It was indescribable getting justice for Unilorin 49 lecturers against ex-president Obasanjo’s vow they’ll never return – Baiyeshea

Barrister John Olusola Baiyeshea was born in April 1957 had his primary education at St Barnabas, Sabo-Oke, Ilorin after which he proceed to Fatimah College, Ekan-Meje, Kwara State for his secondary education. A 1981 graduate of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, the Lagos Law School attendee was subsequently called to the Bar in 1982 after which he bagged his (LL.M) from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State in 2000 and completed his M.Phil (Master of Philosophy of Law) from the same university in 2008. In 2012, he added Master of Divinity from the Theological College, Ilorin and presently the Principal Partner in John Olusola Baiyeshea & Co founded in 1986 in Ilorin Kwara State. In this interview with ACTING EDITOR, MUMINI ABDULKAREEM, the 2007 SAN awardee speaks on his most dramatic moment in legal practice.
The most dramatic moment in my practicing career is when God gave me victory at the Supreme Court in the case of the 49 University of Ilorin lecturers. That time, Nigeria was in Education crisis and ASUU issue was at the front burner during the tine of President Olusegun Obasanjo who sacked them and vowed that they will never get back to the university system and was even boasting so when we were in court. The case took me 9 years from High Court to the Supreme Court. I was practically the only lawyer in the country handing the case with support from people like Dayo Akinlaja now a Senior Advocate. Other lawyers didn’t believe in the case because there was no money in it coupled with the hatred that went with it. The government will see you as opposition and not do anything with you. Even when we go to court, we don’t even know how to get justice for them and some of them started dying. It was the heaviest burden I ever carried in my head as a lawyer. But God just gave me cover and took it away from me because there was no way I could have survived that situation without the help of Almighty God. The tension and pressure to succeed was extremely too much as the affected lecturers don’t want no for an answer looking up to me. All the other systems have woefully failed them and relations deserted them. We won at the federal High Court here, and I will consider the judge one of the touchstones (in the judiciary), we lost by a split decision of 2-1 at the Court of Appeal. When we lost, the NBA President then, Olisah Agbakoba (SAN) offered to ASUU to take over the case from me at the Supreme Court because they felt probably I lost because I was not a SAN then which was not so. Every surrounding situation was against me and the affected lecturers. Honestly, as a mark of humility, I welcomed it because of the enormous tension which was already affecting my health. At the meeting with ASUU national body in Ibadan, to my greatest surprise, the then chairman, Oloruntoba Oju was called upon to accept the offer of Agbakoba. Speaking for the 49, Oju said they will rather sink and swim with me who has been with them since the beginning of the case whether I am SAN or not adding that they (ASUU) know that they will get justice through me by the Grace of God. The whole place was silent and it was a mixed bag of sadness and joy for me because I thought it will be taken over from me but here they are expressing confidence in me even though I had lost the case at the appeal court. This was in 2006 and just a year after in 2007, I became a senior Advocate and by the time I was arguing the case at the Supreme Court. It became more dramatic that against all odds, we got justice at the Apex Court and the affected lecturers were reinstated contrary to Obasanjo’s vow. Rather it was him that later left office. This is lesson in human endeavour and character building and patience and we thank God for that.