Nigeria’s–and maybe the world’s–oldest law student!
At an age close to 80 yearswith a child of his already a lawyer, Pa Benedy Ogbole Igene has justfinished his first session second semester law examination. PAPA: That is his sobriquet among his peers. No other sobriquet appears moreapt. He is a Papa among other Papas and Mamas at the Ibadan Centre ofthe National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).Though blessed with a boyish and sportsmanlike figure, both the centreoverseer, facilitators and other grandpa students call him Papa and bowwhen greeting him. A close contact with him will show that, indeed, thedifference is clear. If former President Olusegun Obasanjo were to bein his centre, he would have no option than to call him Egbon, meaningelder.
His sojourn in life has not had much of pleasantexperiences. Rather, his life has been like someone who had hisumbilical cord tied to crises when coming to the world. Said he toMid-Week Tribune: “The period I was in my mother’s womb was a mystery.I was born long before what doctors now call Expected Delivery Date(EDD). When I was born, villagers who knew of my birth did not rejoicewith my mother. Some days after, some of them came to my mother andasked Ogbole? meaning can he survive? Others called me Izagodo, meaningempty vessel. For four months, I was not christened. My motheraddressed me as Omo, meaning my baby. It was when I grew up that mymother told me all these.” In his resume, he has to his credit, so tosay, work experiences as a house boy, gardener, cook and shop sweeperto mention a few. But he was resolute and dogged. “As a houseboy, I waseager to go to college. When they sent me out to go and sell keroseneor bread, I will stop at the market and help some women to sweep theirshops for a fee. I used this money to purchase form and wrote entranceexamination into Immaculate concession, Benin but I didn’t have moneyto go for the interview. This propelled me to take a job at theMinistry of Agriculture, Irrua as a general labourer for about threeyears”, he recalled.