A Second First Impression of Justice: Hon Justice (Dr.) Gladys Olubunmi Olateru-Olagbegi (rtd)

It’s the 1973/1974 session at the Nigerian Law School. One exceptional young lady just bagged the coveted Richard Akinjide prize in Law of Evidence. It’s only a first sign of the remarkable story that is to follow. Fast-forward. Our heroine has gone on to have a long and illustrious legal career, during which she added more than her fair share of merit awards to a very impressive trophy cabinet. Lawyer, Judge, Jurist, Luminary… this wonder woman matured not into any one of these alone, but all of them. Indeed, she is the essence of Justice – the blindfolded lady holding a sword and scales come to life. Let’s not forget that she’s honourable too. The Honourable Justice.

Really, what more can you say about the Hon. Justice (Dr.) Gladys Olubunmi Olateru-Olagbegi (rtd) other than she has had a career that many people in the legal profession can only dream of having? Her professional accomplishments can fill a whole book! Add to her endless list of accomplishments that she was a Chief Judge for seven years (with all the perks of the job), and that in 2008 she was conferred the national honour of the Order of the Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR). Now you get a sense of one of the premiere legal minds in Nigeria, and one who has enormous experience on both sides of the profession, both Bar and the Bench.

Following her retirement as the Chief Judge of Ondo state on 26th of October, 2010, our Lady Justice chose the life of an academic to help in grooming younger generations of legal practitioners and judges. Presently, she lectures at Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti on some of her favourite subjects such as family law and criminal law. She clearly has a story worth telling, especially beginning with her humble roots in her native Osun State. It’s indicative of the type of person any aspiring lawyer would look up to. We sat down recently with this outstanding legal icon for an exclusive interview.

May it please my Lord…?

There is a reassuring warmth about Justice which makes conversations with her both easy and enjoyable. She is unassuming and instantly likeable, and only a few minutes into the interview we were already leaning forward in our seats, hanging onto every word from a woman who has definitely seen it all.

Justice was born on the 26th of October, 1945 into the family of Chief (Dr.) Joshua Olaremi Omitowoju. She gained early working experience as a clerical officer in the High Court, before deciding to further her studies in the United Kingdom where, in 1968, she bagged a Bachelor of Laws degree (LL.B.) with honours. “I come from a family of medical practitioners,” she says. “I always thought that I would become a medical doctor like my father. This never materialized. I got the job at the High Court in Ibadan (in the then Western State). I then decided to study law. I was inspired by the way lawyers carried themselves and argued their cases. That further developed my interest and the penchant to study law.” She went on to obtain her Masters (LL.M.) in 1969, before putting the cherry on the sundae with a Ph.D. in 1973. So she became a doctor, after all. Not a medical doctor like her father though, but one who would be called from the Lincoln’s Inn to the English Bar in November, 1973. Some months later, in June, 1974, she was called to the Nigerian Bar as well.

She began her legal practice as a junior counsel in Babalakin and Co., a law firm in Ibadan. She was soon appointed as a State Counsel Grade 1 at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Lagos. She returned to Ibadan in 1975 after taking up the same appointment (as a State Counsel) on the same grade at the Ministry of Justice in Oyo State. There, she rose steadily up the ranks, eventually becoming the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions on the 1st of January, 1985. “I was not overly conscious of the career progression. I always kept an open mind,” she reveals. “At the time, becoming a judge was one of the farthest things from my mind.”

However, on the 10th of April, 1990, Dr. G.O. Olateru-Olagbegi was appointed as a High Court Judge in Ondo State. It was the day that Justice as we’ve come to know her was born (again), and she certainly hit the ground running. “What I set out to do was to put in my best. Do whatever I could in a profession which I loved. So whatever came subsequently would be a bonus.” Years flew by as Justice warmed up to her new status. By balancing a diligent work ethic, the right attitude, and a conscientious approach to things, Justice eventually ascended to become Chief Judge on the 5th of August, 2003. She held the prestigious position until 2010 when she reached the mandatory retirement age. “It was a real privilege to serve at that judicial level,” she says. “But it is for a time certain. When your tenure ends, you thank God and be willing to leave the opportunity for someone else.”

Justice with a human face

Complacency doesn’t enter the Hon. Justice’s lexicon. She won’t tolerate it. Not in herself, and certainly not in others. “There’s a lot of pressure to be a role model, and I respect that position.” In her time, Justice has chaired the 1998 Election Petition Tribunal in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, as well as the 2003 Election Petition Tribunal in Rivers State. She was one of the governors of the National Judicial Institute from 2003 till 2010, and has been a member of both the National Judicial Council and the prestigious Body of Benchers in Nigeria.

However, the rumour popular among law students appears to be false: Justice has never handed down a death sentence. (Yes, you read that correctly.) On this, she said “Luckily, I never found myself in the position to pronounce a death sentence. I am glad that I didn’t ever have to don the black cap used when making such pronouncements.” Not that anyone’s complaining. While this doesn’t exactly liven up the gossip grapevine, the point is that during her time as a judge, Justice always did her possible best to ensure equitable administration of justice. But is it possible to manage such a successful career on the bench without becoming a tyrant or, as the gender stereotypes would have it, ‘a typical female Nigerian judge’? “Power must be exercised with the fear of the Lord, for everyone has to give account of their stewardship,” she says. “As a human being I have avoided situations where I would be accused of perversion of justice.”

Being a female judge doesn’t come without other exciting moments either. “The most memorable day I had in court was at the end of a judgment when both counsels for the defendant and the plaintiff stood up to thank me,” she says, her western cadences rising up and down with her hands as she makes her point. “They acknowledged that they were satisfied with my judgment. I think that’s the greatest accolade any judge could have.”

Justice enjoys travelling, and reading has always come to her as naturally as breathing – “It just feels good to my body. As long as I could read, I would be happy.” (Well, reading is sort of a part of the job description, isn’t it?) But such quotidian pleasures as wandering around are denied our modern day Judges. “I’d do little things, like taking a walk or going out more often with friends,” she said when asked what she would do with a day’s anonymity. “But I’ve grown used to this life,” she added, a little wistfully, and then shrugged. “I can’t complain too much.” Of course she can’t complain. She wouldn’t. And she won’t. Because she isn’t really like you or me at all. She’s the Hon. Justice (Dr.) G.O. Olateru-Olagbegi. And she’s got many years of wisdom and experience to prove it.

As the court pleases

The paradoxical world we live in makes the work of being an unbiased umpire difficult. Plus, it’s not enough to do justice in a case; it must be seen manifestly to have been done. Our Lady Justice finds one biblical philosophy very helpful. It’s the golden rule – never, ever do to others as you would not want them to do to you. “My ‘no’ means ‘no’, my ‘yes’ means ‘yes’,” she says. “At the end of the day, you still have your conscience. You might be haunted your whole life for any judgment you aren’t satisfied with.”

As the interview draws to a close, it’s increasingly obvious that justice is not an abstract concept. She’s the coolest woman on earth. And she proves that even if the proverbial glass ceiling exists for women, it can be broken. On advising aspiring lawyers, “you all belong to a profession which requires a lot of hardwork. There are no shortcuts. Read widely even outside law to enhance your general knowledge”.

                  Quick Facts

Hon. Justice (Dr.) Gladys Olubunmi Olateru-Olagbegi

Nigerian jurist and retired judge

Birth October 26, 1945

Place of Birth Lagos, Nigeria

Known for her desire to nurture young minds and sustain the ethics of the legal profession

Milestones      1985-1988 Member of the Board, Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan

1992-1993 Member of the editorial board of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies

1998 Chairman of the Election Petition Tribunal, F.C.T. Abuja

1999 Chairman of the visitation panel to Ondo State College of Education Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State

2003-2010 Governor of the National Judicial Institute from 2003 till 2010; member of the Body of Benchers

2008 conferred with the national honour of THE ORDER OF THE OFFICER OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC (OFR)

2010 Member of the National Judicial Council

Did You Know

Justice has never pronounced the death sentence. 

*This piece originally appeared in the LSSABUAD Monochrome Magazine
Interview by Usifo Emoyon-Iredia and Kolapo Femi-Oyekola
Article by Uche Ojimba and Usifo Emoyon-Iredia
Photo by Jefferson Ofesi

Rest in Peace Justice Olateru-Olagbegi