There we were, a company of Tigers and some other learned members of the species homo sapiens seated in the cool, cosy 'upper room' chambers of the JADE GARDEN, a chinese restaurant, perched on the upper snout of the Isaac John Street, G.R.A Ikeja that Thursday evening of 23rd October 2008, It was a dinner, alright, in honour of certain big guns of the most famous and most active of the (perennially?) 88 off-springs of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).The renowned offspring is known as the Ikeja branch of the NBA. She however is more popularly and I should like to think, more poignantly known as the 'Tiger Bar'.
This appellation or do we say cognomen is not agreeable to some people. One of them is Mr. Tunji Ayanlaja S.A.N of the “Work Hard, Play Hard” philosophy, who is also famous for his “apoti iwe” or lectern which accompanies him to court every-time and which in itself by sheer feat of elegant carpentry, distinguishes him, even from many other silks.
The learned silk, whom I was told on very good authority is from the Athenian side of the of the old Western Region of Nigeria finds the Tiger appellation very distasteful. Why ever should any group of lawyers rejoice in an appellation which as it were, suggests savagery and perhaps philistinism? According to Mr. Ayanlaja, he once enquired from an un-named person why “they call Ikeja bar the Tiger Bar?” The answer the silk received was “it is because they have one buka at the Ikeja High Court where they eat amala and abodi (innards)”.
I find the answer very interesting I really want to know what the issue here is.
(i) Is the problem with dining at all in the premises of the High Court?
(ii) Or, is it with the very nature of the meals involved amala and abodi (if they were let's say, some exotic European or Continental mish-mash, coupled with some caviars all washed down with vintage wines, would it be okay?)
(iii) Or is it with the architectural aesthetics of the eatery - perharps ramshackle, dirty and “mushin-eous?
(iv) Or is it with any perceived ferocity and velocity of the consumption of the amala and abodi all swimming in a thick sea of 'abula' perharps?
In concluding his remarks, the respected silk advised that the best branch of the NBA should change her alias from Tiger Bar to the “Honourable Bar.” In such a gathering, especially where your civility and cultural sophistication and correctness is already held in suspicion, you do nothing but nod in false-concurrence and clap politely. And that was what all the Tigers present did.
But the we knew what all Tigers know, and will always know, our name, nay our praise name is not only honourable but it is honour in itself, and as such will suffer no change.
May be if our father at law had cared to ask we, true born tigers why we are so branded, baba would not have been regaled with funny “amala and abodi” tales of denigration.
Sir, a tiger is an active, bold, strong and intrepid prince of his environment. A tiger is dominant and not dominated. A tiger is fierce and terrible in battle. As the Yoruba's testify, he is
“Ogidan olola iju (the circumciser of the jungle)
A komonila lai labe” (who plies his trade needing no blade)
There is no oppressing the Tiger. And lest we forget, the Tiger is a creature of grace, of beauty and extremely caring of her own.
Yet, the Tiger is not perfect. But then who, except the PERMANENT MYSTERY, is? We have our rough edges, our inadequacies and failings but who of our siblings can compare with our forthrightness, the largeness of our heart, our pathological demand and quest for justice and progress in the legal profession and Nigeria, our ability to have the courage of our convictions and tell the truth to power?
I concede, Tigers can do with a bit of more refinements, but by Jove, it will never be at the expense of robust and vigorous struggle to make the legal profession and the Nigerian nation a better place. And, will someone please mark my words, achieving such lofty heights are hardly made by effete, polite men of culture, full of social graces but dead in social conscience.
Maybe when our new, ultra-modern branch-secretariat, the F.R.A Williams Bar Centre gets built, a better view of us (Ikeja Tigers) will be perceived in the quarters of the sophisticates. That secretariat will cost us not a few million nairas and I as the Tiger in charge of Tigers welfare, look respectfully and hopefully in the direction of Daddy Ayanlaja for some munificence towards our project.Sir, my request, is not a roar of command, but a purr of suasion. Tigers salute you!
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