By Hameed Ajibola Jimoh Esq.
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In the dispensation and or administration of justice, the roles of a judge or the judiciary cannot be overemphasized. Also, the call (by all and sundry: legal practitioners, litigants, public, etc.) for justice in the Nigerian justice system is becoming very unbearable! Definitely, having regards to the relevant extant provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999(as amended)-herein after referred to as the Constitution, only a lawyer can be appointed a judge of a High Court (whether at the Federal’s or State’s Level). I have developed a strong passion and interest in becoming a judge of a High Court most especially few years back, though, being a judge was my focus right from my senior secondary school days but I later found interests in the private practice upon being called to bar to which I have developed so much passion and interests having consistently personally prosecuted over sixty cases from: the Area Courts, the Magistrate courts, Federal High Court, the High Court of the FCT-Abuja, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Nigeria (and in court outside the FCT-Abuja’s); among other legal services having handled to clients, within my 7 years at the bar (as a lawyer) and as a human and socio-economic rights activist (and within 5 years of engaging in my private legal practice in the law office: THE VICEGERENT LEGAL CONSULT. It is my joy that as far as the private practice is concerned, I have come, I have seen and I have conquered, though still humble to learn more! I have then considered that if I should be appointed as a Judge of High Court thereby crossing to the bench, I would only miss my private practice days in courts but not enough to regret insufficient competency as a legal practitioner! There and then, there have been some observed challenges in the aspiration of becoming a judge of a High Court to fulfill my ambition! Some persons have informed me of how tedious, competitive and in fact, the process of the appointment as a High Court Judge has been taken over by some personal interests to the extent that the process has become hijacked and has become like a family inheritance by some individuals and politicians, hence, denying those who are most meritoriously qualified to being appointed as Judges of High Courts of such appointment. Though, I do not know how true or untrue these facts are, nevertheless, I told myself that ‘if God says that I shall be a judge of High Court at 10 years of my being a lawyer, I know that I would be!’. That is the reason for this article.
It seems fictitious but it is the reality that in whatever one does: focus, passion, determination and prayers (spirituality) play major roles in the success and or achievements of those set ambitions. Furthermore, the following are factors that I view as those that could assist in the attainment of the two ‘proficiency’ and ‘greatness’ in achieving one’s desired goal/focus as a lesson for the reader of this article using mine as a scenario/case study:
- Passion for the aspirations;
- Determination to attain the aspirations;
- Positive conscience to achieve the aspirations;
- Prayers;
PASSION FOR THE ASPIRATIONS
In order to succeed in attaining the aspirations, you must create passion in them, because the mind always attaches importance to anything we attach emotion to. You must always try to consider all the goodness in them and not the evils. As some people around you may try to distract your attention from attaining them by telling you many myths (untrue stories) about them. If you listen to all these, you might be disturbed and get discouraged if you did not have passion in the aspirations at first.
After all, there are many that had the same aspirations like yours in the past and had attained them. Some of these lawyers are around you! So, look up to them! You have to create love for the aspirations and love to achieve them not that you are forced. It must come right from your own conscience or interest. As someone say ‘I will rather buy from a passionate salesman than to buy from a man that does not love what he is doing’.
Henceforth, let the love for attaining the aspirations increase in you if you vowed to face their challenges and do not display any inferiority complex!
DETERMINATION TO ATTAIN THE ASPIRATIONS
Determination is simply your firmness of purpose and is what differentiates winners from losers. It is one of the ingredients you have to possess to get you from where you are to where you ought to be. In the course of pursuing your aspirations, many challenges or difficulties might come your way e.g. from reading to excel day and night, attempting to solve clients’ problems, finance, long time for researching, etc. but you must be determined!
You need to be committed to your goals no matter what the circumstances might be! Therefore, be resolute in what you are doing; approach it with an unusual commitment. That is what determination is made of. Remember the saying that ‘when the going gets tough, only the tough get going’. That is, achieving greatness is not a 100 meter dash. It takes a lot of push and energy to really get to where you must go.
It is strange but true, life will want to see how resolved you are to get to your goal. It will try you with difficulties and most times, it will want to present short cuts to your goals but you must not be subjugated (defeated) and perturbed (confused) and move in the direction of your dreams avoiding the short cuts because they are longer on scrutiny (careful and thorough examination) and within professional ethical rules. So, do not allow anything to discourage you from your aspirations. Be resolute (determined)!
POSITIVE CONSCIENCE TO ACHIEVE THE ASPIRATIONS
In planning to achieve your aspirations, you need to change your conscience from the negative information that you are supplied with to positive. For example, some negative sides of your aspirations might be narrated to you, then, you start thinking you cannot make it with the aspirations. This is indeed a fallacy (error in reasoning)!
The fact that some did not make it does not mean that you cannot make it or the fact that some were not successful in the past in their aspirations does not mean you will not be successful in it.
Nevertheless, you need to renew your intention and conscience to positive that no matter how terrifying (frightened) the circumstance is, I must make it! After all, ‘to be a man is not a day’s job.
PRAYER
Prayer is your weapon to cut away any difficulty that comes your way. Man has to recognize his Lord as the Supreme and the Most Powerful to do all things. Therefore, whenever he faces any difficulty in the course of the pursuit of his aspirations, he calls on his Lord who is The: All Seeing, Omniscience, Omnipotent and Omnipresent. So, call your Lord always in time of need and in time of relief, verify, easily will all your difficulties be surmounted (overcome)!
I had read a word on the marble which was broadcast on the Independent Television News Channel (itv News) which attracted my attention as follows: ‘If you dream of moving mountains tomorrow, start moving small stones today’. Therefore, ‘dream big but start small!’ So, you need not be told that if your attitude which determines your altitude as a lawyer is to be a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in the next ten to fifteen years or to be a judge at 10 years of being a lawyer (even where some are appointed with old age) but you sleep around without making any contribution to the legal profession or desire enjoyment, clubbing, social and merry-making all the time and with little or no continuous legal research, you need not be told that you are likely far from the reality!
The above four cardinal principles are my hopes that by God’s grace, if God (Almighty Allaah) has destined that I shall become a Judge of High Court as soon and as early as I become 10 years as a lawyer, it shall definitely come to pass, so, all my fears in that regard have disappeared! In fact, by God’s grace, I shall try any possible call for application in the year that I pay my 10th bar practicing fee coinciding into my 10 years as a lawyer (calling for application as a Judge of High Court), whether at the Federal High Court Level or at the State Level (or even my State-Lagos State Level)! For I know that with God, all things are possible and that God does His own things in His own unique way as He desires! I shall be one of His VICEGERENT ON EARTH AND AS A JUDGE, standing for justice and honesty!
Finally, I wish to advise myself and those of my colleagues in the legal profession (both senior and the young) who aspire to become Judge of High Court not to be discouraged in their focus but to continue to move on with their hopes in God Almighty for in Him lies the true Trust! May God make our hopes and aspirations to become achievable! Nevertheless, I dissociate myself from those who would corrupt the judicial system, for the judicial system is divine and has its connection to God Almighty! My kind and sincere advice for such persons is for them to repent and be an ambassador of righteousness for everything starts in this World and does not end here in this World! The Judgment Day is certain and not a dream but a reality! In any case, though God owns my life, if it is God’s desire that I remain in the private legal practice, there and then, I submit to His decision! May God make it easy! Aamiin!
Email: hameed_ajibola@yahoo.com
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