Why I served in US Army before practising law — Nigeria-born solicitor

President of the Nigerian American Lawyers Association, Mr Chike Ogbuehi, tells BIODUN BUSARI about pursuing his two childhood professional careers in the United States, among other issues

Can you take us through your childhood?

I was born in Egbuoma, Oguta in Imo State and raised in Lagos. My parents are fantastic and had a positive influence on me growing up. We lived in Orile, Surulere. Later, my dad built his house in Iyana Isashi, Okokomaiko area. My dad worked for Union Bank for almost 30 years. My mum was a businesswoman. She had a water packaging factory at Signals Barracks in Mile 2. She passed away in 2012. My dad is very much alive.

How was school life for you?

It was fun. I went to Cherubim and Seraphim (Ayo ni o) Secondary School in Sanya, Lagos. I had lots of good friends. I was an Arts student. I was on top of my class. I was one of those troublemakers. I used to study at home and play a lot in school. I could remember my teachers would warn my friends not to play with me because I studied well at home and scored high in my assignments. I also enjoyed playing football. I still have fond memories of how we played around the school till we got our uniforms filthy.

Was your tertiary education better?

I did my two-year diploma in law at the Olabisi Onabanjo University in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State in 2005. After that, I went on a two-year missionary journey with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I served in Ogwashi Uku, Asaba, Delta State, Enugu and Abuja. Shortly after that, I relocated to the United States, where I did the rest of my university education. So I have my bachelor’s in psychology from Brigham Young University in Idaho. Then, I proceeded to the University of Idaho for law school.

Did you have any career in the US before practising law?

I joined the US army. The reason was to fulfill my childhood ambitions. Whenever I was asked as a child what I wanted to become, I would say, “I want to be a lawyer and a soldier.” So shortly after I got to the US, I joined the army. I was in service for almost 10 years before I left to focus on my legal career. Being in uniform and the opportunities it presented was one of my greatest feats in the US.

What was the experience like?

I started as an enlisted soldier. Then I was commissioned as an officer after graduating from law school. By the time I was leaving, I was a captain in the US Army. My biggest highlight was the knowledge that came from the understanding of the role leadership plays in our world. As an army officer rising up to the rank, I was in charge of communications. This entailed the ability for the military to talk across the landscape while stationary and/or on the move. I was privileged to see that when we have good leadership, things tend to work. When leadership breaks down, things are likely to be less efficient. I just proceeded to practice law as my childhood aspiration.

What is the experience like now as a lawyer?

It’s been like every other lawyer across the world. It has its good days and also not very fun days. My work focuses on civil litigation and Employment-Based immigration. I consider myself an expert in the aspects where people relocate to the US through education and work through obtaining the EB1, EB2, EB3 visas and so on. Our legal firm has worked with a good number of Nigerian professionals, professors, doctors, researchers and others in these regards. Regarding my litigation work, we handle settling disputes between businesses, individuals, and accident related disputes between individuals and insurance company. Sometimes we also represent individuals who are injured while receiving medical treatments in medical malpractice cases, where the doctor is negligent, causing an individual injury or death in some cases. So that’s my niche in my practice here. It’s been great so.

What is the role of the Nigerian American Lawyers Association in this?

NALA was founded in 2015 by a group of lawyers who came together to find a way to put the organisation together and advocate for Nigerians among others in the legal space. The US is a litigious society. You can get sued for almost anything and nothing at the same time. So we see our people falling victims for lack of access to legal representation.

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For those reasons,  NALA  was  formed with the goal of advancing the work of Nigerians across the US. The mission of the organisation is to expand mentorship programmes, strengthen our professional network and advance the initiatives that would empower the Nigerian American legal professionals. NALA provides the connection that Nigerian lawyers need.

What do you mean by connection?

The practice of law is beyond submitting your motions and filing your briefs. Sometimes, we fail to see it as a human interaction. Even as lawyers, we become subjects of the process itself, even before we argue our cases. A typical example is, if I am a judge and I am presiding over a case, I’ll be more sympathetic to a lawyer’s case and maybe overlook minor omissions because I’m familiar with the individual or his/her association, as opposed to a person that I don’t know. It’s not necessarily a bias. It is just a human network. This is what NALA does, to bridge this gap between the bar and the bench in the US. We make judges get acquainted with our lawyers and we provide annual recognitions for judges who do great work. We’re able to do that in a professional manner that puts our lawyers at a significant advantage through the litigation process. NALA also connect young lawyers with the seasoned ones and thereby providing a network for career growth.

How do you feel seeing that you achieved your two childhood ambitions?

Whenever I look at my life as a boy with those aspirations and backwards from the present, I just have to be grateful to the people around me who have helped me come this far and others who are yet to come, including my parents, my siblings, loved ones, spouse(s) and my children. Most important, I’m grateful to God. Nothing is possible without the author of life.

What are your personal goals?

My goal at this stage of my life is to positively impact our world and to find reasons to make someone’s life a better. This is done through mentorship, extension of access, and connections.

A young man reached out to me a while ago and asked, “Do you know someone who can help me with this?” I said, “Yes, I know 10 people who can help you with that.” And I made a couple of calls and he was able to get him to where he needed. At the end of the day, it’s not about the things we accumulate. It is about the people who look back at the things you’ve done for them, and they say, “Thank God that my path crossed Chike’s path.”

Did you have parental moments that guided your paths?

Yes. My dad would say, “Onye kwe, Chi ya ẽ kwere.” It is translated as “When a person agrees, his God agrees.” I think that’s been one of my driving motivation. When I face life’s challenges and struggles, I find strength in that saying. It gives me the will to continue to walk and because when I agree, my God will agree. When you say to yourself, I am not going to fail, your God will say to you, you’re not going to fail. When you say to yourself, I am going to succeed, your God will say to you, you’re going to succeed. When you say to yourself, this storm is not going to tear me down, your God will say to you, this storm is not going to tear you down. It is a strong Igbo manifestation of the human will and an understanding that we have a say in our fate.

How would you advise aspiring Nigerian youths challenged by systemic setbacks?

My message for all Nigerian youths all over the world is, find constructive ways to do what you want to do and while at it, do have fun. If you want to be a musician, and you’re faced with the barriers of penetrating the musical industry, you can start singing in your basement, you can start posting on YouTube, you can start anywhere even if it doesn’t make sense. Surely, someone will notice you one day. Secondly, let’s be actively engaged. We should protect our minds, we must keep our minds strong. Build on the resilience we are known for and giving each other grace. This means you see a friend in need of help, and if it doesn’t cause you injuries or it doesn’t become detrimental to you, you should lend a helping hand. Let’s activate the Nigerian spirit. For those who see the strength of the Nigerian spirit, I think they do good at taking advantage of it. Let’s not be quick in tearing one another down but let’s give grace. If our youths can tap into their strength, it will be a great deal.