By Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti
Young, brainy lawyer on focus is the daughter of the late former Ekiti State Chairman of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Barrister Paul Ayodele Omotosho. She is Barrister Gbemisola Omotosho.
Recall that her traumatised father died recently following following a brief illness shortly after his release from the dungeon of serial kidnappers.
Gbemisola, despite her erudition and accomplishments in the legal profession, has been suffering ears impairment for 17 years, but remains undaunted and is not dismayed.
She states on a wide range of issues in an interview conducted by missives, with Gbenga Sodeinde.
Excerpts:
Ques: Please tell me about your person
Ans: My name is Gbemisola Omotosho, daughter to the former APC State Chairman of Ekiti state ; Barr. Paul Ayodele Omotosho ( Late).
I am a Legal Practitioner with four years post call experience in Corporate Commercial law / Alternative Dispute Resolution / Intellectual Property / Technology law among others .
Question: How old are you?
Ans: (smiles): This is private to me. I won’t like to state my age. Rather, I would like to say I am a very young lady in my prime…..
Question: What are you doing currently?
Ans: Currently, I am a legal practitioner in my desired field of Law and I am grateful to God for growth and advancement in my chosen field of practice.
My practice areas include but not limited to the following: Corporate Commercial Law | Intellectual Property | Alternative Dispute Resolution | Technology law | Property Law
Que: What other things do you do for a living?
Ans: Aside from being a legal practitioner, I can fully say that I am a determined lady with great potentials.
As a result of this, I have discovered many areas of my abilities and at the same time, worked towards it and I am glad I was able to achieve some while still working towards other areas.
Aside from being a legal practitioner, I am a Certified Mediator, I am into REAL ESTATE BUSINESS as an Associate and Real Estate Consultant. I am also a Business Consultant. I am Corporate Commercial Lawyer. I advice Companies , Institutions and Corporations Particularly for issues around Regulatory Compliance , Corporate Governance and the likes
Ques: How have you been coping as an ear-impaired lawyer?
Ans: A change in your ears’ function is highly daunting, because a lot is associated with it.
We are human and when things go sour with our health, some stay strong, while a few might not be as strong as we think. Because we all have our areas of strength and weakness.
Living with ears impairment and coping with same for the past 17 years wasn’t easy on my part as Human, but with the help of God Almighty, I am alive to tell the story that I survived a lot associated with it, which I had experienced at different stages of my living as Human.
As stated earlier that it has been with the help of God that I have been able to cope with ears’ impairment .
I have also been able to cope with the supports of my late Dad , Mum and siblings and a few family members…
Again, I have been able to cope with the help of friends. Like I said, that I have had different experiences at different stages of my living as a person with ears impairment . I have been to schools right from my junior secondary school up to law school and till this very moment, my friends and colleagues have been supportive in plethora ways.
Many of the experiences I had have helped me to see this challenges as stepping stones. In the same vein , it had taught me to be strong and courageous in the face of daunting challenges, same had pushed me to where I am today, because I wasn’t willing to slack behind.
I have also been able to cope medically through the help of HEARING AID. Although, I had this used in the past. Presently , I no longer make use of Hearing aid and without it , I am still coping far better than when I was using it . Grateful to God for progress, because I don’t want to look like how it was and where I was with the challenges some years ago.
Above all , God has extremely been helpful to my case .
Ques: Your father was a political pillar to the APC during his lifetime in Ekiti State. How has life been now that he is no more, compared to when he was alive ?
Ans:The finality of death can feel almost unbelievable , particularly when it strikes a parent , someone whose presence in your life never wavered .
Let me be honest with you. After God almighty, my late dad was my everything. People who know the bond between me and my dad well, will attest to the aforesaid.
The loss of his supports, guidance, love, etc had left a vast emptiness and pain that seem impossible to heal.
When my Dad was alive, life was quite easy for us his children, because his children were his priority, particularly Me. His presence alone brings so much positivity. After God, he was everything we have and can individually depend on without him nagging. What a great Man, my dad was.
The presence of my dad drives away our worries, he is always ready to hear and listen to our complaints while assuring us of great things, promising us a bright future, while he work effortlessly toward it . He does not like seeing us being worried. His presence brings tranquility and lot more. Words alone, are not enough to describe how much we miss his presence , memories and lot more I can’t just begin to write .
To be honest, the death of a father like my dad is the greatest loss of all the time.
After his demise, things didn’t go well like when he was alive. Changes occured at different phase. We his children experienced it , the family he left behind experienced it , friends to my dad experienced it. His political associates experienced it and those he had helped also experienced the changes that occured. In alternative, there was a shift in things.
We have been in different seasons after his demise. Things are not how it was when he was alive or easy for us like when he was alive. We have been surviving only through the help of God almighty. The grace of God has been sufficient for us all since his demise and up till now we are still under the grace of God now and forever .
Que: He has a political shoe which he has left behind, is any of you his children prepared now to step into this big shoe?
Ans: Yes! We all know he left a Political shoes behind. Going into politics is not a child play. There are things to be put into consideration, if you have the plan to go into politics. Let me remind you that everyone in politics today are there for different reasons. My father’s death wasn’t expected at that time, if it had been that he knew he would be leaving soon, he would have mentored almost two of his children politically.
Now, you query us if any of the children are prepared to step into this big shoe ?
My answer won’t be straightforward. We don’t have the plan yet. We are still healing . We don’t have the training/ mentorship needed that would help us if we go into it.
Cause to become politician, one need mentorship and a lack of mentorship won’t help you progress or advance. No one want to slack behind, everyone desire progress.
So, if we are lacking these now , we don’t think we can step into it , until we have the right resources that can help us step into it and progress massively beyond him in politics. We look forward to this later in the future and may God help us to plan and fulfill.
Ques:Would you say that you benefitted in a way for your late father’s political influence?
Ans: The aforesaid question is quite personal and confidential. I am sorry , that I could not give a straight forward answer.
Ques: As a lawyer, you fight for peoples’ rights and protect them, this is kind of similar to what politicians do, do you have interest in politics?
Ans: I am a professional, presently I am more focused on building my corporate career and ensuring gather more experience and expertise in my field. Politics, low-key.
Ques: Do you have an NGO?, and if yes, how do you serve the Nigerian people in this respect? Or do you intend to have?
Ans: I don’t have NGO ( NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION) . I am looking forward to having one in earnest.
When I am fully ready, It would serve to help the Less privileged mostly the Physically challenged in the society….
We have a lot of stigma associated with physically challenged persons, I aims at breaking the bias/ stereotype to enable a balanced society.
We live in a society where average of the less privileged are hopeful and a thousands of them are hopeless. I aims at bringing HOPE closer to the physically challenged assuring them possibility, LUKE 1:37.
I also aims at working in hands with the legislative to ensure enforcement and Compliance with the discrimination against person with disability (Prohibition) act to ensure that persons with disability are not discriminated on ground of their impairment or restricted from employment as a result of challenges they are confronted with.
It is possible to see a visual impaired person , yet the same person carries massive potentials. If you are to employ that type of person , it is possible to judge on ground of impairment , without knowing about their potential and what they can bring to the table . This is where many employers in the labour market gets it wrong .
Above all, I want to be a change maker. A Voice for the Voiceless !
Que: Given the fact that you are yourself a social worker, have you gotten support in concrete terms from political Leaders in Ekiti such as Erelu Bisi, Fayemi, Oyebanji, Jide Awe, among others?
Ans: Answer to this question is PERSONAL. I am sorry, I can’t say much in this regard….
Que: In what ways do you need these leaders’ assistance ?
Ans: We all need Assistance . We rise by lifting others ! I will need them in different ways. I will like to make you understand that, when it come to assisting or helping others , people will actually know their capacity, likewise their limit .
So,to start stating areas I needed assistance doesn’t sound right to me .
If anyone is willing to assist me ,I am open and will like to know the way they wish to help and this will help me speak my mind, confidently .