VP Osinbajo’s Congratulatory Message On The 60th Anniversary Of Olaniwun Ajayi LP

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CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, GCON, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ON THE OCCASION OF THE 60^TH ANNIVERSARY OF OLANIWUN AJAYI LP ON THE 11^TH OF NOVEMBER, 2022

I am delighted to felicitate with my dear friend and brother, Prof. Konyinsola Ajayi SAN, the partners, members and management of Olaniwun Ajayi LLP on the 60^TH Anniversary of this great law firm.

In a world where few organizations outlive, much less, exceed, the dreams and deeds of their founders, the attainment of your diamond jubilee is no mean milestone. And while it is remarkable that we can mark the 60^th  decade of Olaniwun Ajayi LP, it is evident that we are not here to commemorate the simple fact of mere longevity.

Indeed, over the past 60 years, this firm has established itself as one of the biggest law firms in Nigeria and has also forged a reputation for handling some of the largest and most complex transactions in different sectors of the Nigerian economy. You have built up an impressive client list of local and foreign corporates, governments and individuals by simply doing the hard work, maintaining high ethical standards and keeping ahead of the curve.

Since it was founded just two years after our country’s independence, Olaniwun Ajayi LP has grown from being a sole practitionership to one of the largest and open partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa, participating in some of Nigeria’s landmark precedential cases and bringing scholarship and progressive thinking to bear in advocacy.

Much more recently, the firm’s foray into external markets as well as instituting an innovation lab are both significant testaments to the dynamism and forward thinking of its management. In these 60 years, I think it is fair to say that Olaniwun Ajayi LP has presented an emphatically affirmative answer to the question of whether our homegrown business and professional institutions can compete in the global marketplace. And just this September, you became the first African law firm to establish an English Law Practice in the United Kingdom.

But for some of us who are not just friends but also family, today is also a day of remembrance. We remember the great founder of this firm, Sir Olaniwun Ajayi KJW, on whose giant shoulders and strength of character this firm reached its first heights, and though not a lawyer, the remarkable woman for whom the building that houses this firm is fittingly named, Lady Adunola Ajayi, a steady, present rock for her husband and her illustrious children, one of who is Prof. Konyinsola Ajayi, the senior partner in the firm.  May their memories and legacies always be blessed.

On this note, let me congratulate you once again on attaining this great milestone. And I pray that the next 60 years will be much more successful, more rewarding and more impactful than the last 60 years in Jesus’ name.

Happy 60th Anniversary!