It was Audrey Hepburn who once said: “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!” And that is the story of Inyene Dominic Akpan, a young Nigerian man who beat all the odds to become a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. A
Iyene lost his mum when he was four years old. His father died when he was five. By the time he turned 10, he lost one of his arms. In spite of the odds stacked against him, he went on to study law and eventually got called to the Nigerian bar on Tuesday, 6 December last year.
Sharing his joy on his Facebook, Inyene Dominic Akpan, wrote, “I DARED TO BE, TODAY I AM. Mine’s a story of grace and absolute self-determination. From losing; My mum at age 4, My dad at age 5, and My upper right limb at age 10. To becoming the first Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in my family. It’s been GOD, my FAMILY, and FRIENDS, and someday soon, I hope to share my story. But before then, permit me to reintroduce myself, I am I. D. AKPAN ESQ .”
A few years ago, Adesola Ajayi shared a similar story during a thanksgiving service at Praise Arena-Kingdom Light Christian Centre. The visually impaired Attorney was one of the beneficiaries of the church’s scholarship programme for the vulnerable and less privileged. Ajayi, one of the five students under the educational support programme for the physically challenged and vulnerable students of the church recounted how he lost his sight. “When l left Lagos to my hometown in Ijebu-Ife in 1996, I was sighted. But l became blind within three days in Ijebu-Ife after experiencing pain in my eyes. That led to a dramatic change in his life.”
Ajayi recalled that when he became blind, adjusting to his new condition made life unbearable but he managed to remain hopeful and optimistic.
His turning point came when he met Pastor Jummy Adetoyese-Olagunju, the Senior Pastor of the church narrated how he met Pastor Jummy Adetoyese-Olagunju, Senior Pastor of the church. “The radio was my companion”, he recalled. “I heard him preach on his regular Kingdom Life Family programme on Eko FM and I called his number and narrated my story to him. He requested to see me and he came to my rescue at a crucial time in my life. Pastor Olagunju paid my way through primary and secondary school and supported me greatly during my Law School programme in a way that amazed me.
“I was in Primary six when my eyes went bad and it was very difficult for me to cope in school and I had to seek help and help came. God gave me divine wisdom when initially, reading with braille proved difficult but today all is history.”
Ajayi said he read Law because: “l want to be a voice for the voiceless, defenceless and the vulnerable people in the society. There are millions of visually impaired persons in Nigeria who need support and policy framework that would include them in governance. I have discovered that across all sector of our national life which include: transportation, housing, environment, education; visually impaired persons go through harrowing experiences that need urgent attention.”
Likewise, a former street beggar, Mr. Abdulsalam Idowu, achieved his life ambition of starting a law practice in Nigeria. A former street beggar, Idowu depended on alms to fund his primary and secondary education.
When Idowu lost his mother at about age three, got crippled by a disease he caught thereafter, and stuck with a father and relatives who had no interest in his future, he started begging at age eight in Erin Ile, Kwara State, to see himself through his primary and secondary school education.
In spite of it all, he got admitted to study Political Science at the University of Lagos, and while he while in his final year, he secured admission to study Law. According to Idowu: “I was not satisfied when they gave me admission to study Political Science because I have always wanted to be a lawyer. So, I struggled to get admission to study Law. I got the admission when I was in my final year, writing my final project for the Political Science degree.”
It was a long journey to success for Idowu. “Sometime in 1987. I was about eight years old in a public kindergarten school. All my mates were promoted to primary one but I was not promoted. I asked why because I attended classes and sat for exams. I was then told that I was not a registered pupil but they only allowed me to attend classes and take exams.
“That day I felt very sad and on getting home I called everybody, including my father and aged paternal grandmother, whom I was staying with because I was very angry. I told them that I wanted to be registered in school but they said there was no money and that there was no way I could cope in school because of my condition. But I insisted that they must register me and that they should not bother about paying my fees.
“They registered me and as soon as they did, I took to the street begging for alms to meet some financial demands that came up. When I gained admission in 1993, I could not afford N520 school fees but I had been hearing the story of Lagos State that one could make money in Lagos State. So, one day while begging in Offa, Kwara State, I decided to join a train to Lagos, believing that, perhaps I could make money to pay for the fees, buy a uniform and get my locker. When the train go to Ido terminus in Lagos, I started begging. I stayed with some people under the bridge and I was begging in some areas including Idumota.”
Idowu said he kept travelling to and from Lagos to raise money which he used to offset his fees untill he got to the final class when he was supposed to write his O’Level West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations. Unable to raise money for his O’Level exams, he relocated to Lagos, made enough money through begging to sit for the exams, and passed after two attempts. Subsequently, he gained admission to UNILAG with the intention of financing himself through begging. He had just N39,000 as savings when he gained admission. But he exhausted the money on completing first-semester registration. Favour located him when some compassionate Nigerians and organisations elected to sponsor him after reading his story in The PUNCH.
Speaking with a PUNCH correspondent, Idowu attributed the inspiration which drove him to bag two degrees as “God’s miracle”. “I thank God because if not for Him and those He used to come to my aid, I can be nowhere now.”
He said his immediate plan was to get a job in a law firm.
“I wish to set up my law firm later and in the nearest future I want to become a judge,” Idowu said.
He thanked The PUNCH and other Nigerians, such as a judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, Alhaja Osonaike, Alhaja Fowosere, Alhaja S.O Yusuf, Mrs. Comfort Obi and wife of the then Senate President, Mrs. Toyin Bukola- Saraki, for helping him to achieve his life ambition.
He also thanked those he referred to as “responsible fathers” such as Mr. Peace Emokaro, Pastor Adewuyi, Alhaji Olajobi, Prof. Oye Ibidapo-Obe, Prof. Tolu Odugbemi and the late Prof. Tokunbo Sofoluwe for the support he got from them.
