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Says professional titles cannot replace knowledge, experience, competence and proven records in public service
The APC South-West Youth Leader, Barr. Adesuyi Daramola, has responded to Governor Seyi Makinde’s recent comparison of Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli’s legal credentials, saying the senator’s professional, academic and public-service record goes far beyond whether or not he holds the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
Daramola, while acknowledging Governor Makinde as an accomplished engineer, said assessing Senator Alli’s worth as a lawyer or his capacity for public leadership solely on the basis of the SAN title presents a narrow view of professional competence.
According to him, professional titles are prestigious distinctions, but they cannot on their own determine a person’s knowledge, competence, experience or contribution to society.
«“A title is not a substitute for knowledge, and the absence of a title is not evidence of the absence of competence,” Daramola said.»
He said Senator Alli’s career trajectory extends well beyond legal practice, encompassing grassroots administration, state executive administration, institutional management, regional corporate governance and national legislation.
Daramola also highlighted Alli’s academic progression from an LL.B. and LL.M. to a Ph.D. in Legislative and Strategic Studies from the Federal University of Lokoja, describing it as evidence of continued intellectual development in areas closely connected to legislation, governance and public policy.
While acknowledging that the SAN rank remains one of the most prestigious distinctions in Nigeria’s legal profession, Daramola stressed that its absence does not diminish a lawyer’s competence or capacity to make meaningful contributions to law and public life.
«“The rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria is undoubtedly prestigious. But it does not follow that every distinguished lawyer must be a SAN. Professional worth cannot be reduced to one designation,” he said.»
Daramola cited prominent Nigerian lawyer and businessman, Gbenga Oyebode, MFR, co-founder of Aluko & Oyebode, as an example of an accomplished legal practitioner whose career and contributions demonstrate that professional excellence cannot be defined solely by titles.
He added that Nigerian lawyers have made significant contributions to commercial law, arbitration, human rights, constitutional development, legislative practice, legal scholarship and corporate governance, with their impact extending beyond professional designations.
‘GOVERNANCE IS MORE THAN PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS’
Daramola further distinguished between professional qualifications and leadership capacity, noting that while Governor Makinde is an engineer and Senator Alli is a lawyer, neither professional background, on its own, should be regarded as a measure of governmental excellence.
«“A professional qualification tells us what a person was trained to do. A career tells us what the person has actually done,” he said.»
He pointed to Senator Alli’s extensive public-service record, noting that he has served at the local-government level, as Secretary to the State Government and Chief of Staff, chaired a major regional investment institution and represented Oyo South Senatorial District in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Daramola also highlighted Alli’s legislative experience, including his service as chairman and member of important Senate committees, alongside his continued academic development.
He maintained that such a record provides a broader basis for assessing leadership capacity than the presence or absence of a professional title.
Daramola urged political actors and the public to focus on experience, ideas, competence, integrity and demonstrable achievements when assessing individuals seeking public office.
«“Governor Makinde’s own professional background should make him appreciate this principle. An engineering degree is a qualification; governance is an entirely different test of leadership,” he said.»
He cautioned against making professional titles the principal yardstick for determining political competence, arguing that public leadership should be judged by ideas, experience and results.
«“If we begin to make professional titles the principal test of political competence, then we reduce public leadership to a contest of suffixes rather than a contest of ideas, experience and results,” Daramola said.»
Daramola concluded that Senator Alli’s decades of professional, administrative and legislative experience, together with his academic development, provide a broader basis for evaluating his leadership credentials.
«“Titles can introduce a man, but only history can authenticate him. And on that score, Senator Alli’s journey speaks for itself.”
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