Nigerian Human Rights Lawyer, Barr. Inibehe Effiong has beckoned on aspiring lawyers from a humble background to draw strength from his story. Inibehe made the statement during an Interview with The Nigeria Lawyer Legal Personality of the Week.
Read full interview below...
Could you briefly introduce yourself?
My name is Inibehe Effiong, I was born on 21st December, 1988. I hail from Obong Itam in Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. I attended St. Joseph Primary School, Afaha Oku, Uyo before proceeding to Itam Secondary School in Itu Local Government Area.
I subsequently attended Presbyterian Senior Science School, Ididep in Ibiono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
However, due to my determination to become a lawyer, I unilaterally terminated my studentship at the science school and proceeded to a community school where I registered for SSCE in the Arts. In 2008, I was offered admission to study law in the University of Uyo.
I attended the Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus April 2014/2015 Set where I served as the President of the Student Representatives Council (SRC) and was called to the Nigerian Bar on 20th October, 2015.
I am based in Lagos State and in active legal practice.
We know that one of the areas you're involved in, is on public interest litigation.
What other area(s) of law interests you?
Other than human rights and public interest litigation, I have interest in constitutional law, election petition and general civil and criminal litigation. In Nigeria, most lawyers are general practitioners.
However, the practice of law is evolving and legal practitioners are distinguishing themselves in various specialised fields of law such as maritime, technology, corporate practice, election petitions, aviation and other areas.
What do you like most about legal practice?
There are various privileges and opportunities that are incidental to and derivable from legal practice. One outstanding benefit of legal practice is the opportunity and power it offers to lawyers to influence the society.
For me, legal education is useless if it does not translate into the liberation of the oppressed and the betterment of mankind and the nation.
It breaks my heart when I see lawyers offering and portraying themselves as instruments of social, democratic, political destruction.
It is utterly despicable for a lawyer to manipulate the law and the legal system in order to foist impunity, corruption and evil tendencies on the nation. Lawyers should be advocates of rule of law, justice and egalitarianism and not agents of the oppressors and the corrupt.
Why do you choose to be a lawyer?
I have never really given serious consideration to becoming a member of a profession other than law. If you look at my antecedents and pedigree, you will see that I am not one of those who came into this noble profession by accident. In other words, I am not an accidental lawyer. My enlistment into the legal profession was an act of sheer providence.
In the first place, my family wanted me to be either a medical doctor or an engineer. That was why they sent me to a science school, but destiny had a totally different agenda for my life.
While I was in science school, my classmates back then were constantly astonished about my persistent inclination to read textbooks in the Arts and Humanities, such as Literature and Government which were not taught in the science school, but I knew that that was not where I was fated to be.
In my JSS2 Third Term, I practically fled the school, left behind my luggage and enrolled in a community school where I registered for SSCE in the Arts in order to be eligible to register for JAMB examination, now UTME.
I knew from the formative years of my life that becoming a lawyer would equip me with the knowledge and capacity to articulate and pursue public interest issues.
While one does not necessarily require a law degree to fight for the oppressed and a free society, being a lawyer offers an edge.
What is your most critical time in practice you had to deal with?
It is difficult to give a precise answer momentarily. Challenges are inevitable in legal practice. Whenever I find myself in a critical situation, my response has been to consult with seniors and colleagues for guidance. In this profession, you cannot be an Island.
The dynamic nature of law makes it imperative for every serious minded practitioner to consult not only with his books, but also his colleagues when occasion demands.
What do you think determines progress in practice?
The first factor is the Grace of God followed by hardwork, integrity, reputation and passion. I am a firm believer in the working power of God in the affairs of men.
As a Christian, my view is that personal commitment alone cannot lead to the attainment of one's potentials in life.
What are your outside interests and hobbies?
Basically I am the reclusive type. I live a Spartan life with little or no time for social engagements. Apart from my books and legal practice, there is nothing else that is of great interest to me.
But I devote time to social media and media interviews when my schedule allows for it. I hope I will be able to adjust to accommodate extra-curricular activities in future.
Have you ever benefited from your disappointment/mistakes?
Certainly. When I was an undergraduate, I was elected the President of the Law Students Association but my electoral victory was truncated due to the manipulative actions of some persons who were desperate for power and desirous of dampening the light of God in my life.
That was a disappointing experience for me but today, I am grateful to God for that experience.
Beyond the strength of character and the spirit of resilience that that experience has partly accounted for in my life, I do not think I would be where I am today without that experience. I may elucidate on this sometime in the future.
Are you proud of your professional achievements so far?
I will rather say that I am humbled by what people see as my professional achievements. There is no doubt about the fact that God has uplifted me far above the expectations of my friends, foes and contemporaries. When I set-up Inibehe Effiong Chambers many people were simply dumbfounded given my age at the Bar. But I have never regretted it.
Life is about choices and what works for others may not work for me and what works for me may not work for others. My belief in destiny is unshakeable and whatever I am today and will be tomorrow is to the glory of God.
Could you tell us your experience as a young lawyer?
Every young lawyer is faced with certain challenges. There have been occasions when I felt that a client or potential client was trying to take advantage of me.
The most embarrassing moment was when a potential client asked me to mention the number of cases that I have won as a pre-condition for retaining my services. I was negotiating a retainership agreement with the would be client's family company.
In the end, what I was offered was an inconsequential annual retainership fee which I rejected because of the demeaning disposition of the would be client who were not ready to pay appropriate fees but were implicitly insulting me by questioning my professional competence.
This is also the experience of many young lawyers who have had to defend their professional competence both to their principals in the office and clients. For me, money is nothing without reputation and self-respect.
I cannot kowtow to anyone in order to be taken seriously or given a brief, no matter the pecuniary benefits attached to the brief.
Some seniors are in the shameful habit of treating young lawyers with utter disdain. They make condescending comments about their juniors in court and in the office forgetting that in the final analysis, what is cited in court is legal authorities and not age at the Bar. Many young lawyers in Nigeria are victims of slave labour.
They are constantly faced with the misfortune of working so much, for so little. It is insulting to the Wig and Gown for a lawyer to be paid pittance as salary and professional fees.
Some have argued that young lawyers should be concerned about learning the nitty gritty of the profession and not with making money.
With due respect to those in that school of thought, this is a duplicitous argument. First, for lawyers, learning has little to do with one's age at the Bar. The most renowned lawyers in Nigeria have not stopped learning.
Eminent Lawyers like Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, Mr. Femi Falana SAN, Asiwaju Adegboyega Awomolo SAN and others too numerous to mention are even more studious than many young lawyer in Nigeria. Second, a labourer is worthy of his wages.
This is a principle that is rooted both in the Bible and nature. Third, the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners provides for adequate remuneration for legal practitioners. Lastly, nobody can learn properly with an empty stomach.
The economy today does not support that argument. Imagine a young lawyer in Lagos State that is faced with paying for house rent, cloths and money for food and buying law books.
These are basic necessities of life. Senior lawyers who pay their juniors peanuts in the name of salary should be arrested and charged for inciting suicide. It is a understandable when the income of the firm cannot support a good remuneration.
Though I am self-employed and comfortably so, I have decided to be a champion for young lawyers in Nigeria who may not be as privileged as I am in practice. It is tragic that the Nigerian Bar Association seems to lack either the competence or political will to address the issue of remuneration for young lawyers.
Who has been most influential in your life?
My mother is my first champion. I lost my father at a time that I needed him the most. My mother went through hell to singlehandedly sponsor my education.
Whatever I am today is to the credit of God and my mother. She has influenced my life and career in immeasurable ways and I am eternally grateful to her.
The good news is that she is very proud of me today. Apart from my mother, the great Gani Fawehinmi influenced me greatly.
Your word of encouragement to up coming lawyers?
Never give up. Do not allow your family background to determine your aspirations in life. I was not born with a silver spoon. As a matter of fact, I can say figuratively that I was not born with any spoon. Life was so difficult for us while growing up.
The fact that I survived child killer diseases that had threatened my existence and went through the thorns of economic privation to be who I am today is a testament that a man's past does not necessarily determine his or her future.
I never attended any private school. Today, there is nobody that can intimidate me. I may not be rich but I know that money will come in due time.
The fact that I do not need to introduce myself to people incessantly before they accord me attention is itself a resounding feat.
Aspiring lawyers, especially those from a humble background, should draw strength from my story. It is the story of the stone which the builders rejected that has now become the chief cornerstone.
Do not relegate God in all you do. I am not a very religious person but I know that God is the ultimate source of my attainment in life.
Lastly, I encourage them to read, read and read. They should know that adversity may endure in the night, but light will surely come in the morning.
Source: TheNigeriaLawyer
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