33 years after occupying the Asagba throne, the Asagba of Asaba, His Royal Majesty, Obi Professor Joseph Chike Edozien went to be with the Lord. After his passage , the choice of who occupies the revered stool became a hotly contested one; but all through the contest, the name, Prof Epiphany Azinge (SAN) rang a bell. Nobody was, however, sure of who the next Asagba was going to be, or from what quarter he was going to come from, as everywhere you went in the city of Asaba and beyond, the issue of who becomes the next Asagba was on the lips of many.
My first contact with the Palace of the Asagba of Asaba was many years ago; can’t remember exactly the date. As a Journalist, I’d gone to cover an event at the Palace, when the then Asagba , His Royal Majesty, Prof Joseph Chike Edozien, May his soul rest in peace, returned from medical vacation in the United Kingdom. After the event, I had a one-on-one meeting with him, which turned out to be an interview that afforded me the very rare opportunity to drink from his fountain of knowledge and wisdom, being the first Professor of Medicine in our clime. It was a meeting and an interview that I may not forget in a hurry. At his age then, over 93, he was very articulate, well coordinated and calm as he recalled with fond memories, his days at the University College, Ibadan and overseas.
I recall him condemn the incessant strikes by medically doctors in Nigeria, that led to public hospitals being closed down for services to their patients, saying that it was not so in his time. I also recall him say, in the United Kingdom in his days, it was not compulsory that only a Medical doctor could head a hospital, adding that, unlike what obtains in Nigeria, even a qualified Nurse could be the head. In his argument, this was so because, the head of a hospital was essentially an administrator, supported by other professionals in a hospital. Therefore, the practice where only a medical doctor heads a public hospital was at variance with what was obtainable in the UK.
Well, to cut a long story short, the interview ended on a memorable note, but one thing registered on my mind as I left the Palace. And what was it? “Asaba people are privileged to have had a Professor of Medicine with a sound mind as their Traditional Ruler”. I don’t know of any Kingdom in Nigeria that has that caliber of persons as King.
That was one of the reasons why, when the sad news of his passage filtered into town, I wondered who the man is in Asaba that would fit into the throne of Asagba of Asaba. This got me thinking, hence I didn’t stop to monitor events, comments and reactions that trailed the process of getting an Asagba – designate. It was a challenging and a fairly long wait, particularly for those of us who knew the immediate past Asagba and the high values he stood for.
But thank God, it all went well and peacefully. A few weeks ago, a new Asagba-designate emerge from among the contenders. He is a Legal Luminary and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Prof Epiphany Azinge; The 14th Asagba designate.
The development was announced after a careful consideration and security by the Asaba Traditional Council.
Information had it that, there were ten aspirants for the Asagba stool, including another Professor, Emmanuel Onwuka and Chinedu Esealuka.
As all eyes are on Prof Azinge, who would be crowned on a date yet to be announced, information has it that the announcement of his emergence as Asagba designate was made by the Ochendo of Asaba, Anthony Edozien, on behalf of the Asagba Traditional Council, and the process was in accordance with the Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Edict of 1979 as applied to Delta State.
Interestingly, information in the public domain has it that, five quarters (Families) of Asaba, backed by the Iyagba quarters, unanimously selected Prof Azinge, which led to his confirmation by the Traditional Council as Asagba-designate.
For the benefit of those who may not know him too well, Prof Epiphany Azinge was born 13 November 1957. He is an accomplished Nigerian lawyer He is an academic and was the 5th Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies from 2009 and 2014. He is a Judge at the Commonwealth Arbitral Tribunal sitting in London, where he represents Nigeria and Africa. He is also the founder and senior partner at Azinge & Azinge, a law firm in Abuja where his wife Valerie Azinge (also a SAN) is a partner.
He had his secondary education at Sanit Patrick’s College, Asaba from 1970 to 1975. Thereafter, he went on to study Law at the University of Lagos in 1976, graduating with a Bachelor of Law. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1980. He proceeded to the University of London for his master’s degree in Comparative Constitutional Law and Shipping Law in 1983, and later, to the London School of Economics for his Ph.D. His thesis was on Electoral Laws in Nigeria.
In June 2015, he was appointed a member of the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal (CSAT) for a period of four years, and was re-appointed for another term of four years in 2019.
Prof Azinge started his career as a lecturer at the University of Benin, and then at the University of Abuja, where he introduced the Information Technology Law in Nigeria in 1996. He also lectured at the Nasarawa State University.
He was appointed Special Assistant to the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Michael Ashikodi Agbamuche, where he served from 1991 to 1997, and was promoted to the status of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2006. He was the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS)from 2009 to 2014.
Prof Azinge was awarded honorary LLD in 2013 by the Commonwealth University, Belize, and in 2014 he was decorated with the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) by former President Goodluck Jonathan. He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies.
As you walk the long road to being officially crowned King, I have this to tell you, my dear brother and Asagba-designate; Know ye today, and remember always that, it is God Almighty that crowns a king. If He says ‘NO”, no man, born of a woman can say otherwise. But I have the deep conviction that the hand of God is upon you”. Therefore, I pray with you that, may Almighty God crown you king. May he go ahead of you to lead; behind you to protect you; by your side to guide you and above you to bless you. May He teach you humility, understanding and appreciation of His supremacy, love in all that you will do as King, and may He grant you His peace, protection and a very good old age on the throne as you reign over your people. In Jesus Name. Amen.
