Barely few weeks after my call to bar in 2008, I joined the law firm of Dele Adesina & Co. (now Dele Adesina LP) for my youth service. The first time I met Mr. Adesina SAN, he asked when I was called to bar and after my response, he said “you are very green”. Nevertheless, he engaged me and another lady who was called about the same time with me as youth coppers in the office, and that was how I started my journey in the legal profession.
Even as a youth copper, I was involved in major activities in the firm. Mr. Adesina SAN was determined to make us enjoy what we were doing and most importantly, he gave us a sense of belonging both in the firm and in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). As a bar man, he made us to understand the importance of being members of the Nigerian Bar Association and we subsequently joined the Ikeja Branch of the NBA. I was retained in the firm after my service year.
I worked with the firm for about eight (8) years and during my time at the firm, I saw Mr. Adesina SAN as more of a friend and a mentor than my employer. Mr. Adesina is a true leader and he trained us to become brilliant and outstanding lawyers. He indeed thought us the art of the legal profession. Mr. Adesina SAN does not get angry, he tells you what to do and what is expected of you as a lawyer. Mr. Adesina SAN will address us as colleagues and not as a boss. His humility remains astounding.
Mr. Adesina SAN is someone with a clear vision on what he wants to do and he wastes no time in getting down to the task. As a leader, he carried each one of us along and always lends a listening hear. As a bar man, he is passionate about the activities of the Nigerian Bar Association and ensured we all participated in Bar activities and attended our branch meetings. The NBA Annual General Conference was attended by all lawyers in the firm at the cost of the office and this package also came with an allowance to say the least.
Mr. Adesina SAN’s hard work, wealth of experience and industry always came to bear during our office weekly review meetings. There are days that we attended the meetings with a rather low spirit due to certain issues that may affect the matters we handled but his handling of the review sessions will always translate to a moral booster and we will end up leaving the meeting in high spirits. Mr. Adesina’s ideas always came as the beautiful icing on the cake. He always inspires us to do better.
The welfare package in the office was encouraging. You can be sure of your comfort when you travel out of station with Mr. Adesina. Even when he was not there, we were rest assured that things had been taken care of. The firm had a compulsory pension scheme for all lawyers to which the office also made its own contributions. It is very rare to find any of his junior leaving Dele Adesina & Co under five years. Most of us left the firm to set up our own firms after several years. Mr. Adesina also went the extra mile to support us financially in setting up own practice. Only very few of my colleagues at that time spent less than five years with Dele Adesina & Co.
Mr. Adesina’s passion for the NBA is second to none. His track records of selfless service and dedication to the Bar attests to this. He has added color and glamour to every position he has occupied in the NBA in the past both at the National and at the Branch level. His vision for the NBA is to ensure the NBA’s integrity is restored, to develop a system that will take care of the welfare of young lawyers, to build a united Bar with a voice that will be recognized and to ensure that the rule of law is not compromised.
Mr. Adesina has shown unmatched leadership abilities in circumstances where he has had the opportunity to serve. His wealth of experience is an asset which will enable him administer the Bar in the best interest of all its members. Mr. Adesina has a passion for making systems function at its best, he always thinks of a better way of achieving results.
Mr. Adesina is a gentleman, a man of standard and integrity and I know that, if he is given the opportunity to serve, his administration will bring honor and dignity to the Bar and our NBA will become an Association that is a pride of all its members. I stand with Dele Adesina SAN to lead the NBA and I urge our distinguished friends and colleagues to support Dele Adesina SAN to lead the Nigerian Bar Association and to secure its future.
Kayode Otufale Esq.
