These young female wigs were among the 4,350 lawyers that were called to bar recently after the successful completion of the examination of the Nigerian Law School. They displayed leadership in the course of heir study and overcame daunting challenges to become solicitors of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Here, they share their experiences at school and their aspirations in law practice:
Winifred Nkiru Moneme, senior nun
How was the training experience like in the faculty and law school?
The experience was not easy at the beginning because I studied law in the original language which is Latin. As time goes by, I came to like law. Lectures at the law school were very intensive and squeezed because of the COVID protocols.
What motivated you to read law?
I had been a nun for 20 years before studying law. As a Catholic nun, law was chosen for me to study because of the need in the congregation. We don’t choose the area of professionalisation for ourselves but the congregation does through the help of the superior and her counsel.
How ready are you for the rigours of law practice?
I am ready to combine it with mission work.
Hafsat Ahmed Shereef, 24 Experience at faculty and law school?
I made a Second Class Upper from the Nasarawa State University, Keffi. The final Bar examination was quite challenging because I was seriously ill during the time. I was diagnosed with malaria and typhoid fever. Anytime I went to the exam hall, I spend like 10 to 15 minutes without writing anything. But when the result came out, I still made it.
I was a group leader while in the Nigerian Law School with over 100 plus. It was not easy because there were a lot of people who didn’t know about my health but were still calling me to make inquiries. It could be about exams, class attendance, or group meetings.
How prepared are you for practice?
I want to be in criminal law (prosecution and defence). I am currently serving at the Federal Ministry of Justice and I am open to learning. I am open to learning law at the back of my palm. I am practising because I believe that most Arewa graduates shy away from practice. I want to really know it and be a force to reckon with. And I have my father to guide me and I am very much privileged.
Michelle Eke, 23 How was the training experience like in the faculty and law school?
We were already warned that law school is not really easy, especially at the Lagos campus. The teachers are extra hard on you but that is because they want to see you succeed. So, my friends and the lessons I was taking, definitely pushed me the extra mile. We were also hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. So it resulted in a lot of self-study. That is what happened.
What inspired you to study law?
Law was definitely an immediate attraction for me because, from a young age, I hated injustice. And that was the baseline of everything. And when you think of it, what is the opposite of injustice? It is justice and how do you normally get justice? It is through the law and the court system. Naturally, many people have actually told me, you could be a lawyer because I like to write, I like to speak. So, law seemed to be a natural choice.
But I would definitely say at this point in my life, law is just a stepping stone to what I want to achieve; it is not necessarily just law, but having that law background is helpful. I am thinking about international development to achieve person-to-person work. Not corporate, because I don’t have a passion for that.
How prepared are you for the challenges of the profession?
One thing life has thought me is to take one day at a time. So, I would just say that my life skills and the things I have learnt through studies and through going to the university (University of Exeter), going through law school have definitely given me the necessary skills – personal, professional and otherwise. I can only say when the problem or situation arises, I would say that I feel like I am equipped and if I am equipped, I will come equipped to my situation.
Hope Olajumoke Fajana, 24 Experience at faculty and law school?
I give glory to God that I am today a maker of history. I had a long walk to this profession. Indeed, I am eternally grateful to my parents, particularly my dad, who had a brief training in law. His desire to see me as a lawyer aroused his compulsion as he forced me to drop my degree in French. We faced odds like industrial strikes, COVID-19.
What inspired you to study law?
Law is everything to my family. I am proud to tell you that the numero uno Aare Afe Babalola is doing his best to draw me nearer for better training and pupillage in one of his chambers. My dad is currently the CEO Special Duties to him at ABUAD.
Baba deserves more than a mere passing mention in my life, of course, a very good friend of my late grandpa.
How prepared are you for the challenges of the profession?
I have a conviction that with God on my side, I will make my impact as a female lawyer.
