What was it like growing up?

I grew up in Ilorin. I was born in the city almost 76 years ago. There is no part of Ilorin that I am not used to. I attended Isale Kotu School, one of the oldest schools in Ilorin. I have been in the palace. I have been in Pakata. My ambition was to acquire as much knowledge as possible. So I started by learning the Koran when I was two years old. When I was four, I wanted to start school. But the school authorities would not admit me because they thought I was not old enough. They said that I must stretch my hand over my head to reach my ear before they could allow me. But this was not possible for me then. Each time they wanted to register fresh pupils in the school, I would go there. In those days, if a child's hand did not reach his ear, he would not be admitted into any school. It did not matter how old he was.

How did you feel when you were not admitted?

Each time I was denied admission into school, I wept. They ought to have admitted me because I was old enough at five years to attend school. But they refused. The education officer, Mr. Thorbon, was Irish and he liked me. He had seen me come for three consecutive years. My late brother, who was a former Chief Judge of a Federal High Court, was already in school. He was older than me by three-and-a-half years. I would follow him to school and sit under a mango tree to watch what they were teaching the pupils in their class. When I was finally admitted in 1944, the school was having a challenge: Class One was already full. So they said that I should be put in Class Two so that if I repeated the class the following year, those that passed in Class One would join me. But I always beat the others to emerge in the first position in Class Two. Then I got double promotion and ended up in Class Four. But my grandfather refused because he felt I was too small to be in that class. He insisted that I must be in Class Three. I was quite small at that time. In 1948, I sat for the entrance examination in a school which we now call the Government Day Secondary School, Ilorin. I grew up with the late Etsu Nupe, Ndayako. His father was the Etsu Nupe in Bida. My first day in the school was boring, but I learnt many things. I made outstanding grades there. From there, I went to Barewa College, which was then known as Government Day Secondary School, Zaria. Then Mr. Thorbon had became the Director of Education Services in Lagos. A street was named after him in Yaba, Lagos. It is called Thorbon Avenue. He was the one that mooted the idea of Yaba College. He was a very nice man. Then he said two of us should choose the secondary school that we would like to attend anywhere. I wanted King's College, Lagos.

What happened next?

I learnt that the Emir refused. He had a good reason. Some of our people started school there in 1935 and they were doing well for three years. By the time they got to Class Four, they started playing polo and started doing things that were completely un-Islamic. The late Rev. Ransome Kuti, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti's father, was the principal of Apapa Grammar School. Mr. Thorbon thought of us going there. The Emir was afraid of his wife. The wife was very intelligent, but he was conservative. Kuti suggested Ilesa Grammar School, which was headed by his friend. Two weeks before we left, the other person developed smallpox. So I was the only one at that was eventually sent there. He had to wait for a year, this time to go to Barewa College, Zaria.

So you moved to Ilesa Grammar School?

I left for Ilesa Grammar School. I thought it was going to be temporary. But after spending a year, I liked the place. I remained in Ilesa and participated in every sport, including soccer, athletics, debate and other extracurricular activities. I am always proud of that school and the school is always proud of me. I did very well in all subjects, but I did not know what I would be later in life. Many people thought I would become either a doctor or an engineer because of my ability in mathematics and other science subjects. I did well in every subject. My principal was the father of Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi. But every holiday, I would go home. The Emir always sent his bodyguards to come and take me home. He was the grandfather of the present Emir. The present Emir is my cousin. That is how I grew up as a child.

Do you recall any memorable experience in your childhood?

The last one was when I was infected with smallpox. I never knew what was happening to me. It was during the Second World War. Till today, I have never asked how long it lasted. But I remember that one day some Congolese soldiers came to Nigeria and some of them were camped in Ilorin in a place that is now called Sobi. There is a military barracks there now. The soldiers roamed the town. When I saw them I exclaimed and asked what type of native authority police they were. Then everybody started rejoicing.

Why were they rejoicing?

They were rejoicing because I had been unconscious all the while. They never thought I would survive. When I tried to stand up, I fell down. I did not know that my heels had peeled off. You could count the bones in my body. People rejoiced that I had regained consciousness and that I would be alright. Later, I got well and I was happy. That should be between 1941 and 1942. I never asked how long I was in a coma and those who could have told me are all dead.

How did you start a career in law?

When I left school, I decided to study medicine. In fact, the Northern Nigerian Government gave me a scholarship to study medicine. But my relatives refused to let me accept it. They said that I had no future in medicine or engineering. They wanted me to study law instead. I thought about travelling, going to places and knowing Nigeria very well. Finally, the Emir called me and said, ‘Alfa, this is what they are asking me to do. I want you to do it.' So, I agreed because that was the man that I grew up with and he was the only one that I could obey without asking any question.

Who was the Emir?

Emir Abdulkadir. He died in May 1959. He was on the throne for 40 years between 1919 and 1959.

How did you gain admission to study law?

It was not difficult. I went out of the town. I could not go to any Nigerian College to study for A-Levels or Higher School Certificate. I went to a place called Malete, where the Kwara State University is located now. A cousin of mine lived in the town. He liked me, though his children were older than me. He sheltered me in a small house where I lived and started studying through correspondence. I spent eight months there. I sat for the A-Level examination and I passed all the subjects. I was supposed to travel outside the country for further education in 1958, but I could not because somebody impersonated me and wrote to the university, saying that I did not want the scholarship again. By the time I discovered, it was too late. But I let the university know that I was not the one that wrote the letter rejecting the scholarship. There was no university in Nigeria at the time. Ibadan was a university college. We didn't have a full university then.

What did you do to the person that impersonated you?

Only God can revenge. I did not care. Maybe that was how God wanted it.

Did any member of your family influence your lifestyle?

Some people talk about their grandmothers. But in my own case, I had great grandmothers. I knew three of them as a child. The first one died when I was about eight years old. She was Meruna. The second one, Fatima, died when I was in secondary school. The third one was the mother of the Emir of Abdulkadir. She was Khadija. The three of them had something in common: they were disciplinarians. They did not brook any nonsense from anybody. You could not dictate to them what you wanted to eat. They would ask what you would like to eat and you told them you would eat whatever that was available. If you mentioned anything, they would not give it to you. That is the way I grew up with them and they made sure that I learnt the Koran and that I went to school constantly. Even when I fell ill, they would insist that I had to go to school.

How did you continue with your education?

Many people were surprised when I passed my A-Level examination. Eventually in 1960, I left the country for Britain. That was two months before Nigeria gained independence. I was among the few students leaders in London when we became an independent country. I was in Britain for three years, studying law.

How was life as a student?

As a student, I was very active. From secondary school to higher institution, I participated in all student activities, including politics. I was active in the debating society. When I was called to the bar, I was among the first students from Nigeria. The Inn is almost 600 years since it started. Only a few Nigerians were there and they included Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Richard Akinjide. These are the ones I can remember.

?After studying law, where did you go next??

I returned to Nigeria in January 1964. I thought I should start private practice in Lagos. Some reputable law chambers in the country wanted to employ me. Unfortunately, I discovered that their real motive was to drag me into politics and I did not want that. So, I decided to work as a state counsel in the North. I applied for the job and the then Civil Service Commission said they would only employ me as a magistrate. I was a young bachelor at the time. They thought that I would reject the offer. But my uncle, the Emir, heard of it. Our former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mohammed Bello was promoted as a Director of Public Prosecution that year. He was very close to the Emir. He was the Chief Magistrate of Ilorin. He phoned the Emir. Then the Emir said to me, ‘Alfa, I understand that you are appointed a native judge or magistrate. I understand you have been trying to reject it. If you reject it, do not come home.' That was why I accepted the job.

Tell us about your experience on the bench

As a magistrate, I served all over the north in Benue, Plateau, Kano, Kaduna and Katsina states. I started the first resident magistrate's court in Sokoto. It was there that the state creation met me in 1967. I was asked to go to Plateau. I remained in Plateau State and I was appointed Chief Judge. I was in the state for three years because I was a reluctant Chief Judge. I was the youngest person in that position. I was brilliant. I was willing to serve under those who were my seniors. But nobody listened to me. So, I gave a condition that I would not stay in office longer than three years. I decided that if there was still a place for me at the Court of Appeal and they wanted to take me there, I would rather go. If there was none, then I would withdraw my service and find something else to do outside legal practice. I was transferred to the Court of Appeal as a judge immediately.

What year was that?

It was in 1979. I was busy with the Election Tribunal in Imo State, which involved the late Governor Samuel Mbakwe and another party. It was there that the then President of the Court of Appeal phoned to ask if I still wanted to move on to the Court of Appeal and I said yes. I was sworn in. I served in the court for seven years, between 1979 and 1986. It was there the then CJN appointed me a justice of the Supreme Court. I was in the Supreme Court for 21 years. Then I retired. I served the country in my judicial capacity for 43 years. I started in 1964 as a young magistrate and I retired in 2007 as a judge of the Supreme Court.

How did it feel serving Nigeria as a judicial officer?

You know that you are serving your country. That was the greatest call by then. To serve in all those years without anybody complaining against me was a thing of joy. I left as a modest man. I was not interested in amassing wealth, but to serve the country. Service to the fatherland has been the history of my family. My grandfather was an alkali in this town. My father was a senior alkali here in Ilorin. He was appointed to the Sharia Court, but died before he was sworn in. We are about six now in the judiciary: one person is in the Court of Appeal, some are magistrates and state counsels, while others are serving in various capacities.

Which is your happiest day in life?

My happiest day was when I retired and nobody said anything against me. They said that I did very well. The then President Olusegun Obasanjo called me specially after the ceremony and congratulated me and thanked me for serving the country.

And your saddest day?

The day I lost my parents. First one was when I was just two months in England when my father died. The second was when I was appointed the Chief Justice of Nigeria and my mother died at the age of 87. I would have been very happy if she was alive to see me appointed CJN. I had other sad moments, but those two are very remarkable because of the period they occurred.

How did you meet your wife?

My wife, Fatima, was my cousin. The uncle who brought her up was a court clerk to my father. Then they were looking for a good school for her. Then I thought of a school now called Queen Amina College in Kaduna. It was a Catholic Secondary School. She went there. I never knew that we were going to get married. I was busy working. By the time they killed some of our leaders, I was very careful. I am talking about Tafawa Belewa, Festus Okotie-Eboh, the Sarduana, Akintola and many others. They were wiped out on Jan. 15, 1966. I felt very sad and that was the time that I decided that I would get married. Some of the children of those leaders that were killed were in school at the time. In Fulani tradition, we marry our cousins. My parents were also cousins. The family decided on the marriage.

How did you talk to her about marriage?

The family had already settled it. They agreed and I agreed. That was all. My children married that way too. Parents will agree and consult you and you then agree. In my own case, I had no objection.

How did you cope with female admirers?

I had friends among Nigerians and expatriates. I had friends from Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Britain. I had friends who were French, Spanish and Arab. They were my mates and we had a decent relationship. But I never thought of marrying anybody outside Nigeria because of my family name. What if she came and my people rejected her? Would I then have a divorce? I did not want to think of that.

What is your take on allegations of corruption against judges in Nigeria?

Nigerians have always accused judges of corruption. But most of the charges have not been proved. If you trace unusual wealth to somebody, there can be a presumption of corruption. But you have to prove it. It is alleged that some people are corrupt. That is not enough. From 1981 to the day I retired, I always declared my asset. Political leaders and judicial officers are supposed to declare their assets at the beginning and at the end of their service. But I don't know if this is being done.

Would it be appropriate for them to declare their assets?

It is better for them to declare their assets.

What is your advice to Nigerian youths and members of the judiciary?

The youths should work hard. They should love this country and their communities. They should love progress and peace. And above that, they should work hard so as to be successful. The members of the judiciary should be very independent. They may have friends, but they should not let anything distract them from their duties. Let duty come first before friendship. If you lose a friend today because of your duty, when the result of your duty comes out, that friend will come back to you.