Sotuminu: Doctor of What Laws? By Adesina Ogunlana

About two months ago, a friend, a learned friend, in the premises of the Ikeja High Court, informed me of the (then) recent elevation of Ibitola Adebisi Sotuminu former Chief Judge of Lagos State into the pantheon of intellectual gods. The information came in a rather oblique manner. It went thus:

Learned friend: Squib, congratulation, on your wife’s elevation. When are you celebrating it?
Learned friend: My wife? What celebrations?
Learned friend: Stop pretending we all read about it in the papers, the conferment of an LLD Honoris Causa on (Justice) Sotuminu, last week.

I was taken aback by the news, but did not grant the shock I felt a podium to display its presence. You know of course as I do that it will be a serious breach of protocol for an inamorato to be seen, in public, displaying facial signs of disapproval of his supposed inamorata’s success.
Interestingly, quite a lot of people like to refer to Sotuminu C.J as my wife. A rather preposterous idea, if you ask me, but the wifehood tag has stuck with me or do we say, with us.
The reality however is that I am no fan of the former Lagos State Chief Judge and I will be flabbergasted to know she ever had any tender feelings for me. Of course that was, and still is, an impossibility. All true Squibbers know why “my wife” and I differ-Squib.
You may call me jaundiced but I will talk straight and true, Ibitola Sotuminu CJ (as she then was and never be again) does not deserve such rich honours of the award of a LLD Honours Causa from any citadel of learning, worth its salt.

Round pegs should be put in round holes and honours should be give, not to every Tom, Dick and Harry, but to whosoever it is due.
One will really like to know way the Lagos State University (LASU) decided to put such a big crown of intellectualism on Sotuminu’s head?
The question is important, considering the fact that in all her long years of stewardship in judicial positions (from March 1969-March 2004) she exhibited no mental majesty. In simple language, as a judge (and she was on the bench for a total of thirty five years), even her greatest sympathizers will not attribute intellectualism to Sotuminu J. Indeed if the truth were told, perspicacity-wise, she was a very ordinary judge, with no outstanding grasp of jurisprudence of laws or even mere laws of jurisprudence.

I challenge anybody to show even the slightest proof to the contrary! Thus to me conferring an LLD Honours Causa on such an intellectual low-lifer is as ridiculous as rating Lagos State University, itself the best tertiary institution in the world!

I have heard of some other legal practitioners who had had similar Honours bestowed on them. Obafemi Awolowo was one. Taslim Elias was another. Gani Fawehinmi is also one. Bola Ajibola, is yet another one. Ladies and gentlemen, don’t’ say, oh what a wicked boy, but I ask you, “is it right and proper that, “my wife” should be listed in the company of such titans?”

LASU (unfortunately my alma mater) should be carpeted for daring to ‘spoil’ Sotuminu with such a hugely underserved title and award. The conferment is an insult to the legal profession in general and to the Judiciary in particular general. This, because the conferment is tantamount to saying that Sotuminu is one of the best and brightest minds in the legal profession, whereas her verifiable performance indicate the stark opposite, or near opposite. And it must not be forgotten that before she hurriedly retired from the office of chief judge in 2004 at least 22 of her judges wrote a petition, against her to the National Judicial Council questioning and financial integrity and the handling of NJC funds meant for the maintenance of various high courts. Such a petition was unprecedented.

And, LASU, too should be ashamed of herself, for honouring quite a wrong person so greatly. Or does it mean, that the University saw no better candidates for the big honour? That of course is just not possible. Cry, then, the beloved School!