Hurray and congratulations to our brother longstanding friend and brother, the irrepressible activist, Mutalubi Ojo Adebayo a.k.a OJ as enters the inner chambers of the legal profession to take the silk today, November 28, 2022.
I share the utmost joy with this very proud and alluring son of Ibadanland and the sitting Asiwaju of Ita Ege, a historic compound in the southern end of Ibadan city. Bayo Ojo has served the Bar diligently and he has served the government meritoriously. He has equally learned the robes through a series of selfless service to the elders in the legal profession. He is humility personified but he can equally be combative should anyone cross his red line.
He is fond of sending me some of his toxic and powerful “briefs” for me to broadcast and post to other platforms. Just last week I told him that oftentimes I hardly read those articles and I may well be held precariously responsible should trouble emanate from such write-ups! I think he enjoys swimming in troubled waters but with his facts and figures dry at hand! Bayo Ojo is a friend to many of my aburos who are successful and high ranking in their professions such as banking, law, medicine, engineering and public service.
OJ has respect for elders including my humble self sometimes to the point of embarrasment. He hardly looked at me directly in the face and greet with honour and respect. His respect for ex-Governor Isiaka Ajimobi both in life and at death continues to fascinate me and define my respect for OJ himself. We have a common idol in the person of Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN the Chairman of Body of Benchers: he calls him “Oga” and I call him “Alaga”. The way he revers him is the way he himself would like to be reverred as he climbs to the peak of the legal profession.
He always speaks well and highly of “Oga”, always he is in his defence and he has never attempted to stab him in the back! About May this year, I wrote an article in defence of “Alaga” over sundry legal issues and I asked him to help me read through in order to avoid any legal slips. Bayo Ojo read through and sent it for online publication without recourse to me again! To him, we cannot be wrong on anything we do for Chief.
Bayo Ojo is also gifted with a huge sense of humour. In his characteristic manner, he concludes easily on double-tongued people, doesn’t spare them and writes them off as insincere, dishonest or worthless. When he was Attorney General to the government of Oyo State under Ajimobi, I never visited his office yet, we meet regularly.
He would disabuse my mind of my misgivings against Brother Isiaka and I would tell him that I knew the man long before he knew him. Bayo Ojo made sure that my tribute to Governor Ajimobi found a good place in the publication and again spread it widely.
Of his advocacy job, I know little but I know that he travels a lot to Abuja and other places at difficult times and I support him with prayer. A devout Muslim married to a Christian, you cannot hoodwink or deceive him on the basis of religion.
As a silk, OJ will excel, he will touch lives and raise other people up even as he raises the bar in legal profession. My prayer is that God Almighty will give you, Mutalubi Ojo Adebayo, SAN more wisdom and grace to leave your footprints in the sands of time. Ire o!
Gani Adeniran writes from Ajangboju Estate,
Akobo, Ibadan
