Students are often on one-on-ones with law firm Partners. The truth is if you put the entire legal system in Nigeria, @unilag_law controls some 40-50%, leaving the others to compete for the remaining half. Only slight competitions are Ife and the entire Northern legal industry

Whilst there is incomparable dint of hard work by the institution itself and its alumni, there is also a mix of privilege - an edge which only the City of Lagos can give you in Nigeria - commerce. Massive, Monolithic, Dominating, Beastly Capitalism. Lagos is Nigeria's Capitalism

So these have had an overbearing influence on the culture at UniLag. A very rich culture though, but which is dominated by commercialism and capitalism. Churning out successful commercial lawyers back to back. Except for a few, the classes are very capitalist in nature.

From Oyebode telling you that lawyers must know which type of wine should go with fish and beef (dinning etiquette of the aristocracy) to Olawoyin teaching the Sarbanes-Oxley & the concept of big corporate law classes to Osipitan telling you he wrote the 1999 Constitution

Those days, when Osibanjo came to teach evidence, you were literally looking at the then Attorney General of Lagos State, who was Tinubu's legal bogeyman - one of the people in charge of the legal apparatchik of Lagos State and now Nigeria.

It was exciting to go to classes. The law was so so real before our eyes. Were weren't looking at lecturers wearing oversized suits talking about International Law and had never traveled out of Nigeria before. We were looking at lecturers who were living the dream and teaching it

There is a healthy competition between lecturers on the Faculty - between the Harvards, Oxons & Cantabs. Attorneys General were being appointed from the faculty often. Lecturers were going on to be Judges, AGs, Deputy Governor, Special Advisers and now Vice President.

Students were engaging with the very best on day one. Then there is a super rich culture of very productive extracurricular activities for the students. Student Chambers and Societies - not as old as the societies in the world's Ivy-Leagues but no less productive and helpful.

From these extracurricular activities alone, students were doing good internships and representing the University at competitions in Nigeria and Abroad. There was a time the Faculty would send the best student in Year 5 and the best in Year 4 to represent the University abroad

Things changed a bit when it reached my generation. I think I was just lucky. I was not the best student in my class & I was only in 300-Level, when for the first time, breaking many years of history, the Faculty approached me to go argue a Human Rights Moot Court Case in Senegal

I was the youngest. I hear I still hold that record. So we went to Senegal. By the next year, I had the blessing of being the 'leader' of Mooting. So with the blessing of my Dean, Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo (who is now Attorney General of Oyo State), I made it an open process

I went from class to class to invite students who were interested in representing the University in a Moot Court competition in South Africa. Many people signed up. Only 6 of us could go. I made some of my best friends during this process.

We went to South Africa & broke an all time University record. For the first time in the University's history, we got to the Finals & lost by 2 points. The Coordinator of the competition called my Dean to say "the team you sent this year - those guys are on fire. They can argue"

We got back to school to meet a hero's welcome. The Dean said they were following the news of our performance and announcing in class like when the Americans sent an Astronaut to space . This inspired the official founding of the Mooting Society.

My bosom friend @CiceroofLagos went on to be the Society's Founding President. Having established ourselves as champions, my Dean called me the next year "Do you guys wanna go argue in Washington DC at the Inter-American Competition"? So we went again.

I understand that culture is still very much in full force and our successors are doing a massively excellent job, winning competitions on the foundation we built. When I graduated I held the record for representing Unilag in the most number of competitions - 4 & runner-up in 1.

By the time I graduated, I was told by my Dean that I had beaten the record of the last record holder - Mr. Odein Ajumogobia, SAN, former Minister of Petroleum & Foreign Affairs. Well, maybe some other student might have beaten my record since I left. They should.

Of course, this not a story of what I am doing now as a lawyer. I have argued in Court and judges have said "Thank you Mr. Tare-Otu, I have never seen this point from this perspective". One time a judge said "Any time you come to my Court, we learn some law". I am paying my dues

But this a story of the extremely rich culture of excellence at @unilag_law. By the time you are done, you can never ever see poverty. All you see from law is massive success. It is ingrained into you from Year 1. You become a beastly legal capitalist who only wants to win

So it shocks me when people who do not know say to me or any other alumni "You are a charge and bail lawyer" . They do not even know the half of it. We do not even know what Charge and Bail is or what it looks like. We only hear of it like stories from distant shores

Putting it mildly, as far as this legal profession is concerned we are "White Privilege", not even Bar 1 students can compete, except you are Harvard, Oxford or Cambridge. The only slight push back is Nigeria's Northern slant, which must appoint their people everywhere.

However, the moral lesson of my story is that this Spirit of Capitalism at @unilag_law may be at the detriment of human rights activism. We do not produce many human rights lawyers. Of course, we appreciate Professors Atsenuwa & Akin-Ibidapo Obe. Alumni Wahab Shittu & @ayosogunro

They are doing brilliant work in human rights activism. But I wish @unilag_law could have a soul. Build some more compassion for the downtrodden and oppressed people of Nigeria. Invest in human rights research and activism. Encourage & teach pro-bono and public service.

Harvard does this well. Harvard has a strong Pro-bono and Human Rights Programme and Outreach. We should emulate them. Side-by-side creating elitist white shoe lawyers, UniLag needs to aggressively support human rights and do some advocacy. Its important to serve the public

This slant and bias is why the average UniLag students and alumni despise human rights activism. We look at it with contempt. We look at them like noise-makers. Most of us are only interested in wealth from commercial law. You know I am saying the truth.

An institution which produces many judges and public servants should never look at human rights activism with contempt. Rather, we should lead in this regard and be a beacon of hope, freedom, liberty and justice. We need to have a soul. We need to serve humanity.

I would not just rant. I will reach out to the Dean and have this conversation with her. Thankfully, she is a Human Rights & Feminism Professor.

Because of this bias, I even lost an opportunity. Due to my Moot Court performances, the Coordinator of Africa's most prestigious Human Rights LLM Programme at the Center for Human Rights in Pretoria encouraged me to come do its LLM in Human Rights & Democratisation in Africa

I said to myself "Thanks, but no, thanks. What am I doing with a Masters in Human Rights". I chose Commercial & Oil Spillage Litigation - successfully defending Oil Multinationals in oil spillages disputes. Oil spillages against my Niger Delta people. I won all. I lost my soul

Of course, I feel like the Devil's Advocate, with some dint of regret. I now want to commit my life to helping oppressed people find justice. I now want to fight for every one who's human right has been trampled upon. Like Paul, I have met Jesus on my way to Damascus

He has asked me "Lugard why are you persecuting me"?. For 10 years I have done White Shoe top law firm practice. Many times, people reached out on their rights and I couldn't help them. I was wired to only think about the money. Most law firms only think about the money

We need to change. We need to have a soul. Whilst pursing money, we need to build a strong, aggressive Human Rights & Pro-Bono Programme. Let the law mean more than just making the money. Let us use this law to serve humanity. Remember, the greatest good for the greatest number.

So if you see or hear that I am arguing a Human Rights or Pro-Bono case, do not be surprised. I have met Jesus on my road to Damascus. This thread is partly inspired by the movie "Miracle in Cell No. 7". I cried like a baby. Every human must enjoy happiness and justice. END.