Can you take us through the journey of how you became a lawyer?
My name is Mrs. Abosede Deborah Ijadele-Adetona, a legal practitioner. I hail from Owo, Ondo State of Nigeria. I was born on November 20, 1966. I am married with children.
I attended Methodist Primary School, Owo, between 1973 and 1979, before moving to Imade College, also in Owo, for my secondary school in 1980 and finished in 1985. I was the Senior Prefect (Girl), for the school because the authority felt I was brilliant. I attended Lagos State University between 2008 and 2013. I got admission at the age of 42 after four grown-up children to read law. I entered LASU the same year with my 16-year-old second daughter. So, because I would spend five years in law, my daughter graduated before me because she studied Economics just for four years.
What motivated you to study law?
I had a passion for it and I have been dreaming about it since I was very young. I have a passion for humanity and I love to defend the people, who I see as being oppressed or maltreated. I love seeing justice done even at that age. So, it has been in me. And I have been praying to be like these wig-wearing professionals, who go about defending people and fighting for humanity. That was what motivated me to study law.
Why did it take you so long to go to the university at 42?
Where God has destined you to be, you will get there with prayer, determination and commitment. And I want people to learn from this. We should allow children to study what they have flair for. Forcing some courses on them may have adverse effects on their life. Because of my brilliance, my teachers wanted me to be in the science class to become a doctor, pharmacist and the likes whereas I preferred arts class since I wanted to be a lawyer. But putting in the science class, I could not accomplish my dream because I was not good in mathematics.
So, when I finished secondary school, as a science student, I did not pass mathematics. I then went back to my father to seek his consent to go back to school to retake the examination but he refused, saying female children are not meant to be sponsored further. He was of the conviction that I would get pregnant along the line.
Did you eventually get pregnant?
Yes! Truly, as I was going up and down, seeking for admission, I got pregnant. My boyfriend, who eventually became my husband today, impregnated me. He is now my husband and father of all my four children.
That development, expectedly gave me a serious setback. And all along, I was still nursing the dream of going back to school to become a lawyer. That pushed me to Lagos where I confided in one of my cousins that I still wanted to go back to school. He advised me to go for a two-year course in secretariat studies. With that, I realised I had deviated from the path of my dream.
After completing the course, I asked people if I could become a boss as a secretary and they said no. They said I would always be a subordinate. It was then I realised once again that I had not reached my bus stop. It was annoying. I was weighed down and could not know what to do next.
How then did you achieve your dream?
So as to get the dream of becoming a lawyer, I started working as a secretary at a private chamber, Olajide Oyewole & Co. I felt comfortable interacting with lawyers. When I was paid my first salary of two hundred and forty naira (N240), I ran back home to my father with the money, expecting him to pray that God would bless me and prosper me. He looked at me scornfully and said, “Oh, Abosede, my daughter, I am sorry for you! You that people are supposed to be typing for are nowtyping for the people!” Papa rejected my money and I felt devastated.
But instead of brooding too much on that, the scenario emboldened me to be more determined to pursue my dream with a resolve to accomplish it at whatever age.
After all the hurdles of my life, my boyfriend and I, therefore, decided to wed and we wedded and started having children. To the people around, the issue of further studies had come to an end. But they were wrong; at least, I proved them wrong. So, after the fourth child, I now called my husband and appealed to him to allow me continue my education, which he truncated earlier. So, after my fourth child, I started the journey again towards achieving my dream. That took me to Lagos to start school again as an arts student.
And getting to Lagos, since I was not good in science, I had to enrol in another secondary school again as an arts student along with my first child. And we finished and wrote WAEC together the same year. He passed and moved on while I failed mathematics again. Another setback!
Well, I told my son to move on and get admission. Determined to get it right, I went back to secondary school again to retake the WAEC and got it right this time around before I started looking for university admission. My first daughter (second born), while sympathising with me advised me to relax, that I had had enough of rough side of life and I said no.
Interestingly, my daughter and I bought JAMB forms together the same year, wrote JAMB examination the same year and got admission into the Lagos State University (LASU), together same year. While I got in to read my dream course, law, she was admitted to read Economics. I was to spend five years for law while she was to spend four years. Invariably, my daughter graduated a year ahead of me.
No problem; after all, we were not competing.
Today, by the grace of God, she is a graduate of Economics while I am also a qualified lawyer, dreaming of becoming a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), one day. With God, everything is possible.
What was your husband’s reaction to your resolve to go back to school?
Remember I sought and got his consent before making the move. Reason, your husband is always the head of the family. If you want to get it right, don’t flex muscles with men. Men would always be men. And if you love your husband and your home, I mean home with children, you should not allow your career or education put the home asunder. You must be submissive and always pet, pamper him like a baby and assure him that, nothing would tamper with the marriage and keep to it, which God has helped me to accomplish.
Was there a time you were mocked by younger students on campus?
Of course; that was expected nah. But whenever students were making mockery of me about my age and being in school with my child, I would tell them, you have your life to live, my child has hers to live while I, myself, also have my life to live. As time went on, we were used to one another and life went on. The experience of life has taught me that it is only you that can stop your own dream and not anybody else. If you are considering your advanced age, you would not achieve much in life. Age can never be a barrier to education.
Today, I feel fulfilled and I have God to thank for that. My appreciation also goes to my husband and children for their support, understanding and perseverance. They are all a wonderful set of people.
Is there any regret…?
(Cuts in) I can tell you emphatically that there is no regret whatsoever. Life has taught me that with prayers, faith in God and determination, the sky can be too low to be your limit. Some of my colleagues, who initially thought I had been left behind, have also discovered that I can comfortably rub shoulders with them anywhere any day and at any level.
Who is your professional role model?
Oh, he is now late. His name is Chief Idowu Sofola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN); he was a wonderful father. During my tutelage at his Ereke Chambers at Alausa, Ikeja axis of Lagos, he treated me like his biological child. He put so much confidence in me that it didn’t take much time that I started facing other SANs in court. May the Almighty God repose his soul.
Now, if I may ask, how has law helped you in your dream to serve humanity?
Thank you very much for that question. This NGO, Standup for Women Society (SWS), hear the name again, Standup for Women. And as I told you earlier, my dream has been to see that justice is done to everybody, especially the women, who are always at the receiving end of injustices most of the time, perhaps, because of our weak nature. Since I was born, God knew that a day like this would come in my life and He has been preparing me for the task and the challenge ahead.
Giving birth to the SWS is borne out of dream of the yesteryears and not an overnight agenda. This NGO was conceived since when I was young because I love humanity and prepared to serve humanity by taking care of humanity. And I can assure you that the NGO is all over Nigeria. We are doing well because our activities are tailored according to the pace of God.
