Adeniran Ogunsanya, QC, SAN (31 January 1918 – 22 November 1996) was a Nigerian lawyer and politician. He was among the chief-founders of the Ibadan Peoples Party (IPP). He served as a Lagos State commissioner for Justice and Education and during the Second Republic, he was chairman of the Nigerian People's Party.

Background

Adeniran was born on 31 January 1918 in Ikorodu, a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

of Lagos, to the royal family of Omoba Suberu Ogunsanya Oguntade, who was the Odofin of Ikorodu. He completed his primary education from Hope Waddell Training Institute in Calabar under the guardianship of his uncle who was a civil servant. He scored the highest mark at the 1937 Government Standard VI examinations thus earning him a government scholarship to

King's College, Lagos King's College, Lagos (KCL) is a secondary school in Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria. It was founded on 20 September 1909 with 10 students on its original site at Lagos Island, adjacent to Tafawa Balewa Square. The school admits only male students ...

. He went on to study Law at the University of Manchester and Gray's Inn School of Law.

Career

Adeniran began his law practice at Chief T.O.S. Benson Chambers in Lagos after returning from the United Kingdom a better informed lawyer and politician. In 1956, he joined his brother, Sulu Adebayo Ogunsanya to establish Ogunsanya & Ogunsanya Chambers.

Politics

In the mid 1950s, Adeniran served as a member of the National Executive Committee of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons. He was the President of NCNC Youth Association and in 1959, he became a member of the parliament representing Ikeja and Mushin. He held various executive positions within his party and in local governance in Lagos. In the NCNC, he was a one-time chairman of the Lagos State executive working committee and NCNC zonal leader for colony province and later secretary of the NCNC parliamentary council. In local politics, was a chairman of Mushin District Council Management Committee. Prior to the end of the first republic, he was appointed federal minister of Housing and Surveys and during the administration of Mobolaji Johnson, he was brought back to local governance as state commissioner for education. Adeniran was the leader of the Lagos progressives that merged with three other groups to form the Nigerian People's Party (NPP) during the Second Republic. He later became the chairman of the Nigerian People's Party (NPP) succeeding Olu Akinfosile after he had previously lost to Lateef Jakande for a seat in the Lagos Government House. He was the first

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

of Lagos and later became the Commissioner of Education.

Recognitions and legacy

Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, also known as AOCOED, is a higher education institute located in Oto-Awori community in the Oto-Awori area of Ojo, Lagos State. Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education offers the award of Nigeria Certif ...

is named after him for his selfless work to the progress of Lagos state. *

Senior Advocate of Nigeria Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) is a title that may be conferred on legal practitioners in Nigeria of not less than ten years' standing and who have distinguished themselves in the legal profession. It is the equivalent of the rank of Queen's Coun ...

* Queen's Counsel

References

1918 births 1996 deaths Yoruba politicians 20th-century Nigerian politicians Commissioners of ministries of Lagos State King's College, Lagos alumni Alumni of the Victoria University of Manchester Yoruba legal professionals Yoruba royalty People of colonial Nigeria 20th-century Nigerian lawyers Lawyers from Lagos Nigerian legal scholars Nigerian People's Party politicians People from Ikorodu Ibadan Peoples Party politicians {{Nigeria-bio-stub