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Author: Dennis Akhagba
Posted to the web: 4/12/2006 8:22:18 PM

My initial contact with the late Professor was in 1984 when I was enrolled by the University of London for the Intermediate Examinations in Law (external) scheduled for June 1986. The regulation at that time required students to study for a minimum of two years before making the first attempt in the examination. Being an external student, I had to interact with the students in the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos to share knowledge, and whenever I saw Professor Jelili Omotola coming in the opposite direction, I greeted him and extended courtesy to him, which he took note of. The University of London Intermediate Examinations in Law (External Students) were held in June 1986 and I made a pass in English Legal System and Constitutional Law and could not continue with the programme due to the new foreign exchange regime which led to the free fall of the Nigerian Naira. At a meeting with the late Professor Omotola in September 1986 shortly after he assumed office as Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, I passionately sought his assistance to get admission into the Evening Law Programme. There and then, he told me that he and other lecturers in the faculty were under severe pressure from the judiciary, the armed forces, the police and the top echelon of the Federal and State Civil Service for admission into the Evening Law Programme. However, he added a comforting and divinely inspired advice thus: 'Now that you have approached me for assistance, you can be rest assured that as soon as the opportunity presents itself, I will offer you admission provided you are qualified'. Notwithstanding the assurance by the professor, I made it a point of duty to send reminder notes to him; through his secretary at that time, Mr. Dosunmu (a nice gentleman in his own right), who assured me that since Oga promised to help, he will definitely help because he is a man who stands by his words. My prayers were answered when in November 1988 I got a telephone call from one of the secretariat staff in the Faculty of Law, Dean's office that I should come to the campus and check the list of successful candidates admitted into the five-year Evening Law Programme for the 1988/89 session. My name was number 21 on the list of 60 candidates offered admission. After completing the admission formalities, myself and another successful candidate Alhaji S.A. Raji went into the office of Professor Omotola to say thank you, whereupon he advised us to make good use of the opportunity offered us to obtain a law degree; and we promised not to disappoint him and indeed we did not disappoint as we both successfully completed the LLB programme in April, 1994, along with other students, and happily, it was the same Professor Omotola who signed my letter of admission in November 1988 as Dean, Faculty of Law, UNILAG that also signed my LL.B Degree certificate in April, 1994 as Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos - this is providence at work! In as much as I have counted myself lucky to have been privileged to graduate from the premier law faculty in Nigeria, I still nurse the hope within the inner recess of my mind to have Professor Omotola stand in a class and teach me property law, but this will not be as the learned professor had successfully groomed able lecturers to take over from him because by the time we were admitted for the 1988/89 session, he was not listed among lecturers for the undergraduate class but some of our senior colleagues who attended Professor Omotola's land law class recollect his profound sense of humour such as when he would tell his students to go and offer thanksgiving prayers in their various places of worship for being lucky to have somebody of his status, stature and authority stand in class to teach them a subject in which he is an acclaimed master! Still on the professor's sense of humour and care for his students, a young undergraduate student in the faculty of law was preparing for the first semester examination in the 1991/92 session and had apparently read 'till day break' and had 'examination fever' or 'fatigue', poured water on his head and as he was about entering the examination hall, Professor Omotola saw him and advised him to consider deferring the examination since his head was already 'hot'. The student, realising the implication of deferring the examination under the unit course system, calmed himself down and wrote the examination. But the overriding concern was to ensure nothing medically untoward happened to him. Apart from academics, I also had the opportunity of social interaction with the late Professor Omotola in that he invited me to the wedding ceremony of his son Mr. Adebayo Olawale Omotola on Saturday May 7, 1994 and after the reception at the Gateway Hotel, Sango Ota, we proceeded to the Professor's residence at Ijebu-Ode for a luncheon party and to my shock and utter disbelief, I was offered a seat on the same table with the former Deputy Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG, the late Professor Anthony A. Adeogun. There were also Professor Amechi Uchegbu and Professor Amos Utuama (SAN), Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of Delta State, among other academic big-wigs and there I was - an undergraduate sitting among my lecturers! I also observed that Professor Omotola was wearing the same type of cloth with his personal staff and members of his family for the social get-together. Professor was on his feet throughout our stay, making sure we were well attended to. On Thursday January 26, 2006, I attended the Stakeholders Forum on the 30 days governor's consent organised by the Lagos State Land Services Directorate to explain the modus operandi of the newly introduced procedure for the issuance of Governor's consent on land and properties in Lagos State and the fees payable for the various services rendered by the Land Service Directorate and when Professor Omotola was ushered in to the high table where many dignitaries were seated, I was happy that I had another golden opportunity to see my learned Professor, Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Vice-Chancellor live. Yes, I had a handshake with Professor Omotola but this was after I had a handshake with His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who, in spite of what footballers call 'close marking' by security officers, radiated happiness and contentment with the successful outcome of the well attended stakeholders forum and shook hands with participants at the Regency Hall, Alausa, Ikeja. But little did I realise that I was seeing my former V-C for the last time. I had looked forward to April 20, 2006 when I will telephone my benefactor to wish him happy birthday just like I did on April 20, 2005 and he told me that as soon as I completed my Masters of Law (LL.M) Programme at the University of Lagos, I should spare time to call on him in his office in Victoria Island, Lagos. I had previously visited him in his office in September 2004. What are the spiritual and moral lessons which are to be deduced from my personal experience which span almost 22 years out of the almost 65 years lease of life which Allah the Most Merciful and Benevolent gave to Professor Omotola? Spiritually, it has taught me that when we place our intentions and supplications before our Creator, it is through our fellow human beings that He usually answers our prayers. On the moral side of the coin, we have been taught that in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country like Nigeria, we can touch and improve the lives of others if we relate with one another without asking which part of the country they come from or which religion they profess. As I endorsed the condolence register placed at the basement of the Senate Building and Faculty of Law, UNILAG on Thursday March 30, 2006, I prayed that the good Lord grants the late Professor J.A.Omotola a permanent residence in His Divine Kingdom where there is peace profound, and give members of his family, friends and associates the strength to bear the loss, Amen.