MEET MR KINGSLEY JESUOROBO ...A FABULOUS BUT GRACIOUS IMMIGRATION LAWYER DOING NIGERIA PROUD IN CANADA AND BEYOND!.

Mr Kingsley Jesuorobo is a proud Bini man, a brilliant immigration lawyer with an authentic love for entertainment and Arts! He is an ethical, courteous, well-organized, brilliant, formidable, wise and witty legal luminary with a lot of experience and knowledge to share . Read some of his accomplishments below this very delightful and informative chat with MR KINGSLEY JESUOROBO.

Mr. Kingsleys Jesuorobo  ( His friends call him KJ )

DOB: May 12

EDUCATION: see http://www.kjlawoffice.com/kjprofile.htm

LIKES: Anything consistent with my unquenchable quest for self-fulfilment.

DISLIKES: All the things that are incompatible with my incorruptible belief that impossible is nothing

BEST MEAL: Pounded Yam and Ikpogi Soup

FAVORITE COLOR: Brown (chocolate shades)

FAVORITE OUOTE: Adidas' "impossible is nothing"!

FAVORITE TECHNOLOGY GADJET : Undecided

FAVORITE SONG : Undecided

FAVORITE MOVIE : Undecided

DREAM HOLIDAY DESTINATION : Urhonigbe Town, Edo State, Nigeria

CURRENT CELEB CRUSH : Hmmmmmmm...

LAST BOOK READ : "My Life" by Bill Clinton (....lazy me.. I have not yet finished reading it)

HOBBIES: Disk Jockeying, clubbing.

NGOZI : Who is Mr. Kingsley Jesuorobo?

KJ : I am a Bini (Nigerian) native whose adopted country is Canada. Platformed by my intercontinental training and licenses to practice law in Nigeria and Canada and propelled by self-confidence and optimism, I have evolved as that fearless and aggressive lawyer of international repute who has a rich and award-winning record of providing client-specific legal solutions, especially in the area of Canadian Immigration and Refugee law. Socially, I am an entertainment fanatic whose affection for the industry is fundamentally shaping my entrepreneurial endeavors.

KJ with Akon

KJ the awesome Canadian Immigration lawyer with strong  African cultural appreciation

KJ with Banky W.

NGOZI : Hmmn! Interesting ! A lawyer with a flair for entertainment...I will ask about that soon! Please tell us about your early years and what inspired you to read law?

KJ the Charming Scholar

KJ : I have been asked this question repeatedly. I think a simple and straight forward answer is that God must have pushed me into this. In other words, I was destined to be a lawyer. I say so because I made that choice while in primary school; at a time when I suspect I probably could not have possessed enough intelligence to make a serious career choice. One thing I cannot deny is that I have always liked to please my visual senses a lot. As far as I can recall, I, as a kid, got fascinated by the lawyers' regalia - the robes and wigs - and said to myself: "that is what I want". The rest is history.

KJ as a young Lawyer!

NGOZI : You live in Canada! What inspired you to specialize in Immigration Law?

KJ the legal Luminary!

KJ : By the time I arrived in Canada, I was already a full-fledged lawyer in Nigeria. I attended University of Benin and Nigerian Law School. I was trained by the Late Chief C.O. Ihensekhien, then a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and an unbeatably good lawyer. I was called to Nigerian Bar in 1990. However, I neither studied nor practiced Immigration law prior to leaving Nigeria; I had practiced mainly in the areas of constitutional, criminal, human rights and property law. My involvement in the practice of Immigration law in Canada was fortuitous. First, I got drawn into this by a chance opportunity to work for Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board as an Edo/English interpreter. The interpretation job helped my financial needs as a student at University of Toronto. In the course of doing that, I encountered numerous Immigration lawyers, many of whom began to woo me to come and work with their law firms. Many of these lawyers and I would occasionally meet in other fora where we discussed substantive legal issues, and they would often tell me that they were impressed with my intellectual resourcefulness. The pressure from these lawyers kept coming. I experimented with a few of them as a legal assistant and researcher until I settled with the law firm of Michael Waud. Mr. Waud was an incredible person, who allowed me to even begin to represent clients in tribunals in 1994 while I was still studying at the University. I should clarify that the initial push came from the clients themselves, especially those of Nigerian background, who after interacting with me insisted that they felt I was better positioned to argue their cases given the diversity of my training and my own cultural history. What also mattered to all of us was that the Rules permitted me to appear as counsel even as a Student-at-Law; and the Rules of the tribunal indeed authorized me. Alas, when I began, I had an uninterrupted string of successes to the point where my then principal, Mr. Waud, essentially handed off appearing at the tribunal for most of the cases, entrusting that role to me instead. By the time I was called to the Canadian (Ontario) Bar in February, 1996, I already had a natural fit into the Immigration law field. I had no escape as many clients were emboldened to seek my professional assistance in light my proven record of success.

NGOZI : What kind of Immigration Problems do Africans especially Nigerians experience in Canada ? What solutions do u suggest?

KJ with the Canadian High Commisioner to Nigeria

KJ : This is a good question. It is impossible to exhaustively answer it here. Suffice it to say that as with all immigrants, it is difficult to relocate yourself into a foreign land without experiencing profound issues. They range from legal and environmental to cultural. Unfortunately, many underestimate the enormity of these issues due to misleading and self-interested counsel from unscrupulous agents and in some cases due to self-deceit and willful blindness of people to the hazards of uprooting yourself without proper planning. In the case of those who are forced to relocate impromptu, like refugees, and others who confront legal immigrations issues, I think they can still help themselves by choosing lawyers who have a sound grasp of their social-political and cultural background to represent them. In the end, the decisive difference in a case is made by a lawyer whose promised commitment to the client's case is matched by a sound knowledge of the peculiarities of the client's background. The truth is that many people ignore some of these commonsensical truths and plunge themselves into more immigration complications. In representing my clients, I ensure that I marry my own rich personal knowledge of the immigrants' socio-political, economic and cultural peculiarities with my sound intellectual foundations and extensive practical experience. The result, more often than not, has been my string of ground-breaking victories for immigrants who were hitherto thought to have had no chance.

NGOZI : Recently a Nigerian entertainer was denied entry into Uk! Rather he was sent back to Nigeria from Heathrow! As an experienced immigration Lawyer please Educate our Nigerian artistes on what to do to get permission to organise and headline shows in foreign countries especially canada


KJ : Performing Artists enjoy a special exemption under Canadian Immigration Laws to enter Canada to perform their acts subject only to requirement to obtain visitor visas if citizens of the country require visa to enter Canada. Their status is special because even though they are coming to work and earn money, they do not require a work permit provided they do not perform in a Bar or Restaurant. If their plan involves events in Bar or Restaurant, then they would need a work permit. For Nigerian performing artists intending to come to Canada to perform, the basic approach to making a successful application for visitor's visa is to first and foremost get into an agreement with a Canadian host or promoter. The agreement should specify the date, duration , nature and place of events, the number of people involved in the band , the expected remuneration, etc. The artists should carefully document their artistic profile; making sure they include as much material as possible: e.g. your own written statement about your artistic history, news articles or reports about your career, cds, vcds of your work, bank statements or other documents showing your financial security and your ties to Nigeria , copies of management contracts, etc. Needless to add that you require a valid passport. The Canadian hosts or promoters also need to establish that there is adequate preparation in place for the artistes and all members of his group in Canada. They have to prove ability to cater to the needs of the invited artistes. For example, the promoters provide evidence of bookings, accommodation and upkeep plans, etc. for the artists. All these must be submitted in support of the application. Early submission of the application is necessary because embassies require enough time to process the applications. Expect a costly disappointment in the event of late applications. I recommend submission of applications at least 60 days prior to date of first show. As for the artiste that was reportedly refused entry into the UK, it will be hard for me to explain why it happened. I do not have all the facts. However, I can assure you that while on the one hand many avoidable errors are made by individuals who take things for granted, there are also many instances where immigration officers violate the rights of visitors and other immigrants. The best way to protect your right is to always seek redress through a lawyer. With respect to Canadian cases, I have assisted many individuals to obtain judicial or administrative remedy for similar problems. Many Nigerians are unfortunately unaware that they can challenge the refusals of their Canadian visa applications at a Canadian court. They are indeed entitled to seek such remedy; and my law firm can help.

NGOZI: You are an outstanding lawyer! You have a track record of many ground breaking success stories and victory stories as regards your court cases!In One year alone you won 154 out of the 185 cases you argued before Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board and You have won several awards. How do you think the Nigerian government can solve the problem of brain drain?

KJ: This question compels me to go back in history and to recall my own challenges. In as much as I enjoy my eventual success as a Nigerian Canadian lawyer in Toronto, I still grieve daily over the impotence that successive Nigerian governments have shown in addressing insecurity and basic infrastructure deficit that defeat the drive of the average Nigerian to excel in life. I find the failure of the civilian governments more inexcusable. I believe that there is no Nigerian anywhere in the world who does not want to return home whether for leisure or for good or both. Successive governments have not only by commission or omission driven many Nigerians out of their country into the uncertainty of an avoidable sojourn in foreign lands but they have held Diaspora Nigerians back from willingly returning home. Many people like me left Nigeria because at that time the military regimes threatened our existence and our future. For a lover of democracy and a dogged human rights advocate like myself, Nigeria was a hostile and life-threatening environment. The military government endangered my liberty and my life physically, politically and economically. I decided to relocate in 1991. After I got to Canada, I did not, and could not, forget my Nigerian people. I used my safe abode in Canada to launch a sustained fight for democratization of Nigeria. Despite being a student with minimal means of finance for my endeavours, I still squeezed out money and contributed to efforts to push the military out of power so that both old and young Nigerians can have hope and a future in their motherland. For instance, apart from soliciting support from the Canadian government for Nigerian prodemocracy cause, I went as far as the USA - driving in a vehicular long ride from Toronto to Washington DC with other members of my group: Democratic Alliance for Nigerians in Canada (DANIC) - to lobby members of the Congress against the military regime. I was Chair of the Board of Directors of DANIC, and in that capacity, I hosted and worked with so many Nigerians ranging from the late Chief Anthony Enahoro, Saro Wiwa Jr., Dr. Owens Wiwa to lawyers Femi Falana and Olisa Agbakoba, among others, who had recourse to Canada for support or protection or both. A good student of history will tell you that Canada led the world in supporting the pro-democracy movement in Nigeria during the harsh years in the 90s immediately before Abacha died. I fought fiercely, hoping for a new dawn. Unfortunately, greed, corruption in government and a horrible culture of "one can get away with anything" in Nigeria have made nonsense of all these pro-democracy struggles and in turn have aggravated the brain drain syndrome despite almost a decade and a half of civilian rule. The remedy for the brain drain is good governance. Good governance can only be enthroned by accountability of all; beginning from those in government. In order for Nigeria to have sanity, there should be sanctions (punishment) against illegalities.

KJ with Nuhu Ribadu the former EFCC boss ( The fear of Nuhu Ribadu was the beginning of financial  wisdom  in the Nigerian financial  and economic world )

KJ with Justice Antonio Di Zio of Ontario (Canada) Court of Justice and Justice I.N. Auta (Chief Judge of Federal High Court of Nigeria) in Toronto, Canada.

KJ protesting against Nigerian Government's policies in Toronto Canada

KJ with Justice Katsina-Alu (Chief Justice of Nigeria rtd.) in Toronto.

KJ with some Nigerian Judges

NGOZI : You have two websites ( http://www.kjlawoffice.com , www.jedsolicitors.com ) and You are very active on social networking platforms! How has this made you an up to date digital Lawyer?

KJ : Allow me to say that anyone, including every professional out there, who is not taking advantage of the internet and the evolving social networking platforms may realize sooner than later that he will be tragically all alone and isolated. I enjoy these platforms as they simplify my professional work and social life.

NGOZI : Apart from Immigration Law, What other interests do you have?

KJ : As stated earlier, I am making entrepreneurial forays into the entertainment industry. I, in conjunction with my family, am working hard to set up DANALI Entertainment Complex in Kubwa, Abuja. We are promising that DEC will change the entertainment and architectural landscapes of Kubwa.





KJ AND YINKA AYEFELE

KJ with Yinka AYEFELE and Toronto-based promoter and singer, Yinka FARINDE

KJ and His beautiful wife with Tuface

KJ with Spice Vision (Edo Swagger) and Toronto-based comedian, actor and singer Prince K

NGOZI : An immigration Lawyer with a flair for entertainment! Pls tell us how DEC will change the architectural landscapes of Kubwa, Nigeria and the whole of Africa

KJ : With respect to Danali Entertainment Complex, our plan is to erect a mega purpose-oriented structure that would not only dwarf all others in the Kubwa area in terms of size and sheer elegance, DEC will be a multiple entertainment center which will include body care and shopping outfits, under one roof. We will have a Spa, Gym, Nite-Club, Lounge, Restaurant, Arcade, Hotel Services etc. We engaged architects and builders with Canadian and Nigerian certification.

KJ and the rainmaker .Majek Fashek

KJ and Yvonne Chaka Chaka

KJ and Peter from PSQUARE

KJ and Olu Maintain @ KJ 's office in Toronto

KJ and Don Jazzy

KJ and Runs Tee! Canadian Top Artiste

KJ and Jae Baz

KJ with Lanre Teriba in Toronto

KJ and Tuface @ His Toronto office!

KJ and Blacko Blaze @ His office in Toronto

NGOZI : You have a lovely family! How do you balance being a loving Husband ,a Caring Father and a successful Lawyer?

KJ : Remember, impossible is nothing!

NGOZI : As a Bini Man , do you think the full tourism potentials of Edo State has being explored and What do you think is the way forward to make Edo State a Great Tourist Attraction Center ?

KJ and Edo swagger!

KJ : Nigeria is one indivisible whole. It flows from basic sense to realize that no part of Nigeria can leap ahead in isolation especially amid insecurity. Let the government, especially at the Federal level, enthrone security and accountability and Nigeria's constituent parts, including my beloved Edo homeland, will unleash their full tourism potential.






NGOZI : You are quite stylish! What is that one Fashion accessory You cannot live the without?

KJ : Thank you. I am an incurable lover of all that looks good. So, from my socks to my tie and breast-kerchief, things must blend. You can safely say that I want it all.

KJ driving his Lexus Coupe SC 430

KJ on his birthday, May 12.

NGOZI : As a function of Your personal style, describe How a perfect gentleman swags out his suit?

KJ : Honestly, I believe in fashion freedom and creativity. I strongly feel that few rules should apply. I cannot stand ignorant fashion critics.

The ever stylish KJ ...

We score him 10/10

KJ the perfect Gentleman

NGOZI : Tell us something about you many people dont know!

KJ : I throw parties in my basement where I DJ..I have hosted many such parties in Canada!

KJ with some of His 'up to date' DJ equipments

NGOZI : Wow! You D.J as well! How did you learn and what kind of music do you play at such parties?

KJ : All sorts...mainly R&B...nigerian music is my favourite now.My DJ equipment can compete with those in any club house. I learnt by by practicing and sometimes, I invite DJs to teach me.

Here is a video of D'banj , KJ and Dumebi having lunch in Abuja

NGOZI : Let's Pretend we are in mount olympius ! A golden apple from Zeus 's special collection has just been reported stolen! The main suspect is Hera (the wife of Zeus)! She has been Banned from the kings Bedroom till further notice! She seeks your services as an immigration lawyer to help her gain entrance back to her husbands room! Pls tell us How will you defend her?

KJ : My first line to the accuser will be that she is innocent until PROVEN guilty; and since all there is is mere suspicion,she should not be banned from the bedroom UNTIL the matter is fully tried before a fair judge. Alternatively, if she truly took the golden apple, then I would argue that she did not steal it as she is His wife with entitlements to take the apple and / or further argue that she is a "citizen" of the "bedroom" who cannot be deported from her country of citizenship.

NGOZI : Wow! We would love to play a short game with you, kindly choose one from the following dual option phrases

a) Orobo or Lepa

b) Blackberry or Iphone

c) Jollof rice or Fried rice

d) Mr Bean or Mr Ibu

e)African Prints or lace


KJ : a) Orobo or Lepa (both) , b) Blackberry or Iphone (both) , c) Jollof rice or Fried rice (both) , d) Mr Bean or Mr Ibu (Mr. Ibu) , e)African Prints or lace (both)

NGOZI : Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

KJ : In a short sentence: "Up in the sky!!

NGOZI : Hmmn! "Up in the sky" ..Isn't that Heaven ?

KJ : That's not what it means to me

To me, it suggests making exceptional achievements because I see the sky as the limit!..and permit me to say..You now need your own website...more than a blog.

NGOZI : Yahhhh! Thank You so much! That's a major endorsement...I am inspired! Thank You so much for taking out time to chat with www.ngozigold.com . And we pray the good LORD continues to GUARD, GUIDE and PROSPER YOU and YOURS....IN JESUS NAME!

KJ : Amen!

Here are some of his accomplishments...

• He won a precedent-setting victory for a client at Canada's Federal Court in 2011 when he convinced the court to overturn a lower tribunal's decision (Chiwara v. M.C.I.) due to non-compliance with a Rule for joinder of family claims.
• He was invited to guest-lecture on refugee protection and human rights law at Kellogg College, University of Oxford, United Kingdom, under the sponsorship of the United Nations High 

• Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Fahamu Refugee Program in September 2010.
• He was invited to guest-lecture on Canadian Immigration and Refugee Law at York University, Canada in 2005.
• He received the Planet Africa Television Award For Professional Excellence in 2004.  

• He received an Award of Recognition from the Nigerian Canadian Association for his outstanding contribution to the community in 2004. 

Doing Nigeria proud: KJ coordinating and facilitating meeting of Nigerian (Federal High Court) Judges with their Canadian counterparts in Canada.

• He won the case for his first refugee client in Canada while he was still a law student at the University of Toronto in April 1994. 
• He won his first jury trial (Insurance Litigation) case in Canada and successfully argued for the court to award solicitor and client's costs in favour of his client in 1996. 
• He won his first jury trial (Insurance Litigation) case in Canada and successfully argued for the court to award solicitor and client's costs in favour of his client in 1996. 
• He won 154 out of 185 asylum cases argued before the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board in 2002. 
• He mounted ground-breaking successful challenges at Canada's Federal Court against mass deportation of illegal Immigrants on short notice in 2003 and 2004 and grabbed news headlines.
• He won Federal Court stay of deportation for a client who had exhausted all avenues to acquire status in Canada in 2005.
• He has successfully appealed against numerous negative decisions at the Federal Court of Canada. 
• He has been profiled by numerous media outlets such as Planet Africa Television, Eagles World, The Afri-Canadian Journal, African Community Profile Magazine. Many of his cases have been reported by Canada Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Television, Toronto Star, National Post, Metro, Ottawa Citizen, Halifax Daily News, etc. 
• His legal exploits on behalf of immigrants in Canada prompted a local Toronto newspaper, The Nigerian Monitor, to christen him "Senior Advocate of the Masses" (SAM)
• He has trained over tens of lawyers so far. 
• He is a founding partner at JED Solicitors, an international law firm which operates from Canada and Nigeria. 
• He is Chair of the Canada Nigeria Chamber of Commerce [CNNC]. 

CLICK HERE TO READ HIS LEGAL ARTICLES!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH LEGAL ADVICE FROM KINGSLEY JESUOROBO


Mr Kingsley Jesuorobo can be reached at info@kjlawoffice.com