Two frontline Nigerian lawyers, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, and Prof. Chris Ohuruogu of the Faculty of Law, Ben Idahosa University, Benin, have advised the young Law graduates of Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), and indeed their peers nationwide, not to entertain any fear about paucity of jobs as more jobs in their area of competence will be created as Nigeria’s economy grows and gets diversified.
This assurance and advice notwithstanding, the duo of Babalola, who incidentally is the Founder and Chancellor of Ade Babalola University Ado-Ekiti, (ABUAD) and Ohuruogu emphasized the importance and the need for the young Lawyers to strive to be among the best in whatever they are doing as available jobs will be specialization-specific.
This development, they argued, will require them to read wide, decide early what type of job they want, not necessarily from the view point of the returns, but more from what interests them (as put forward by the proponents of Multiple Intelligence Theory) and how they intend to use such to advance the Nigerian society and etch their name in gold.
Ohuruogu who spoke on ‘Opportunities and Challenges for the Green Wig’ at ABUAD’s maiden Law Students’ week yesterday said:”Even for those who intend to be fashion designers, makeup artistes, traders among others, after qualifying as lawyers, there is no hiding place. The fact that you are lawyers will make your colleagues to elect you as presidents or secretaries in an environment like ours where associations bloom”.
He added: “The green wigs of today have to be doubly prepared to face the challenges of finding and retaining jobs of their desires. These jobs may not necessarily have to be ones which bring in the highest economic returns, but ones which give them the opportunities to serve mankind, have economic assurance and be personally happy and fulfilled.
“The green wig who wants to be competitive must have ICT and language skills, should develop reading and writing skills and be ready to show that he/she deserves to be hired. The jobs will be created, but the competition will be stiffer. Do not be carried away by what people say. Be focused. The area others may see as not lucrative may well be your own Goshen. The time to begin is now”.
Availing them with avalanche of job options and opportunities that are out there for the green wigs in the formal and informal sectors, government and private sectors as well as national and international levels, Ohuruogu pointed out that they can be gainfully engaged in Advocacy, as Solicitors or in Educational and Research Institutes where the likes of Prof. Ben Nwabueze, Prof. Itse Sagay, Prof. G. A. Olawoyin, Prof. I.O Agbede and Prof. P.A. Oluyede as well as Prof. Ayo Ajomo among many others have made indelible marks.
Other areas are Commerce, as Realtors, Government Agencies like National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (AFDAC), the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as well as Governance and Politics where lawyers like Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Oliver Tambo, Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama and Obafemi Awolowo have shaped the course of history and governance in the contemporary world.
Besides, many lawyers are appointed as Special Advisers, Research Assistants in addition to working as Arbitrators, Concilliators and Mediators, in the Ministry of Justice, both at the federal and state civil service, the International Civil Service, Field and Protection Officers in Conflict and Post Conflict areas, the Industries, Legislative Houses and of course, the Judiciary, where they could rise to become magistrates and judges.
According to the professor, these various sectors are witnessing expansion with lawyers who have developed new skills, specialization and competencies in the various areas being hired, adding that the young but enterprising green wigs will always be accommodated, no matter the glut, particularly if they are well informed and have some elements of providence on their side.
Speaking earlier, Babalola who disagreed with some musings in some quarters that there are too many lawyers in the country today said indeed, Nigeria does not even have enough, bearing in mind that the principal focus of law is to ensure order and orderliness in the society through the instrumentality of lawyers.
For the umpteenth time, he appealed to senior lawyers to always take good care of their juniors by paying them well so that the junior ones will sit down to drink from the fountain of experience and knowledge of the seniors instead of rushing out, rather too early and without the requisite knowledge and experience, to start their own practice or willfully staying back with the greedy seniors to start cutting corners to the disadvantage of quality practice and the society at large.
(Ends).