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Joshua Adeyeye is a First Class graduate of the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos (UNILAG) for the 2023-2024 session. He finished with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.62 on a scale of 5.0. In this interview by KINGSLEY ALUMONA, he speaks about his academic journey and some legal issues.
What inspired you to study law, and why chose the University of Lagos to study it?
Right from secondary school, I was the valedictorian and the head boy. I heard that brilliant art students usually study law at universities. This informed my decision to study law. I chose the University of Lagos (UNILAG) because of the quality of lawyers the institution has produced. Yes, UNILAG met my expectations, as I did not only learn the law in theory, but my lecturers also explained how the law works in practice.
What aspects of law interest you more and why?
I am interested in corporate law and property law. What spurred my interest in corporate law was the way my lecturers taught me the law of contract, commercial transactions, and company law. For property law, what piqued my interest in the course was the way my lecturers taught the course from a practical point of view. As an eloquent attestation to my interests in these courses, I won several awards and prizes for becoming the overall best student in corporate law and land law.
Tell us about your first moot court experience.
Joseph Olajugba and I were selected to represent the University of Lagos in the National Data Protection Moot in 2022. Joseph and I trained tirelessly for the moot. I remember I was interning at Aluko & Oyebode (now ALN/Aluko & Oyebode) while Joseph was interning at Udo Udoma & Belo Osagie.
After the brief writing stage, eight universities made it to the quarter-final, semi-final, and final rounds. The moot was about the collection of sensitive personal data and rectification of the entry of wrong personal data. All these amounted to a breach of the data privacy of the applicants under the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) 2019 and the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Data Protection. At the time, the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) was still a bill awaiting presidential assent. Hence, we drew inspiration from section 37 of the 1999 Constitution to make a case for data privacy and breach of it under the NDPR. We also advocated for the passage of the bill into law in line with the standard laid down under the Protocol which requires the enactment of a robust data protection regime.
The case was argued before the hypothetical ECOWAS Community Court of Justice. Out of the over 20 universities that registered for the moot, we eventually won the moot competition.
What was the title of your final-year project and what were the major findings from it?
My final year project is titled ‘Practical realities on the revocation of title and compensation regime under Nigerian Land Laws: Suggestions for reforms’. I should state that this project was ably supervised by Dr. Issa Adedokun, the winner of the best PhD thesis in Arts and Humanities (2024).
My major findings include (i) Neither the Constitution nor the Land Use Act stipulates a timeframe for payment of compensation to the holder of the revoked right of occupancy; (ii) Although the Land Use Act provides for resettlement of affected holders as an alternative to payment of compensation, the feasibility of such policy has not been tested against the practical realities of shortage of land in populous states; and (iii) There are circumstances where right of occupancy has been revoked for a public purpose, but which turned out to be deployed for private ends.
Your LinkedIn profile states that you were the 54th president of the Law Students’ Society of your university. What was your role on the job and how did it shape your studies and career?
Yes, I was the 54th president of the Law Students’ Society. My executive members and I served as an intermediary between the school authorities and the student community. We also listen to students’ complaints and escalate them to appropriate channels. Moreover, we represented the faculty in students’ affairs.
During my tenure, my team and I installed free WiFi for law students at the Law Lounge, organised the 1st national moot and debate competition, hosted the first national essay competition, sponsored faculty dues for 11 indigent law students, awarded outstanding male and female 1st ever balon d’or in Abiola Ojo Sports Festival for Law Students. We also carried out other regular annual activities and programmes.
The work and experience inculcated certain qualities in me such as discipline, time management, and listening skills. It taught me how to navigate through different situations in life.
Also, your profile states that you are an award-winning writer and researcher. Tell us about the things you have written or researched that won you the awards.
I have researched and written essays bordering on data protection, tax avoidance and tax evasion, Nigerian legal education, freedom of religion, the japa syndrome, public policy, the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on data privacy, the effect of the Land Use Act on land tenure system, criminal offence of rape, and maritime laws and policies, etc.
The awards were: winner, Meta National Data Protection Moot Competition; winner, SAA LASU National Moot and Debate Competition; winner, J.O Fabunmi National Essay Competition; winner, BLN National Essay Competition; top three, NHEF National Essay Competition; top three, Primus Grace LP National Essay Competition; top three, Pentagon Partners LP National Essay Competition; and top three, HJIUF National Essay Competition.
Others included: 1st runner up, TTA Moot and Mock Trial Holden at Nigerian Law School Moot Court; researcher for the winning Team of Taiwo Afolabi Annual Maritime National Competition, and the best researcher (international), DME International Moot Court Competition.
Recently, on LinkedIn, you posted a picture of you and Tunde Onakoya, the chess master and founder of Chess in the Slums Africa. Tell us about the circumstances under which the two of you met.
Tunde Onakoya hosted the UNILAG First-Class Graduate Meet-up at Lekki where prominent personalities spoke to us.
I learnt the following: Always put God first, success can be achieved in any field, learn from the best, it is easy to build meaningful things in Nigeria, look beyond your university degree, proffer local solutions with a global outlook, both success and failure shape you, etc.
What are the things you think the Faculty of Law at your university could improve on to make life and studies easier for students and staff?
Currently, the faculty has undergone major renovations under the current Dean, Professor Abiola Sanni, SAN. This, I believe, would ease the life and studies of law students. I would also like to encourage prospective sponsors and alumni network to contribute more resources for the installation of a lift, renovation of the Law Annex, and elevation of the faculty to the 9th floor.
A country is as good or bad as its legal system. As someone familiar with the Nigerian legal system, if you were to recommend three things that would strengthen the Nigerian legal system and help make the country a better place than it currently is now, what would they be?
First, there should be independence of the judiciary. This implies that the judiciary should not be subject to the whims and caprices of any other arms of government. Second, everybody should be equal before the law. Third, human rights must be respected by all persons and authorities in Nigeria.
Tell us about your internship programme and how it is impacting you.
I have had the privilege to intern at top-tier law firms including Banwo & Ighodalo, Udo Udoma & Belo Osagie, ALN/Aluko & Oyebode, and G.Elias & Co. Currently, I am a graduate trainee at Olaniwun Ajayi LP. In the course of my internship programme, I acquired practical knowledge of law in different areas such as power and infrastructure, mergers and acquisitions, real property law, corporate commercial law, fintech, dispute resolution, etc.
What are your plans and expectations for law school?
For law school, I intend to give it my best shot. With God, everything is possible. As such, I believe I will achieve the same feat I achieved at the university.
After law school, every fresh lawyer has a vision and dreams of what they want to do with their law training. What is the unique thing you want to do with your legal training and why?
I would like to take the first few years of my legal practice to understudy different areas of law. After establishing a firm interest in an area or more, I will then work towards becoming an expert in the area(s). Aside from practising law, I am passionate about lecturing and would like to combine practice with lecturing.
What is your advice to law students aspiring to achieve the academic feat you achieved?
There is no shortcut to success. You have to work hard and smart. Be consistent in everything you do. Ensure you prioritise what is important and do not waste time on frivolities. Make friends with people who have similar vision as you. Pay attention in class and understand what the lecturers want in tests and exams. Take good care of your health. Know what works for you.
Above all, commit everything to God’s hands and He will make a way for you.
Source: TRIBUNE ONLINE
