Glory be to Almighty Allah (SWT) that the situation ended well. If the lady who delivered the baby and wrote her exams at the same time gets to read this, I say congratulations! If any of the dramatis personae in this incident get to read this article, they should feel free to contact me. Once again, Glory be to Almighty Allah (SWT). That actually is the phrase that this 60th birthday anniversary of mine deserves.
It is always my tradition to share certain past stories in my life during landmark birthdays. The stories come from my stocktaking on my experiences over the years, and the journey that has taken me to my present station.
As my 60th birthday approached, I had been wondering whether I acted properly on an occasion that happened shortly after my 40th birthday. That was in 2006. The recent Call-to-Bar ceremonies for new lawyers in Abuja earlier this month also made the 20-year-old incident ceaselessly tug at my conscience.
It happened in August 2006 at the Nigerian Law School campus on Victoria Island, Lagos, the place where some old lawyers call ‘the original Law School.’ This is because it is the oldest of the law school campuses. I was one of the about three or four thousand Bar aspirants writing that year’s examinations. I remember vividly that it was the night before we were to write the Civil Law Procedure paper. Those familiar with the Law School syllabus will agree with me that the most extensive of the courses then was the Civil Law Procedure.
