By Ebriku John Friday
It was parade of stars as the law school class of 1981 literally set the Ladi Kwali Hall of Sheraton Hotel, Abuja on fire on Saturday 27th November 2021 as they celebrated 40 years of their call to the Nigerian Bar.
Notable personalities in attendance include, The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Hon Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, Gen IBM Ibrahim (rtd), Chief Mike Ozokhome, SAN, former Managing Director/CEO of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Bassey Dan-Abia, Chief Chris Uche, SAN and other notable justices on the Supreme Court bench, justices of the Appeal Court, judges and other senior lawyers.
Other justices of the Supreme Court in the class present at the event are, Hon Justice Olukayode Ariwoola JSC, Hon Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun JSC, Hon Justice Sidi Bage JSC, Now Emir of Lafia, Hon Justice Uwani Musa Abba Aji JSC, Hon Justice Lawal M. Garba and Hon Justice Adamu Jauro JSC.
Other notable personalities of the class also present are, the Santuraki Baba Zazzau, Alhaj SB Yakubu, Chief Ifeanyi Iboko, and International Mediator Prof CJ Amasike lead the Academics.
The epoch making event provided opportunity for the senior lawyers to share testimonies of their success stories in the Bench, Bar, Corporate field, Academics, Politics and other human endeavours.
In the parade which was filled with nostalgia, all members of the class were given few minutes to summarise their sojourn in the last 40 years. Truly, in all aspects of Law, ‘members of ‘The Greatest Set’ (as the I981 Set call themselves) shone brilliantly like Stars which they truly are on their merits.
In his opening remarks, the chairman of the class of 1981 Law School Set, Chief Mike Ozekhome SAN,said he can say boldly that there’s no other Law School Set in this generation that can match the feat of I981 by producing 7 (seven) Supreme Court Justices including The Chief Justice of Nigeria all serving at the same time.
He expressed his profound appreciation to The Almighty God for preserving them after 40 years in rugged field of diverse legal practice.
He said apart from the unassailable record at the Supreme Court, The Class of 1981, which he proudly flaunts as the greatest, has produced Eminent Jurists in all the superior Courts of Record both at The Federal and State levels including 9 State Chief Judges, numerous Senior Advocates of Nigeria,Top Academics and Government functionaries as well as Captain of Industries.
He informed his colleagues that it’s was important for him to use the occasion to acknowledge the role many senior lawyers in the class played in the formation of the class union after so many years of inactivity.
He expressed his deep appreciation to many of them who reached out to him through phone calls and other means of communication. However according to the human rights activist cum Constitutional Lawyer, the turning point that led to this epoch making event was his unplanned meeting with two class mates in the Protocol Room at Murtala Muhammed Airport Ikeja sometime in 2019.
These two proud 1981 Setters convened an Emergency/Extra-Ordinary meeting and gave him a marching order to drive the 1981 union which has culminated in what was being showcased today. The two classmates are the beautiful amazon, Hon Justice Remi Oguntoyinbo of The Federal High Court, Abeokuta and Chief Dan Abia, The Former Attorney-General of Akwa Ibom State and Presently representing my zone, The South South in The Law Reform Commission. He asked the class led by the CJN to join him in applauding the two worthy 1981 setters.
Sadly, it wasn’t only laughter and clinging of champagne classes, Chief Ozekhome SAN, supported by Chief Chris Uche SAN ,the chairman of the planning Committee and other members of the planning Committee read out the names of deceased members of 1981 setters who have passed away in the last 40 years numbering 92 names. A sober moment was observed in memory of the departed.
The CJN, Hon Justice Tanko, in his remarks expressed his profound appreciations to the initiators, member of planning committee and all class members and prayed for sound health and God’s protection every member of the class.
Chief Uche had earlier said in a chat with judiciary correspondents that the anniversary is to bring together all lawyers called to the Nigerian Bar in 1981 with a view to appreciate God in their individual lives and to forge a common front on how to strengthen the practice of the legal profession, improvement of the justice delivery system and contribute more meaningfully to the national development.
He added that there was so much members of the 1981 set can do as a group to influence policy and decision making at the highest levels in the legal profession for improvement and reforms in the justice delivery system, the development of legal education and indeed for the peace and stability of this great country as they consolidate their coming together as front-line stakeholders for the good of the present and future generations.
“Forty years’ post-call is indeed and unarguably a huge, glorious and uncommon milestone, worthy of celebration and thanksgiving. When we look back, 40 years ago in the lives of each and everyone of us, we certainly have so much to be grateful for.
“As a class, we have also done exceedingly well, and indeed, have become the most blessed, accomplished and successful Set in contemporary history in the legal profession in this country as well as in many sectors of the economy and branches of life.”
