Dr. Olu Olofinlade,  is a legal practitioner, who has  practiced law for  43 years. He  turned 80 years on Tuesday, August 27. In this interview he spoke about his career as a lawyer and  politician. Though, according to him, he is no longer going to court, however he talked about several cases he had handled as well as some legal and national issues.  Excerpts:

AS a senior member of the bar, would you want to say something about yourself for the benefit of the younger ones?

I am Dr. Olu Olofinlade, I was born on August 27, 1933, in Ekiti State, and I am a legal practitioner. Practicing law in Lagos in 1970. Along the line, I got involved in local politics in my home town, at Ido Ekiti

*Dr Olu Olofinlade

You handled several cases when you where in active practice, what was your experience like?

I was a general practitioner, I handled several political and criminal cases some of which were the Kudirat Abiola’s case, Pa Abraham Adesanya and Daudu case and many others and I  had the opportunity of working with late Chief Bola Ige as a team  in Lagos High court,  I also  handled land matters, civil matters and criminal matters up to the higher courts, and some of them were reported in the law reports.

What is your assessment of the legal profession and in what areas will you want to see improvements?

The lawyers nowadays are struggling hard, especially in Lagos.

Impact in profession

They are making more impact in the profession, than when we came out from the law school in 1970, they are more aggressive compared to that time. That time it was really difficult to get law report. In the judiciary, like in the past, we were thought that you have to do your work and leave the rest to the court, but now, the game is different. I never solicited  with any judge or visited any of them for my cases.  Lawyers should be more industrious because the quality of  lawyers breeds the quality of judges, when the judges knows that the lawyers will not take it from them, then they will sit up and write good judgment.

You have gathered so much experience, what is your piece of advice to upcoming lawyers?

My piece of  advice  to them is to be hard working. In law there is no fast rule to it, except hard work. When you are given any little brief, work hard on it. After my  graduation from Unilag, I didn’t go for masters, but the University of Marquis Giusepp Scicluna , International Foundation affilatted to Albert Einstein International Academy Foundation    looked at all my activities and awarded me with  honorary doctorate  of  laws degree  in 1989.  came from

Is there any of your children  that is a lawyer?

Yes, I have two children who are lawyers, one is based here in Lagos and the lady who was initially a legal officer with Wema bank, had since joined her husband in the UK. She came out with second class upper from Unilag.

You clocked 80 years on Tuesday, how will you  describe your life?

But you know that I am very sick because I have eyes problem, which was as a result of  glaucoma and cataract but I leave a very simple life.

What of the book that is going to be launched in your honour, as part of the birthday celebration?

I titled it ’Politics as a Social Service in Nigeria’, because I see that when you are in politics, you help the people in your country and constituency, that is how it should be.

That is why when I was in local politics I made sure that I covered all parts, and that is the way I have been doing it  unconsciously because all those political cases that I took up, I didn’t ask for any money. I have handled two cases for chairmen in Agege. I handled a case of Al-Mustapha when Kudirat was killed, late pa Adesanya,  Dawudu and two others before the Lagos High court. Chief Bola Ige was the leading counsel in those cases.

With your contributions to the legal profession one would have  expected that  you would have been awarded the rank of Senior advocate of Nigeria?

I didn’t apply for SAN, there was no reason, but it is not everybody that pushes for it, I didn’t push for it because, if you want to be something you must push for it. Some people are saying that before you become a SAN you must know big people I didn’t know any thing about that because I didn’t push for it.

2015 election is fast approaching, how would you rate the nation’s preparation for the poll?

Well, I think that we would succeed, but it may be difficult, because of the interest our politicians placed on acquiring wealth. Eventually we would succeed. The prediction that Nigeria is going to break up will not come to fruition.