the respondent on account of that.
WEDNESDAY 29TH JULY 2009
Was at the Ikeja High Court. For continuation of the trial of a case. The rest of the day, spent on some personal runs.
THURSDAY 30TH JULY 2009
Was at the Ikeja High Court. Noticed that human-waste fluid continued to seep out from a poorly re-constructed sewage tank at the entrance of Justice Kazeem Alogba’s court. Death for sale, here?
FRIDAY 31ST JULY 2009
Was at the court of Appeal Lagos, this morning specifically at the registry to check up on the progress of a lodged appeal. In the late afternoon, with other members of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the NBA conference 2009 (holding in Lagos) held a meeting with the Central Planning Committee (CPC) of the conference, at the National Secretariat of the NBA.
The LOC via her sub committees chairman on Security, Accommodation and Transportation reported extensively on these important headings to CPC. Other important issues like the feeding (free lunches) of the conferees also discussed critically. One important heading (publicity) was not discussed at all, as the National Executive Committee are said to be in charge of that. From all indications, preparations are on top gear to have a successful bar conference in Lagos come 17th -21st August 2009, more so as the Lagos State Government is partnering seriously with the NBA on the project.
SATURDAY 1ST AUGUST 2009
Only one Tiger, this writer, turned up for the Sportif programme of the Ikeja Bar at the Police College grounds Ikeja. But it was worth the while, I tell you.
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