Alhaji Adetunji Lasisi, a 76-year-old former soldier who was just admitted to the bar, has chronicled his path to becoming a lawyer in Nigeria.
The former Chairman of the Nigerian Legion in Oyo State disclosed that his eldest daughter financed him in school, and he is grateful to her for enabling him to obtain a legal degree.
He narrated; “I lost my father in 1961; my father was a rich farmer and circumcision expert, as our lineage’s profession is circumcision (Oloola descendants); he took ill and the sickness lasted a week and that was what led to his death on November 8, 1961, after which my brother supported me to finish my commercial four in 1964. As for my Law School, it was my eldest daughter who sponsored me, and that is why I thank God for her; she fell sick a while back, but I thank God that she is back in sound health.
I was so happy when I was called to bar because she is alive; other members of my family have also supported me; my first wife as well, whom I met in Sapele during my service in the Army is an Itsekiri lady whom I married back then; she made sure that she did all that was expected of her and stayed behind to look after the home; she made sure to look after the children, which made them succeed.
Speaking on what inspired him to pursue a career in Law, Lasisi said; “Honestly, I love it because it is a noble job; there are two noble jobs in the world, the first is the military and I served in the Army to protect the integrity of this country; the second noble job is Law. I wanted another noble job that would enable me to serve humanity, not politics or any other job, so Law was what I chose.
I want to be able to help the oppressed and the underprivileged; there are so many people in prison yards today who are first-time offenders who do not have anybody to fight for them, and they do not have the means to pay fines; so these are the type of people I want to help, and besides, I have been blessed by God so I feel that is one of the only ways I can also make an impact in society; you know nobody is going to contest with me unlike when one engages in politics.”
He went on to urge individuals who want to change occupations or pursue new chances, adding there is no limit to what they may learn.
The septuagenarian said; “What I will say is that there is no limit to what we can learn; education is continuous, and there is no limitation until we leave the earth; many people questioned my decision to go to Law School asking what I wanted to gain, but I think we should not waste time when it comes to learning so everyone and anyone who has the chance should be encouraged and not waste their opportunities.”