The thing about having to wait two months for the results to an examination you wrote, is that it gives you ample opportunity to do either of these three things: one, regurgitate all the mistakes you made in your scripts, and paint all scenarios of a well deserved failure; or two, pray fervently to God to cover all errors and grant you success; or three, just chill and wait for what is to come. This was what happened after I finished my bar examinations on 22nd May, 2015.
I did all three. Sometimes my mind surprised me due to its alacrity in changing its disposition. One minute I’m saying, “Naah, nothing! I no fit fail!”, the next minute I’m remembering how I goofed in Civil Litigation. I avoided the tag “Barrister” because there was a negative committee in my head saying, “you dey answer Barr, what if you fail?” Finally, the results were posted in the unholy hour of 12am or so soon thereafter, on the sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord, two thousand and fifteen. And I, even I, Edidiong Ime Effiong Emah Akpan, was successful. It ended in praise.
I cannot even begin to describe the long and torturous path I took to the bar. Nah, I cannot. From the laborious years in the faculty of law, to the sprint which was the Nigerian Law School, Bwari, I toiled. It was windy. My head was bloody, but unbowed. God took to me, and I clung to him. In the face of uncertainty, he reassured me in Genesis 15: 1 “fear not, I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward” and I was reassured. Godstar Egerue wrote, “God is real”, and I believe him. I believe him.
Seeing that I am about to join a profession that is already filled, my success in the exams is no more the first thing on my mind. The realities of what lies ahead for a new lawyer has been preoccupying my mind. For a second, I’m tempted to cry out, “Oh! If only I had at least a first class result, instead of two second class results!” because there is an automatic job for ‘first classers’. But you see, I found out that that too, was me not leaning on the everlasting arms! So I’m done worrying. I’ll send my resume to the best of firms, and trust God with the rest.
I know a couple of friends who didn’t make it in the bar exams. I’m really sad about them, and more so because I know how much they had prepared, and what this exams had meant to them. But the genius thing is not to give up. I know success will smile at them in the next round. Take heart, comrades, we will all sit together at the bar, someday.
This is me dedicating my success to God, and thanking everyone that believed it was possible.
Come October 2015, I will be writing my name in the biggest bar in Africa, and beginning a journey into known and unknown, charted and uncharted areas in the changing law. I congratulate all my colleagues who were successful, and wish them the best.
PS: It’s E. I. Effiong esq. The other three is for our village council salutation!
