By Emmanuel Aziken & Emily Ogah
For more than a decade, Jim Beabubari Marshall stood quietly inside the lifts of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, headquarters, moving staff, visitors and top officials from one floor to another. To many who passed through those doors daily, he was simply the lift operator.
But behind the uniform was a man carrying a dream bigger than his station, a dream to become a lawyer and use the law as a tool for justice, defence and service to society.
On Tuesday, that dream came full circle as the Chairman of the NDDC, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, attended Marshall’s Call to Bar ceremony in Abuja. It was not just another ceremonial appearance. Ebie was, significantly, Marshall’s only guest at the event, standing by a man whose life had changed after one conversation inside the very lift he once operated.
Marshall, from Bane community in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, had always wanted to study law. According to him, the desire began in his secondary school days, driven by a passion to stand up for his people and defend those whose rights were being trampled upon.
But dreams do not always come with easy roads. For Marshall, the journey to the legal profession was paved with hardship, secrecy, fear, sacrifice and extraordinary discipline.
While working as a contract staff lift operator at the NDDC headquarters, he enrolled as a full-time law student at Rivers State University, Port Harcourt. There was no part-time option. He had to combine the rigid demands of office work with the pressure of legal studies.
His daily routine was punishing. He would arrive at the office as early as 6:30 a.m. or 7:00 a.m. to put on the lift and ensure it was working properly. If he had lectures by 8:00 a.m., he would quietly leave for class, attend lectures and rush back immediately to make sure the lift did not develop faults or trap anyone.
Marshall was not only operating the lift. He was also a technician. Whenever there was a minor fault, he was expected to fix it.
After returning from school, he would remain at the commission until everyone had left, sometimes as late as 10:00 p.m. Only then would he go home and begin reading for his law courses. It was a cycle of office, school, office and home, repeated daily for years.
His social life suffered. He deliberately kept few friends, describing his circle as a triangle: house, work and school. There was no room for distraction because failure, for him, was not an option.
“It is either I make it or I make it,” he recalled, reflecting on the years of pressure and uncertainty.
Through self-discipline and faith, Marshall earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from Rivers State University. But after that victory came another wall. He could not proceed to the Nigerian Law School because of financial constraints and other challenges. His law degree, though earned through sacrifice, was at risk of remaining an unfulfilled promise.
Then came the turning point in 2024.
Marshall had discovered that the NDDC Chairman, Chiedu Ebie, was also a lawyer. One day, inside the lift, he began a conversation with him. It was brief because Marshall had to attend to other people, but he later requested an opportunity to see the chairman in his office. Ebie granted him access.
When he got there, Ebie asked why he had come. Marshall told him how long he had worked at the commission and revealed that he was a law graduate.
Ebie was surprised and asked for proof. Marshall went home, brought his certificate and presented it to him. The chairman’s response changed the course of his life.
“Congratulations! You are going to Law School,” Ebie told him.
With Ebie’s support and the assistance of former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Augustine Alegeh, SAN, Marshall secured admission into the Port Harcourt campus of the Nigerian Law School. He sat for the Bar Final Examinations, passed successfully and was eventually called to the Nigerian Bar on July 7, 2026.
For Ebie, Marshall’s journey was a powerful example of resilience, self-belief and determination over adversity. He said the former lift operator had now become his professional colleague in the legal profession.
“Today, Jim is now a professional colleague as a lawyer, and will be offered full-time employment but this time not as a lift operator but as full-fledged lawyer,” Ebie said.
He congratulated Marshall for believing in himself and refusing to abandon his dream. “Congratulations Jim Beabubari Marshall in believing in yourself and chasing your dreams. I wish you well in your chosen career, and welcome you to the noble profession of law,” he added.
Marshall, however, sees his story as more than personal success. To him, it is a testimony that determination, consistency and faith can open doors, even in unlikely places.
He also believes leaders and organisations must learn to look beyond job titles. According to him, many workers carry hidden talents and ambitions that remain buried because nobody gives them room to speak.
In his own case, he said Ebie created the space for conversation, listened, believed him and acted.
Now stepping into a full-time legal role at the NDDC, Marshall says he is committed to using the law to serve society, especially those who cannot easily afford justice.
He also hopes to become for others what Ebie became for him: a helping hand at the right moment.
For years, Marshall opened lift doors for others. But through determination, faith and mentorship, one door finally opened for him. As he puts it: “Determination leads to destination.”
