A father’s tribute to his daughter at 25 and her call to the Nigerian Bar

There are milestones that redefine a parent’s life. Some arrive quietly; others announce themselves with unforgettable joy. For me, two such milestones came together this year.

I had originally written this tribute to celebrate my daughter Ayomide’s 25th birthday in February 2026. I intended to publish it then, but chose to wait until another defining moment—her call to the Nigerian Bar on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

That day, she gave me yet another title.

At her birth, she christened me “Baba Ayomide.” Now, following her admission as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, she has transformed me into “Baba Lawyer.” Today, everyone—even my 89-year-old mother, her grandmother—calls me by that name.

It is a title I wear with immense pride.

Congratulations, my dear daughter, on your 25th birthday and on achieving one of life’s greatest professional milestones. Watching you grow has been one of God’s richest blessings in my life.

Looking back, one thing stands out above everything else: you have always been intentional.

Even as a baby, you seemed to know exactly what you wanted.

On the very morning you turned nine months old, you stopped breastfeeding. Your mother and I thought it was a passing phase. We waited for you to change your mind. You never did. Every attempt to persuade—or even gently compel—you failed. While many children still depended on breastfeeding well into their toddler years, you simply decided you were done. In a way, your mother had to wean herself too.

By the age of two, you had stopped bedwetting entirely without anyone teaching or prompting you. One day, we simply noticed your bed was always dry. You spared us both the anxiety and the expense of diapers.

Then came another unforgettable moment.

You were just three years old when we visited our family friends, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, and his wife, Aunty Dolapo, at their home in Victoria Garden City. The professor repeatedly offered you cookies, convinced that you merely needed encouragement. After politely declining several times, you finally looked at him and said, “No, no, no. Mi ò fẹ́. I don’t want cookies.”

Professor Osinbajo smiled and stopped immediately. He remarked that you had made your decision unmistakably clear—in both Yoruba and English.

That was you.

Clear. Courteous. Determined.

As you grew older, those qualities never changed.

When you were 15, you surprised me with a question every father eventually expects but is rarely prepared to answer.

“Daddy, when will I be allowed to have a boyfriend?”

It caught me off guard, but I recognised it as the beginning of important life conversations. By God’s grace, I explained that every season of life has its purpose and that some opportunities become blessings only when embraced at the right time.

You listened.

Instead of distractions, you focused on your education with even greater determination. Looking back now, perhaps the time has finally come for that 15-year-old request to be pursued.

As a student, you made parenting remarkably easy. Apart from changing your kindergarten schools several times because of your mother’s banking career, we had very little cause for concern.

You excelled academically, consistently ranking among the top students in your class. By Primary Four, your teachers were already convinced you possessed the maturity and academic ability for secondary school.

It was during your early secondary school years that you first told me you wanted to become a lawyer.

What struck me was not your ambition but the way you expressed it.

You did not ask whether you should study Law.

You simply asked, “What subjects do I need to become a lawyer?”

The decision had already been made in your mind. You only needed directions.

From that moment, you pursued your dream with remarkable discipline. You chose the right subjects, studied diligently, passed your WASSCE examinations with excellent grades, and scored 285 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

Then came an unexpected setback.

Somewhere within Nigeria’s educational system, your chosen course mysteriously changed from Law to Portuguese Language.

I will never forget the anguish in your voice that Sunday morning as you woke me with tears, telling me what had happened.

Thankfully, after making enquiries with both JAMB and Obafemi Awolowo University, the error was traced and corrected. The university’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor even called personally to apologise.

That incident only reinforced what I had always known.

Becoming a lawyer was never my dream for you.

It was yours.

Perhaps my years as a journalist covering Nigeria’s justice sector inspired you in some way. But the vision, the determination and the relentless pursuit belonged entirely to you.

Today, that dream has become reality.

You now stand proudly as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

More than that, you have achieved something deeply personal for our family.

My late father, Alhaji Bello Olorunishola Ogunsakin, always hoped I would become a lawyer. Life took me in another direction.

Through you, however, that dream has found fulfilment.

You are the first lawyer in the entire Ogunsakin family.

I have no doubt your grandfather is smiling from heaven.

Ayomide, every father hopes for a child who will make him proud. God blessed me with exactly that.

As your father, I pray that you will prosper beyond imagination. May favour and mercy never depart from your life. May you never know delay or denial. May your name continually open doors for you. Wherever the soles of your feet tread, may you possess your inheritance. May your life be long, fruitful and impactful.

Wá dàgbà, wá d’ọ́gbò. Wá rí bà tí ṣe, wá rí ọ̀nà gbé gba.

May you grow old in good health. May you always find purpose, fulfilment and honour.

Thank you for making me proud.

Thank you for becoming the daughter every father dreams of having.

Happy birthday, my darling, and congratulations on your call to the Nigerian Bar.

I love you more than words can ever express.

MAO

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