We are all Entitled to Human Rights

I grew up in a family where we were always welcome to visit our relatives whenever they wanted us to. Even though our house wasn't a big extended family home, we would still have relatives living with us at times. I'm not a fan of crowded spaces, but when it comes to relatives who truly value and understand us, I appreciate their presence a lot. This is to say that I have a good relationship with my family, both those who live nearby and those who are far away.

Growing up, I developed a strong dislike for cheating, favoritism, injustice, and prejudice.
My dad's younger sister used to call me the home lawyer when I was a kid because of how I would react whenever her child tried to cheat, lie, or shirk their responsibilities. This character stuck with me throughout my primary and secondary school years. I would often have issues with my classmates when they tried to bend the school rules but disciplined the younger students for doing the same.

The same thing happened in my sister's hostel during her first year of university. While others were sharing rooms, she was living alone in her room. When their borehole needed repairs and they needed to contribute money, I was shocked to find out that her bill was higher than everyone else's. They had divided the money among the rooms instead of individually. Why should she pay 5k when others were paying something like N1,500, N1,000, or N500? I had to step in and confront the landlord on her behalf. After a few arguments, his wife saw the reason and asked him to make the bill individual payments.

Everyone was surprised at how outspoken I was, considering I was still in my final year of secondary school.
Actually, fear of speaking out is very slim because I believe that we are all entitled to our human rights and fairness, the right to freedom of speech included. Lol!

So, assuming I have the resources to practice law, I would refrain from pursuing it. Although I have a strong urge to seek justice for the oppressed, fight for the less privileged, and become the voice for those who can't speak for themselves, it's not very healthy in my country.

We live in a corrupt world where the truth is often disregarded, and all that matters is financial status and public influence. It's disheartening to think that a lady can be a victim of rape and not speak up because she has no one in authority and fears not being believed by those in power.

"You seduced my husband." A lady once said when her younger sister complained about her husband harassing her. It was bad and the young girl was returned to the village, for a crime she didn’t commit. She felt humiliated and heartbroken.

For my mental health, I would choose not to become a defense lawyer. It would be too painful for me to witness an innocent person being sent to prison because I couldn't defend them well. Similarly, it would be devastating if a wicked person went unpunished because I couldn't prove their crime.
I realized something about lawyers and judges; Even though everyone may know the truth, without concrete evidence, there’s nothing that can be done. The victim is as helpless as a corpse.

Another reason is influence and intimidation. You can do anything when someone points a gun at your head and demands you step out of a case or threaten to hurt your loved ones. All these behind-the-scenes actions make the good lawyers we have to compromise. So, I would rather stay away from anything law-related, even though I find it very appealing to me, and valuable to my society.