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Reinforcing Justice Through the Fight Against a Careless Gafee: The Unfair Dele and His Battle Against the “Unfair Justice System”

By Professor Adéyẹmí Adeyinka Ademọwọ

For days now, I have tried to pen a piece to voice my concern in the unfolding imbroglio and the attendant activities of the CASHists and their unwitting mob of hailers. Words failed me for days.. and now the title seems rather long but can’t help it. The question is: what is really agitating my mind and soul in this matter, especially after the scenes in the court room few days ago?It is an indubitable fact that in the intricate web of legal practice, justice is not only about the law but also about integrity, respect, and the preservation of legacies.

This rings true for Ààrẹ Eni-Afe Babalola, a respected legal titan whose career, spanning over 61 years, has earned him a revered place in Nigerian jurisprudence. However, the publication of Dele Farotimi’s book has cast a long shadow over his legacy, unfairly tarnishing his reputation and attacking the very foundation of his noble contributions to the legal profession.

The battle that now unfolds is, to me, not just a personal crusade for the preservation of Aare Afe Babalola’s legacy, but a confrontation with the unfairness in how justice is dispensed and interpreted. Dele Farotimi’s book has become a lightning rod for controversy, as its contents accused and maligned a man whose career is a testimony to diligence, honor and dedication to the law.

A man who resumes to handle legal matters as early as 6:30am and retire to his bed around 11pm daily with only a break between 3pm and 7pm. Farotimi’s critique, while perhaps cloaked in seeming intellectual posturing, fails to grapple with the intricacies of the real story, reducing Aare Babalola’s storied legacy to unfounded allegations and personal attacks.

The writer, in his attempt to undermine Aare Babalola, has inadvertently undermined the very essence of what it means to engage in the pursuit of justice: fairness, truth, and respect. It is this “careless gafee” — the unfounded claims and reckless accusations — that serves as the crux of the ongoing battle for justice. But this is not just about a man fighting for his reputation. This is about a legal system that has, for too long, been criticized for being “unfair” by those who challenge its shortcomings, yet it remains the only avenue to restore balance and ensure justice prevails.Farotimi himself, a self-proclaimed critic of an “unfair justice system,” now finds himself in the paradoxical position of relying on the very system he has vilified to vindicate his actions and protect his own interests.

In this instance, the system, though imperfect, remains the bedrock upon which justice can be reinforced. *The contradictions in Farotimi’s stance reveal a deeper irony: while he decries the unfairness of the legal system, it is precisely this system that will give Aare Babalola the opportunity to defend his name, to preserve his legacy, and to ensure that history remembers him not for the words of a careless critic but for the truth of his decades of service.

Ààrẹ Afe Babalola’s 61 years of legal practice are not just a career; they are a testament to the transformative power of law, not only as a tool for resolving disputes but as a means to build a legacy of truth, justice, and fairness. Farotimi’s attacks on Babalola are not just attacks on one man, but on a system that has cultivated leaders in the legal field who have contributed immeasurably to the nation’s progress.

The attempt to malign Babalola, who has been a staunch advocate for the rule of law and human rights, cannot go unchallenged, for the consequences extend beyond the individual to the integrity of the system itself.The ongoing fight is therefore not a case of “David versus Goliath”, neither is it just a defense of an individual’s honor but a call to reinforce the importance of fairness within the legal profession and the larger society. It is a battle to prevent the tarnishing of reputations through careless words and unfounded claims, a battle to ensure that, in the end, truth prevails.

As the legal system works to address these grievances, it becomes evident that the very same “unfair justice system” Dele Farotimi critiques may very well be the mechanism through which justice will be served and fairness restored. In this context, the fight to uphold Ààrẹ Afe Babalola’s legacy is a fight not just against one man’s unjust treatment, but a stand against the erosion of integrity in the legal system. If the battle against this unfairness teaches us anything, it is that justice, while sometimes slow and fraught with difficulties, remains the ultimate safeguard against the malignment of truth and the protection of those who have dedicated their lives to upholding it. In the end, the “unfair” system will prove to be the very tool through which fairness and justice are achieved.

Ire o!

Adéyẹmí Adeyinka Ademọwọ, a professor of sociology and an AFEIST, lives in Ado Ekiti.

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