Tag: Okwusogu

For the late General Secretary of  Nigerian Bar Association (NBA),  Mr. Clement Obi Okwusogu (SAN) it was a harvest of tributes as colleagues from the Bar and Bench gathered to pay him their last respects at the Lagos High Court, Igbosere Lagos. Obi, as he was fondly, called died last November 22.

They recalled fond memories of their time with the “radiant and amiable” legal giant who was highly respected among his peers.

Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN) said: “To many of us who are his friends, the death of Mr Obi Okwusogu was most unexpected. It was a shock and it left everyone of us with a deep sense of irredeemable loss.

“Obi as General Secretary of NBA and Chief TJO Okpoko (SAN) as President did their best to move the association to the next level. To their credit,  they lifted the association out of the mess of the 1992 imbroglio. They started from scratch and introduced a lot of reforms in the management of the affairs of the association.”

Ngige said Obi kept touch with all his friends at all times, “attending their social events in company of his dear wife, Uju in every part of Nigeria.

“Just in January this year, when my late dad, Akunnia Pius Ngige was laid to rest, Obi and Uju were there at Alor to pay their condolences to my family.”

Obi, he added, “wrote a very short tribute published in the brochure for my dad’s funeral. Obi in his usual jocular self had concluded his tribute with this prayer:

“We can only now pray for the repose of his noble soul and gently ask Akunnia to inform the heavenly host that those of us here on earth will be late in joining them (at least until we are 99 plus years) Igwodo Kachifo Onwa, Nna’eka, Maryrose, Anuli, ndo nu” As we propose, God disposes.

“Whose turn is it next? Nobody knows! So we must be prepared to depart at anytime we are called upon by the Lord. Obi lived a clean and godly life. He was an honest man, lived a simple and modest life. He was a good lawyer, a fine advocate. He detested injustice and oppression. He was a peace maker and bridge builder.”

Nigige noted that Obi’s easygoing nature won him friends from all over the country.

“It was no wonder anytime an honest lawyer was being sought as a returning officer to conduct NBA elections, whether at Lagos branch or at national level, Obi would be sought for.

“Obi will be sorely missed at the meetings of Body of Benchers and the National Executive Committee of NBA. He was a life member at both bodies. May the good Lord in His infinite mercies grant Obi eternal rest! May his gentle soul rest in the bosom of the Lord! May God grant his amiable wife and children the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss,” Ngige stated

Chief Arthur Obi Okafor (SAN) said: “The death of Okwusogu  was a thunderbolt unexpected and saddening. Before his death, I was with him and his dear wife in company of Mr. Andrew Odum. We had a good time at his residence and he was full of life. It was therefore a great surprise that two weeks after, his death was announced. It is saddening that our dear friend would have this sudden departure leaving behind a soul mate, Mrs. Obianuju Okwusogu and their lovely children.

“Obi, as he was fondly called by his friends, was honest to a fault and very outspoken. He respects both the low and the mighty without any preference. He keeps relationships and enjoys the confidence and loyalty of many legal practitioners including the present and past Presidents of the Nigerian Bar Association. He hails from the ancient Onitsha Ado Kingdom, assimilated in the Lagos axis and maintains his connection with the Abatete people where one of his grandparents hailed.

“Myself having come from Abatete, Obi would usually call my attention that he has gotten so thin in his body with only his head becoming so big out of malnourishment by me being from his grandparent’s place. We laugh over it whilst reminding him that he has grown so much that his presence is spread all over the country contrary to his assertion that he has grown thin. Obi usually had an already-made rib-cracking jokes to confront you with. He is greatly loved and will be greatly missed by his family, his friends, professional colleagues, the Nigerian Bar Association, the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria and the society at large,” Okafor stated

Secretary, NBA Lagos branch, Mr. Steve Obajaja said: “A clement soul has transited to even more clement climes.

“Okwusogu, whose other name is Clement indeed lived out the true meaning of his name whilst on this side of eternity. He was a mild mannered, gentle and humble man. He was a rare breed who combined comeliness with brilliance and he rose to become a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

“Obi’s striking looks were such that you could not miss him in a crowd. You will always notice his feathery white hair and the cool exterior of his demeanor and humble mien. Obi was one of the few who went against the grain. He did not allow his achievements and his big title of Senior Advocate of Nigeria separate him from the rank and file of the Bar.

“Talking of the Bar, Obi indeed served the Bar and in recognition of his excellence he was elected the General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association where he served with distinction as well.

“Obi was a consummate family man who went everywhere with his amiable wife, I recall running into the duo at Airport lounges since I became Secretary of the Branch on our way to NBA functions across the country. For one so close to and loved by her Husband, I pray God almighty will give this woman the fortitude to bear this monumental loss.

“To the Bar Association I say we should be consoled with the fact that Obi lived a good life and served the bar at all times in the course of his long and distinguished career. Obi was indeed a clement man and as he has transited to more clement climes this day we thank God for the life he lived and pray that he will find peace with his maker.”

A lawyer and author, Mr. Frank Agbedo said: “The death of a beloved one, irrespective of age, always leaves behind a pall of grief to the bereaved and well wishers. So it was for the law fraternity and especially the NBA when the sad news of his death was made public by his immediate family.  The news was hard to believe by those who saw him full of life and in his usual gaiety, just few days before his death, and therefore had preferred living in denial than face the reality of his sudden demise

“His unflinching devotion and dedication to his calling hovered around him like an irresistible force, as a practicing lawyer, astute litigator, board room titan, Bar leader and Life Bencher, NBA National Officer, Member of the Inner Bar, Bar Administrator and renowned NBA Electoral Umpire and above as a role model to both the young and old wigs alike, as well as an implacable and irrepressible humanist of the highest distinction.

“Indeed, the saying that Life levels all men but death reveals the eminent had an exception in Obi Okwusogu (SAN), as he was eminent both in life and in his death, in the light of the sheer volume of literature on his persona that flooded the entire print and electronic media landscape in recent times.

“As a lawyer he lived up to the eternal admonition of the first Nigeria Lawyer, Mr Christopher Sapara Williams, who challenged every lawyer to live for the direction of his people and for the advancement of the society. He deployed the instrumentality of the law to advance the cause of justice in the society and also to uplift the lives of the indigent and downtrodden, having meritoriously served on the Council of Legal Aid Council of Nigeria”

Former Lagos Branch Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Mr Chijioke Okoli (SAN) pays tribute to former NBA General Secretary Obi Okwusogu (SAN), who died last November 22, and law reports publisher Deji Sasegbon (SAN), who died last December 10.

Whilst Obi Okwusogu was the charming extrovert, Deji Sasegbon was the quintessential gentle giant; his 6’6 height which ensured that he towered over most men belied his mild mannered but engaging personality. My direct contact with him was on account of an appeal I had been engaged to handle and he was the opposing counsel. The case lasted over seven years due to some ridiculous circumstances that were not the fault of counsel at all. But that is another matter. Suffice it to say that I always looked forward to his personal appearance (and not just other lawyers in his office) in court for the whole duration of the case.

He was a Silk which I was not at the time and his entitlement to have his case called and dealt with out of turn by the Court meant I was guaranteed a relatively short stay in the courtroom whenever he was the one appearing for the opposing side. Beyond this, however, his conduct epitomized the best traditions of the Bar; unfailingly courteous to the Judge(s) and counsel regardless of their age at the Bar, palpably honest, always prepared for his case and altogether competent. We were not close personally but I found him very likeable. Indeed, I remember one discussion we had after we had left the courtroom after a day’s proceedings in the case. He had obviously read my brief of argument and observed that whilst his own side would surely come up with an adequate response, he felt obliged to commend the force and lucidity of the arguments I had canvassed. He proceeded to ask if I had applied for elevation to the silk rank and made to me very positive statements of support. He had himself taken silk since 2004 to the near universal acclaim of the legal community.

Speaking of the brief in question, it is axiomatic that a lawyer must always be well prepared. Some opponents however require one going the extra mile. I was fresh out of Law School and present in the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division, in 1989 when a couple of young lawyers from Gani Fawehinmi’s chambers virtually wiped the floor with a very senior  opposing counsel on a very contentious motion. They had ready answers for all the senior counsel’s arguments, including pointing out to the Court that one of the cases he cited no longer represented the law and had been overruled by the Supreme Court. Comparing notes later, most of us young lawyers present at the scene concluded that the impressive showing by counsel from Gani’s Chambers owed substantially to their being active members of the editorial board of his renowned Nigerian Weekly Law Reports. This position meant that they were necessarily most conversant and up to date with the law. I had ever since been haunted by fear of being the butt of such a spectacle as I witnessed that day in Kaduna.

Therefore, knowing full well that Mr. Sasegbon was cut from similar law reporting cloth as Gani Fawehinmi and his colleagues-in-chambers, I had ensured that no stone was left unturned in the case we contested and gave the brief in question my best shot. This inevitably brings one to what is unquestionably his greatest claim to fame, and which is his contribution to legal scholarship. It has been said that it was while he was counsel in the Lagos State Ministry of Justice that he felt fully the frustrating problem of the acute paucity of relevant local legal practice texts, especially law reports. He then planned to take practical steps to meet this great need.

Beyond his professional achievements, the testimonies of his longstanding friends, especially his contemporaries in the University of Ife, such as George Etomi and Fola Arthur-Worrey, attest to his remarkable humanness. During the valedictory session of the High Court of Lagos State held in his honour on December 19, last year, the most revealing testimony was perhaps that given by one of his secondary school friends from Abia State. As the clouds of war gathered in the prelude to the Nigerian Civil War in 1967, the friend’s father came to their secondary school in Okitipupa in Ondo State to remove his son to the perceived safety of his ancestral home in the Eastern Region of Nigeria. Convinced of his brotherhood with his Igbo schoolmate and his safety in the school, the teenage Deji Sasegbon would have none of it. He promptly mobilised other students to barricade the school gate to stop the removal of his friend by the father. It took the intervention of the school principal for Sasegbon and his school friends to relent eventually.

Human beings all reflect, in varying degrees, the essence of the families they come from, and so it was with Deji Sasegbon. His friend recounted the politically correct fallacy of Gowon’s pledge of rehabilitation of the unspeakably distressed Igbo after the civil war. For Sasegbon’s school mate and friend from Abia, the only rehabilitation he knew of and felt after the civil war was that by Deji Sasegbon’s family who ensured his smooth reintroduction to his secondary school. With a renowned physician father, Mr. Sasegbon not only was of privileged background, he was also a legatee of a famous family name. However, as his friend George Etomi poignantly reminded us, it is one thing to inherit a great name and another thing to uphold and maintain the name. In Deji Sasegbon’s case he not only upheld the great family name, he added much value to it.

As we step into a new year with hope in our hearts for the better and reminisce about the many challenges of the legal profession last year, including the loss of two of its leading lights, Obi Okwusogu and Deji Sasegbon, we are consoled and fortified by the essence of these two men of law. Their storied humanity and contributions to the legal profession in Nigeria are, in varying respects, undoubtedly, remarkable and would represent lasting advocacy for their names against oblivion. For them, it could be said as Apostle Paul said of himself, in 2 Timothy 4:7, upon completion of his earthly mission:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

 

• Concluded

Former Lagos Branch Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Mr Chijioke Okoli (SAN) pays tribute to former NBA General Secretary Obi Okwusogu (SAN), who died last November 22, and law reports publisher Deji Sasegbon (SAN), who died last December 10.

Many a curious lay person not used to the peculiarities of the legal profession had often wondered why some lawyers, albeit necessarily few in number, would be referred to as (learned) Silk instead of being called by their names. The simple explanation is that it is one of those quaint practices of the English legal system imported into Nigeria. The gown used by the Queens Counsel in the United Kingdom, the equivalent of Nigeria’s Senior Advocate, is supposedly, though not always in fact, made of silk. The practice, with origins in the dim past, has been to use the word as a synonym for the phrase ‘Queens Counsel’ or/and ‘Senior Advocate of Nigeria’; hence, upon conferment of the rank the recipient is said to ‘take silk’. The word also refers to the institution (of a formal and rigid recognition of a senior cadre of lawyers) itself.

This piece is however not about the sartorial or hierarchical nuances of the legal profession in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Rather, it is about two highly respected holders of the Silk rank both of whom passed away within the last six weeks of the year 2016 and leaving the legal community in these shores in shock and profound grief. I have in mind Obi Okwusogu and Deji Sasegbon. First, Obi Okwusogu.

It appears that Mr. Okwusogu was a rarity amongst contemporary Nigerian lawyers in the sense that he did not possess a law degree. He obtained a first degree in economics from the University of Wales (Cardiff) in the late 1970s and after which he was called to the English Bar in 1981 as a member of the Honourable Society of Grays Inn where he had his legal training as a barrister. He was called to the Nigerian Bar the following year and immediately afterwards joined the Chambers of H. Afolabi Lardner, SAN, who by many informed accounts was the most formidable Nigerian trial lawyer of his own generation. He was in H.A. Lardner’s Chambers until 1989 when he left to set up his own practice.

Mr. Okwusogu was a committed and diligent servant of the legal profession; being the exemplar of what Nigerian lawyers call a “Bar man”. He was elected and served with distinction as the General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (N.B.A.) between 1998-2000. The contest for power within the Nigerian Bar Association has recently in many respects mirrored the skullduggery and controversy of Nigerian party politics. However, it says much for his reputation for fairness and wide acceptability that he was frequently called upon to head the election committees of the N.B.A., both nationally and in his Lagos Branch. He always discharged his duties most creditably.

It is therefore understandable that the legal profession had been unabashedly  generous in its bestowal of honours upon him. Apart from membership of the General Council of the Bar, he had at various times represented the N.B.A. in the Legal Aid Council and the Council of Legal Education. The Body of Benchers is the highest body for the regulation of the legal profession in Nigeria and members of which are called Benchers, with most serving for given terms in addition to some whose memberships are for life. Mr. Okwusogu was a Life Bencher. He was appointed a Notary Public in 1988 and exactly ten years later elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

A charming, debonair, humorous and well-spoken cosmopolitan, he was comfortable in most circles; cultivating friendships with the young, not-so young and the elderly as well as across ethnic divides. A proud Igbo man, yet an authentic Lagos boy who spoke fluent Yoruba and in the midst of Yorubas would easily pass for one. One complaint one often heard many lawyers make against some Senior Advocates is about the latter’s affectation of insufferable air of superiority. But not so with Mr. Okwusogu. For all his unmistakable full but grey-whitish hair which enabled his philosophic and aristocratic carriage, he was extremely down-to-earth and approachable. At the valedictory court session in his honour on December 16, 2016 the foyer of the High Court of Lagos State, Tafawa Balewa Square, was filled to capacity. One of my younger colleagues in my office had obtained permission to be off work for a couple of days to get one of her tooth pulled off. I therefore expressed surprise at her presence, but she-as with many lawyers in Lagos, young and old-just had be present to pay her last respects to the much beloved Learned Silk.

An incident in which I was privileged to be a major participant exemplify Mr. Okwusogu’s generosity of spirit and how it was easy for him to make and retain many friends. The campaign for the abolition of the SAN rank reached a crescendo during the tenure of Chief Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN as President of the NBA. The NBA under his direction at the 2009 Annual General Conference had mandated all its branches to meet and take a position on the issue not later than end of the first quarter of 2010. I was Chairman of the Lagos Branch of the NBA and the meeting we had for the purpose had an unprecedented number of Senior Advocates in attendance. And they had obviously come with the junior colleagues from their respective law offices ready to confront the forces opposed to the institution of Silk.

The atmosphere was charged and the proceedings were nothing short of riotous. It was clear to me that if the issue was put to vote on the day Pa Tunji Gomez and his ‘anti-SAN’ group would have suffered a humiliating defeat. Whilst some of the ‘pro-SAN’ lawyers sensed their likely victory and wanted to force the issue amidst the chaos, Mr. Okwusogu was a mediating voice and urged me to end the meeting promptly to avoid our presenting to the general public an ugly spectacle. In the event a truce of sorts was achieved, with Pa Gomez and Mr. Okwusogu being on record as having, respectively, moved and seconded the motion for adjournment sine die. In a discussion we had several weeks later, he justified his stance of providing Pa Gomez a face saving window on the basis that friends, especially supposedly learned ones, should not insist on avoidable humiliation of their own merely to underscore a point.

• To be continued

Lagos lawyer Chief Richard Oma Ahonaruogho pays tribute to former General Secretary, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the late Mr. Clement Obi Okwusogu (SAN).

For me, this is a painful task. Painful, not because of death itself, but because, it ought not to be the death of Sir Obi, (as I fondly call him) at this time.

How can I break the news of the demise of the erudite Mr. Clement Obi Okwusogu, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), (I am yet to know what the initial ‘I’ in his names stands for), to our dear grand mother, Chief Christiana Ayodele Morohundiya, the 90-year-old widow of Chief Samuel Olasupo Morohundiya, the first Chairman and later, first Patron of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch and Bencher, to whom Sir Obi was a dancing partner.

My two last meetings with Sir Obi were at the 90th Birthday  of Deanconess Morohundiya on April 4, at Ikeja, Lagos and the swearing-in of this year’s Senior Advocates of Nigeria on September 19, at the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Abuja.

As usual, Sir Obi attended the birthday in company of his amiable wife, ‘Auntie’ Uju Okwusogu, a friend of one of the Morohundiya daughters, Dr. Morenike Adebusuyi. On the occasion, not only did he fulfill his ‘duty’ to dance with the nonagenarian celebrator, but he also made Mrs. Funso Adegbola (nee Ige) laugh when he paid glowing tributes to her father, Chief Bola Ige, SAN and her mother, the Hon. Justice Atinuke Ige, Justice of the Court of Appeal (both of blessed memory) and made several references of his encounters with them, especially her mother, who was fond of him. How was one to know that he would be joining the saints triumphant some seven months later?

Sir Obi started dancing with Mrs. Morohundiya during the life time of her husband, Chief Morohundiya in 1990 when the Morohundiyas hosted the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) at their ‘Mesiogo’ Lodge residence at Ikeja, Lagos to a party. He succeeded in getting her to the dancing floor on a few other happy occasions, the last of which was on her 90th Birthday on 4th April, 2016. So how do I tell grand mother, that her dancing partner, Sir Obi is dead! How?

At the swearing-in of Senior Advocates of Nigeria at the Supreme Court on September 19, 2016, Sir Obi, addressed me and said ‘Baba Richio’ (as he calls me), you must not stop applying for the Silk O; so ti gbo (have you heard). He said, do you know how many times I applied before I became the 282nd Senior Advocate of Nigeria? Please, do not give up.

That was not the first time Sir Obi would be looking out for my interest.

I became active early in the activities of the Nigerian Bar Association at Ikeja Branch and also at the National level. I was called to the Bar in 1987. By 1990, I was active in the campaign of Mr. Charles Idehen for the office of President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) with Kunle Uthman as my partner in that regard. I recall that Sir Obi had served as Assistant Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, I believe under both Chief Segun Onakoya and Mr. Festus Ihekweba and wanted to be Secretary-General at the Port Harcourt 1992 Conference of the NBA. I was a candidate for the office as Assistant Secretary at the said Port Harcourt 1992 Conference of the NBA, hoping to take over from Sir Obi. Though the Port Harcourt 1992 Conference, as we all know, was aborted, we stayed together having the same vision for a vibrant Bar Association.

In 1995, I instituted the suit Richard Oma Ahonaruogho Versus Chief F.R.A. Williams, SAN & other members of the Nigerian Bar Association Committee appointed by the then Head of State, General Sani Abacha following the lingering crises after Port Harcourt 1992. After that suit, I was in 1996 elected Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association Ikeja Branch and with my Branch Chairman, Mr. Oladosu Ogunniyi started was later metamorphosed into the Committee of Chairmen and Secretaries of the Nigerian Bar Association, with Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) as Chairman of the Committee and my humble self as Secretary. Sir, Obi was a vibrant member of the Committee that traversed the length and breadth of this Country.

The NBA was not the only body which was beset with crises at that time. The African Bar Association (ABA) also had her problems. So, it was that the Committee of Chairmen and Secretaries of the Nigerian Bar Association began moves to resuscitate the African Bar Association (ABA). The last election of the ABA was in Abuja in 1991. A meeting of the ABA was called for Abidjan, Cote D’ Ivoire  from October 17-18, 1997 and the delegates from Nigeria included Chief Emmanuel Ofule, Mr. Akinola Aina, Mr. Clement I. Obi Okwusogu, Mr. Rafiu A. Lawal-Rabana, Mr. Kunle Uthman, Blessing Emonena Ukiri and Richard Ahonaruogho. Even though we were unable to hold election, a strong foundation was laid for the revival of the ABA at the Abidjan meeting.

The Committee of Chairmen and Secretaries of the Nigerian Bar Association in 1998, was able without any government funding, (but with the financial help of Chief Fredrick Rotimi Alade Williams (SAN), the only financial donor of the princely N500,000, which was used to pay for the Sheraton Hotel, Abuja venue of the Conference), was able to hold a conference at which Mr. Thompson J. O. Okpoko (SAN) emerged as President and Mr. Clement I. Obi Okwusogu emerged as Secretary-General.

In August, 2000, I contested for the office of Secretary-General of the NBA, with the hope of once again taking over from Mr. Clement I. Obi Okwusogu, but lost. Mr. Okwusogu had since then continued to encourage me to re-contest for that office.

I have in my short stay on earth come to realise that old age is a gift from God, hence, it will be foolish (for indeed, I have been foolish as set out in my opening paragraph above), to question why Sir Obi at the age of 64, when he had so much, in my earthly view, to offer mankind and humanity.

As touched as I was when ‘Auntie’ Uju asked – “why me – a widow at 58”; I know that she would be console by the inner peace and understanding that her beloved Obi is resting in God’s bosom where there is no pain or sickness, for death is in itself a cure to pain and sickness.

To the lovely children, I know that God will strengthen you and prosper you beyond human imaginations. You can only build on the good and solid foundation so ably laid by your dear hard working father.

I am sure that I am not the only person who has failed to take the advice so freely and lovingly given by Sir Obi. Even though he is no more here to have my answers, I thanked him for his interest in me and my family, particularly Mojisola Asake and I promised that I will do my best to make his memory a happy one. I will persevere as he did persevere, knowing that someday we shall meet to part no more and then I will be able to report, Sir Obi, I heeded your advice so freely and loving given.

So, for me my choice is easy. I say NO to resignation to fate. I say YES to a call to duty.

Adieu Sir Clement I. Obi Okwusogu (SAN).

Adieu the 282nd SAN.

Adieu Life Bencher.

Adieu Past Secretary-General of the NBA.

Adieu ‘Auntie’ Uju’s heartthrob.

Adieu loving father.

Adieu my Big Brother.

God bless your soul.