Barr. Olayiwola Afolabi is an indigene of Ekiti State. He grew up in Lagos State but now plies his trade as a lawyer as well as a notary public with positive bias for human rights activism in Benin City, capital of Edo State.
His name resonates not only in Edo State but across Nigeria because of a charitable heart that is a critical component of his legal practice and life in general. At the end of the day, he has ended up doing so much to uplift the legal profession and the judiciary. How?

For instance, he has an award scheme for honouring honest, disciplined and diligent junior staff of Edo State judiciary. Messrs Akpitoyim, Isibor and Johnson Aneto, among others, have won this award since 2010 till date. Each one of them went home with gifts of deep freezers and bags of rice.

Icons of the bench and bar have equally been honoured by Olayiwola Afolabi in one way or the other. On September 10, 2016 the incumbent Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Esohe Ikponmwen, was given the rare privilege of cutting the tape to officially open his house on Yoruba Street, Benin City.

In 2018, Olayiwola Afolabi hosted the new executive members of NBA, Edo State Chapter to a dinner. On the occasion, he made a profound declaration. He said: ”I want to tell lawyers to read……. Lawyers should read their books and also read their bibles because it is God that will help you.”

On his part, the chapter’s NBA chairman – Barr Collins Ogiegbaen- thanked Olayiwola Afolabi for his immense support to the Edo NBA executive and his act of mentoring young lawyers in and out of his chambers.

In 2020, Olayiwola Afolabi officially institutionalized this mentoring process with the establishment of AFOLABI ANNUAL LEGAL CLINIC AND COACHING LECTURE SERIES. During the second edition of this initiative, Olayiwola Afolabi honoured Barr Austin Alegie, former NBA chairman of Edo State Branch for his dogged war to stamp out fake lawyers in the state. Also, he organised a reception for the Lion Bar of Edo NBA at the event.

Besides mentoring young lawyers to hone their skills, Olayiwola Afolabi donates gifts to them that enhance their practice. Specifically, he has given out countless numbers of wigs and gowns to the best graduating students of the law faculties of UNIBEN and AAU, Ekpoma as at 2020.

In May 2021, during the outgone year, Olayiwola Afolabi again gifted wigs and gowns to three female AAU students in honour of and support for the Justice Esther Edigin Foundation set up by then Chief Judge of Edo State to empower female lawyers.

Olayiwola Afolabi also gave each one of them half a bag of rice since in these hard times lawyers don’t live on wigs and gowns alone. They also need some stomach infrastructure.

Four months later in September 2021 at the event to mark the second edition of OLAYIWOLA AFOLABI ANNUAL LEGAL CLINIC AND COACHING LECTURE SERIES, Afolabi again donated wigs and gowns to several young lawyers.

To round up the year 2021, Olayiwola Afolabi was at the valedictory court session held in honour of retiring Justice Stephen Omonuwa at Edo High Court Complex on December 14, 2012. He spoke glowingly of the retiree: “Justice Omonuwa is an asset to Edo State Judiciary. When people say Edo State judiciary is one of the best in Nigeria, it is because you have people like Justice Omonuwa in mind. Whether you are his brother or friend, he will always give fair judgement. He doesn’t care. What he knows is justice”.

Also in line with his tradition of honouring icons in the judiciary, Olayiwola Afolabi has instituted Stephen Omonuwa Transparency Award. It will go to the winner of an essay competition open only to young lawyers. The award has a prize tag of N100,000.

By locus, Afolabi is a member of Oredo LGA Branch of NBA in Edo State, In July 2016, he threw a party for its members to honour them for contributing to the development of the judiciary and Edo State.
All former chief judges and attorney-generals of the state attended the event. Indeed, charity should find resonance at home, also.

Much more, Olayiwola Afolabi is a human rights activist who is allergic to injustice whether in the bar, bench or judiciary. In 2013, he embarked on a solo campaign which resulted in official vehicles being given to magistrates, customary court judges and judges of high courts in Edo State to enhance their dignity, safety, security and performance.

2016 was a busy year for his human rights/legal activism. During this year, Olayiwola Afolabi embarked on a one-man protest march at Edo High Court and Ministry of Justice premises. He called on Edo State Government to pay the over 8 months salary arrears of about 2000. JUSUN staff in the state seized because they embarked on strike demanding financial autonomy for Edo Judiciary as affirmed by a high court ruling. Also, in the same year, Olayiwola Afolabi queried Edo State Government for unexplained delay in paying the June salaries of magistrates in the state. His action brought their silent plight to the public domain resulting in the government quickly paying the wages. Similarly, Olayiwola Afolabi fought to ensure lawyers in Edo State judiciary were sponsored to the 2016 Annual General Meeting/ Conference of the NBA when the state government was not in the mood to do so.

Lest one forgets, but for Olayiwola Afolabi in 2016 one wonders if Edo State Government would have been stampeded into paying the terminal benefits of retired Justices Isibor and Aigboke neglected vindictively by government earlier on.

2022 is still young. Nevertheless Olayiwola Afolabi has continued with his charitable gestures. At the 85th birthday of Dr. Kola Okeaya-Inneh in Benin, Olayiwola Afolabi donated two wigs and gowns in honour of the celebrant and Yakubu Maikyau (SAN) aspiring to be NBA next president. Ooops, Olayiwola Afolabi never tires in up lifting the bar, bench and judiciary. That is the gospel truth.
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Michael A. Odigbe is of JUBILEE RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION CENTRE, BENIN, EDO STATE
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