This week, we are taking on one of our regular personalities, who, because of the stuff he is made of, and probably his critical views on state and national matters, governments and Nigerians take whatever he says with seriousness.
He is a Legal Luminary, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), the voice of the voiceless, and a friend of the media, Prof Mike Ozekhome .
In his usual outspokenness, last week, he tackled Nigerians, accusing President Bola Tinubu of employing only Yoruba’s in his government, and blaming former President Muhammadu Buhari for the perceived preference of his successor, Bola Tinubu, to appoint persons from his ethnic Yoruba language group into key positions in government.
Ozekhome bared his mind on this while speaking at a symposium on human rights, organised by the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) held in Abuja last week, precisely Wednesday, December 11.
He said, it was not surprising that such a trajectory is being followed by President Tinubu, since it was tolerated by Nigerians when Buhari was at the helm of affairs.
Hear him: “When I hear today the Northerners complain that Tinubu has ‘Yorubanised’ Nigeria, with so many Yorubas in the highest places in Nigeria, it’s true they are making a point. But the question I would ask is, where were you when Buhari, for eight years, literally ‘northernised’ every position in Nigeria? You were either a northerner or a Muslim.
“I cried, I cried, I wrote and wrote. I wrote tons of articles. One of the 50 books which I presented on my 67th birthday was titled: ‘How Buhari Mismanaged Nigeria’. Some people called it ‘na we we’, this is our man, and even if he is riding roughshod over all of us, it doesn’t matter. Hear no evil, see no evil because he is our man. Even if it is not benefitting us, the fact that he is our man is sufficient. Once it is no longer our man, we must also take up arms. No country grows like that.”
Aside of this, Ozekhome took a critical look at the judiciary and societal development/growth, saying: The Judiciary is key to the existence of a stable society, and Nigeria may collapse without a functional judicial system. Therefore he charged the judiciary to live up to expectations in ensuring that their judgements reflect justice and not based on technicalities.
Court orders, he said, must be obeyed until set aside by a higher court, adding that, Courts hold the balance of scale between ofending parties, otherwise, there may be chaos in the country.
He, therefore, advised judges to avoid attending occasions organized by politically exposed persons with cases before them and urged them to eschew corruption under any quise.
“I still want to believe at this point that, in spite of all the issues the judiciary may have, it still remains the best of the three arms of government. if you remove the judiciary, Nigeria’ll collapse like a pack of cards. The role of the courts is very sacred in the functioning of society and must be held with the highest esteem “
It is, perhaps important to state here that, Prof Ozekhome’s stand on this issues is not a surprise to those familiar with his background. He is a leading Constitutional Lawyer; Human Rights Activist; Pro-Democracy Campaigner; Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON); Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR); Professor of Constitutional Law; Advocate of the Masses (SAM);Â Social Critic; Public Affairs Analyst and Pro-masses Advocate; to mention but a few.
As a student and lover of law, philosophy, logic, sociology, classics, literature, history, public affairs, good governance and the scriptures, he has a way with words. He possesses profound oratorical skills which enable him strike the right chord when he speaks, while painting mentally-recorded pictures with words. His deep erudition and intellectual dissemination of ideas and strongly held opinions are a marvel to behold.
An indigene of Iviukwe town, near Agenebode, in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State, his late parents, High Chief Abu Ozekhome and Chief (Madam) Alimoh Abu Ozekhome, though of humble backgrounds (not being endowed with material wealth), were keen lovers of education and knowledge. They were respected Chiefs and venerated Community leaders. The duo greatly inspired the young Mike and nurtured him with the best virtues and traditions of nobility, character and integrity that humanity can bestow – fear of God, honesty, humility, good conscience, hard work, selflessness, philanthropy, service to humanity, courage and daring bravado.
He holds the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B Hons) degree; Barrister at Law (BL); two Master’s degrees in Law (LL.M); and another Master’s degree of Arts (M.Arts ). He is a recipient of 15 honorary Doctorate Degrees (honoris causa), including a Ph.D by thesis from the Alliance International University, Lusaka, Zambia. These degrees include Doctor of Laws (LL.D); Doctor of Letters (D.Litt); Doctor of Philosophy (D.Phil); Doctor of Business Administration (DA); Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD); Doctor of Arts (D.Arts); Doctor of Science (D.Sc); Doctor of Leadership and Entrepreneurial Studies (DLE); Doctor of Humane Law (DHL) etc, from various Universities, spread across the globe – Nigeria, USA, United Kingdom, Israel, Zambia, Turks, Carcos Island; and Belize, Central America.
Ozekhome has been awarded over 21 Fellowships in various fields of human endeavour. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitration (FCIArb); Fellow, Academy of Entrepreneurial Studies (F.AES); Fellow, National Institute for Education and Research (FNIER); Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Management (FNIM); Fellow, Institute of Management Specialists (UK)(FIMS); Fellow, Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators (F.chMC); Fellow, Institute of Corporate Affairs Management (F.ICA); Fellow, Institute of Trade and Management of Nigeria (F.ITMN); Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary International (PHF); Fellow, Professional Excellence Foundation of Nigeria (F.PEFON); Fellow, Institute of Management Professionals (FCIAMP); Fellow, International Association of Research Scholars & Administrator (FIARSA); Fellow, Chartered Institute of Human Capital Development of Nigeria (F.hcd); Fellow, Institute of Management Consultants (FIMC); Fellow, Centre for Leadership and Entrepreneurial Development (FCLED); Life Fellow, International Biographical Centre (IBC)(LFIBA); Fellow, Institute of Leadership (Assessment and Development Nigeria) (FILAD); Member, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (MNIPR); Distinguished Service Star of Rivers State (DSSR); amongst others. He is also a Honorary Special Marshal, an honour conferred on him by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
Amongst others, Ozekhome is a member of the International Bar Association (IBA); Counsel at the International Criminal Court, the Hogue; Member, Advisory Board of International Human Rights Commission (IHRC); Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA); African Bar Association (A.B.A); Pan African Lawyer Union (PALU); American Bar Association (ABA); Ambassador for Peace, by the Inter-religious and International Federation for World Peace; member, International Society of Diplomats; Body of Benchers; Nigerian Bar Association (NBA); National Executive Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NEC); Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI); Rotary International; Island Club; Usagbe Club of Nigeria; Etsako Club ’81; Amnesty International; Ambassador/Patron of the Association of Proprietors of Private Media Establishment of Nigeria (APPMEN); etc.
His University externship was always with fiery wantPeoples lawyer, late Kanmi Isola-Osobu. He first served the Nation during his NYSC with the Ministry of Justice, Yola, in the then Gongola State. He was later posted to the Federal Ministry of Justice, Lagos, where he was seconded to the then National Provident Fund, Lagos (now known as Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund).
He simultaneously practised with the famous Gani Fawehinmi Chambers during his leisure times.
By 1982, he was back to Ife to pursue his Master’s degree programme in Law. He also simultaneously lectured as a Graduate Assistant. Thereafter, he briefly taught the same subjects – Constitutional Law, Nigerian Legal System and Law of Equity and Trusts – at the same University of Ife (OAU). Many of his students are today Justices and Judges of all courts in Nigeria, including appellate courts; Senior Advocates of Nigeria; Professors of Law; top Entrepreneurs; Diplomats; Captains of Industry; and top military brass.
He later left the University environment and want back to the vibrant and pro-masses chambers of the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, wherein he worked, first, as a Junior Counsel and later as a Senior Counsel, and finally rose to the highest position of Deputy Head of Chambers by 1985, during which time he assisted Gani in the founding of the now famous Nigerian Weekly Law Report (NWLR).
Mike Ozekhome later emerged as one of the pioneers of organized human rights activism in Nigeria, when on October 15, 1987, co-founded the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), the very first human rights league in contemporary Nigeria. He subsequently in 1998, co-founded the Joint Action Committee of Nigeria (JACON), with the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi as the National Chairman. Ozekhome was the National Vice Chairman (publicity and publications). He had, earlier in 1992, solely founded the Universal Defenders of Democracy (UDD), an international human rights league that was launched by the late Justice (Dr) Akinola Aguda. He also solely founded the Democratic Rights Agenda (DRA) and Peace Initiative (PI), a peace-building and conflict-resolution body. He later founded the Mike Ozekhome Foundation (MOF), an NGO solely dedicated to philanthropy to pull out from the doldrums, the poor, homeless, sick, widows, youth and the most vulnerable members of the society.
