Under Governor Dapo Abiodun’s leadership, Ogun State has witnessed transformative development, prioritizing infrastructure, social welfare, education, youth development, agriculture, and food security. The Governor’s commitment to merit-based appointments and development-driven policies has fostered progress. The Attorney General’s dedication to justice and progress aligns with the Governor’s vision, reflecting their shared passion for shaping a brighter future for Ogun State and Nigeria. His vision for a better Nigeria encompasses strong institutions, access to justice, quality education, healthcare, and economic growth.
Oluwasina Ogungbade, A senior Advocate of Nigeria and the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Ogun State shared his remarkable journey, from his formative years in Lagos to his rise as a distinguished legal expert. After being admitted to the bar in 2001, he practiced law with esteemed firms, including Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa & Co. and Chief G.O.K. Ajayi, SAN. He joined Chief Afe Babalola, SAN’s firm in 2003 and remained there until his appointment as Attorney General in 2021. His experience under these legal luminaries instilled in him valuable lessons in perseverance, charity, loyalty, and honesty as he strives to bring efficiency and empathy to the Ministry of Justice, ensuring accountability to the public…
Give us an opening by telling us a bit about yourself and background?
I was born in Lagos and had my formative years in the Mushinand Apapa areas of the state. My father served in the Nigeria Police Force, retiring as a Chief Superintendent in 1993. My mother of blessed memory was a food seller in the Oshodi of old, not the modern one that successive governments in Lagos State have brought about.All together I have six siblings and we all grew up, over the years, with numerous cousins and other family members.
For my primary education, I attended Ladi-Lak Primary School, Randle Road, Apapa while I was at Abeokuta Grammar School, Abeokuta, Ogun State for my secondary education. For my law degree, I attended the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State before proceeding to the Nigeria Law School in 1999. I was admitted to the Bar in January 2001, following which I began practice of Law with the firm of Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa & Co, then at Lapal House, Igbosere Road Lagos under the tutelage of Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa now a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. In March 2003 I joined the firm of Chief G.O.K Ajayi SAN, of blessed memory where I was able to understudy the great man himself. In September of the same year, I left Chief G.O.K Ajayi SAN to join the firm of Chief Afe Babalola SAN. I was with that firm till November 2021 when I was appointed the Attorney General and Commissioner For Justice, Ogun State. I must mention that a few weeks before my appointment as Attorney General, I was considered worthy, by the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee of being conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria. So in effect, November 2021 was a month of double celebration for me. I was successful at my third attempt at taking silk, while I also became the Attorney General of my dear state.
Can you share with us the values that shaped your person and work ethics?
They are simple. Humility, perseverance, charity, loyalty and honesty. I did not just come about these. I realized the great value and benefit they hold through different means, events, personalities etc that have been a part of my life. For example, my father who is still alive, well into his eighties, is a philosopher in his own respects. I learned a lot about life, the challenges it holds and how to navigate them from him. My mother was a humble being who gave freely of her time and finances to all who came her way. She considered every Nigerian, Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba as a relation. Growing up in Apapa G.R.A and Mushin at different times of my life, afforded me the opportunity to experience life from different economical and social perspectives. Apapa in the early 80s was a posh side of the City. So moving from there back to Mushin was a learning curve of sorts. Abeokuta Grammar School which I attended from 1985 to 1991 also shaped my world view. The school, founded in 1908 has a reputation for producing pupils who are not only academically proficient but also of strong moral fibre. I recall that from our first year in the school, we were required to memorize the entirety of Chapter 12 of the Book of Romans, which anyone familiar with that chapter would know, encompasses everything required forChristian living. To be able to see the Housemaster or any other official, a student was required to firstly recite the entire Chapter before stating his mission. That experience positively impacted many of us who were there at the time. From my principal of many years, Aare Afe Babalola SAN, CON, I learned first-hand, the benefit of hard work. He prides himself on having built his firm from its humble beginnings in a windowless garage into one of the best firms in Nigeria. Soon after I joined him, I realized he was only able to do so, by dint of hard work. We worked every day of the week including weekends and public holidays. The firm only closed on Christmas day and importantly, the firm would open on the 1st day of the year. So working and developing in that kind of environment has had its benefits. It has helped me focus on the important things in life. That firm even before my time there, had already produced many legal giants including Chief Akin Olujinmi SAN, a former Attorney General of the Federation and the incumbent Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi. Even now while serving in public office, I have been able to bring the same work ethics with me. I work late almost on a daily basis. Surprisingly and happily too, I have found that some civil servants also have the same work attitude. So it is not always true that Civil Servants are always quick or eager to abandon their duty stations on the dot of the hour of 4pm.
What do you think differentiates private practice from public service?
There are many differentiating factors. Private practice is usually profit focused whilst public service is essentially service-driven. Stakeholders in private practice are accountable to their shareholders or clients, however, accountability in the public sector is to the public and to citizens.A positive outcome for private practice would usually translate to personal or business success and positive outcomes for public service would focus on public good, societal welfare, and equitable service delivery.
Also, I believe it is easier to be more flexible in private practice because owners and stakeholders have a certain degree of autonomy, limited only by government or market regulation. On the other hand, public service is highly regulated with bureaucratic and legal procedures that from an outside perspective may seem to hamper process, but which are necessary for public accountability and transparency.
As someone from the private sector myself, the aim of my office is to ensure that we at the Ministry of Justice operate as efficiently as possible whilst retaining the empathy and the understanding of nuance that is required for public service delivery.
Another key difference, with specific reference to my office, is that an Attorney-General is a unique type of practitioner. In private legal practice, your sole fidelity is to your client, subject only to the duty you owe the administration of justice or the courts. You bear no responsibility to think about or accommodate your client’s opponent.
However, as Attorney-General, your client is the government, indeed, but you bear huge responsibility to protect the interest of the public which sometimes include that member of the public who has sued your client. That opponent in the legal sense, is your constituent, in the governance sense. So, yes, you want to win your cases and defend the government, you want to facilitate commerce and revenue generation, and you want to maintain law and order – but not at the expense of the public who, quite frankly, may be at the opposite end of a legal engagement. I cannot think of any other role, except public service, where a lawyer bears this grave obligation of balance.
Can you provide examples of significant cases or instances where the Attorney General and Commissioners of Justice have made notable impacts?
There are quite many and the most notorious right now will be the recent Local Government autonomy case which was filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation against all the States, all of whom were represented by their respective Attorneys-General in person or by proxy. Without prejudice to any person’s private thoughts about the decision in that case, we cannot deny that it was notable. An example of its impact is the raft of Local Government elections holding or scheduled across the nation today, including in some places where, as we understand it, elections had not held in years.
As you may know, Ogun State was one of the cases that even in that case, the Attorney-General of the Federation identified as running democratically elected Local Government Councils. Nonetheless, that case was an example of the power of the Attorney-General to significantly impact the society and change even our understanding of what accepted practice is.
These types of intervention are not new. It was the Attorney-General of Lagos State who challenged the decision of the Federal Government at the time, to withhold federal allocations to that State. That case has now become a classical text on the creation of Local Governments in Nigeria. It was the Attorney-General of Rivers State who challenged the federal collection of VAT, successfully. It was the Attorney-General of Akwa Ibom who successful wrested 76 oil wells from Cross-River State. The examples are numerous.
In what ways do the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice influence legal reforms and policymaking?
The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice is the Chief Law Officer of the State, and he spearheads justice sector reforms within the State. He heads the coordinating ministry for all state efforts by the executive arm of government to protect and advance the course of justice within the State. The office of the AG prosecutes offenders on behalf of the State, advises on policies that promote law and order, drafts executive legislative bills, provides legal services to the state and leads continuous reforms in the State.
This administration through the office of the AGhas placed special focus on making the criminal justice process more efficient. We have deepened our relationshipwith other stakeholders in criminal justice adjudication within the State. We routinely collaborate with law enforcement to aid prosecution-focused investigations, and we are decongesting correctional centres through streamlined procedures for plea bargain before or during trial and amnesty after conviction.
In addition, the justice needs of the State typically inform the direction of justice reforms that the office of the Attorney-General will prioritise and I must state that I have had the fortune of having been preceded in office by brilliant gentlemen of the law such as Mr Akin Osinbajo SAN, Mr Wemimo OgundeSAN, Abimbola Akeredolu SAN, Dr Olumide Ayeni SAN, and Mr Akingbolahan Adeniran who initiated key justice sector reforms which we continue to benefit from.The Attorney-General typically drives the justice focus and attention of government at any time. For instance, there is an epidemic of sexual offences and ritual killings within the state and so preventative and curative strategies have formed the bulk of policy direction from my office. Offenders in these categories are currently not being considered for plea bargain deals or amnesty offers to deter others. Furthermore, having observed that the criminal justice system mainly focuses on punishment of the offender, my office has been working on a robust approach to ensuring that victims of sexual offences are not ignored in the justice process, and that their medical, psychosocial and legal needs are taken care of as much as possible.
Attorneys-General can also support investigations so that the process of inquiring into a matter is done with judicial expectations in mind. In this regard, we work closely with law enforcement and advise them on crucial aspect of their investigations as they go on. We also render legal advice on completed investigations in some of which we recommend further investigation of specific aspects. I am pleased to say that we enjoy the cooperation of Ogun law enforcement on this. Attorney-General also have the position to advise on specialised public order needs, an example of which cased the creation of the land grabbing taskforce which has been useful tool in stamping out land grabbing practices within the State.
And investigations extend beyond criminal cases and into civil enquiries too. An instance was the constitution of the Judicial Commission of Enquiry on Land Matters by His Excellency, the Governor of Ogun State to review land allocation, documentation and various suspected illegal land dealings in Ogun State following several reports of illegal land transactions.
Finally, a very monumental way in which Attorneys-General influence policy is through litigation in the public or State interest. Ogun State has a number of such pending and completed cases.
How can the roles and functions of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice be improved to better serve the legal system and society?
Generally, the office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice is one office that must balance its position as the chief legal adviser to the state government with its position as chief law officer of the State. There will always be political nuances and considerations that inform the exercise of the functions of the office but it goes without saying that the office must always be shielded from political interference to the best possible extent.
We must focus on improving the efficiency of our investigative procedures to aid prosecuting counsel in discharging their functions in court as this is crucial for maintaining public trust and confidence in the justice system. It is also important to statutorily insert the Attorney-General’s office into the investigative segment of the criminal justice value chain.
At the Ministry of Justice, we are currently leveraging technology to modernize our processes and will soon be rolling out means for citizens of the state to submit petitions directly to the office of the AG and track the issuance of legal advice by the office of the DPP. With respect to other parts of the justice administration wheel, the Dapo Abiodun administration has continued to invest heavily in infrastructure, procurement of patrol vans, vehicles, security equipment and continuous professional development for staff.
Lastly, there must be an avenue for constant collaboration with civil society organizations, human rights groups, and legal professionals. This is why my office encourages courtesy visits from all relevant stakeholders as a forum for identifying key areas for reform, understanding core societal concerns, and ensuring that the law is responsive to the needs of different communities on a continuous basis.
What are your dreams for a better Nigeria?
My vision for a better Nigeria is one with strong and effective institutions where the rule of law is upheld. We want to build a country where no one is above the law, and everyone is confident of access to justice, where citizens feel safe, and conflict and disputes are easily resolved. I envision a Nigeria where the state is able to meet the needs of the average citizen, where you do not need to have millions stashed away to enjoy the basic amenities of life such as shelter or medical care. I attended public educational institutions which at that time ranked favourably with privately owned ones. So it is my hope that we will eventually have a Nigeria where every child is able to have an education capable of imparting in him or her, the skills and knowledge sufficient to thrive in an ever evolving society and compete favourably with his peers from other parts of the world.
How would you describe the Governor of Ogun State and the government in general?
The Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun is someone that has a heart of service for the people of Ogun State and a vision to transform the business environment of the State. His ISEYA mantra prioritising Infrastructure, Social Welfare and Wellbeing, Education, Youth Development, Agriculture and Food Security reflects how aligned he is to the needs of the people and so it is not surprising that he has performed well. From the positioning of Ogun State as an investment hub, the large-scale construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation of over 300km of Ogun roads, the delivery of affordable housing units across Ogun State, health insurance scheme for workers and citizens in Ogun State to the investments in the agriculture sector, the development of the Gateway Agro-Cargo airport and the agro-processing free trade zone. I could go on and on. His major interest is the development of the state and to achieve this he has put together a team devoid of the usual political patronage that accompanies appointments. For example, the first time I met him in person was when he interviewed me for the position of Attorney General. Having been in politics and business for a long time I am certain he could have chosen from any of the hundreds of lawyers that had come his way before then. But being aware of the critical importance of the office, he decided to put aside considerations other than merit in making the appointment.
