Chike Francis Ofodile,
OFR (November 20, 1924 - August 3, 2014) was
Attorney General and the Minister of Justice of Nigeria from 1985 to 1991 and a Judge of the
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...
from 1984 to 1985. He was once the traditional Prime Minister of Onitsha.
Early life and education
Onowu CHike Ofodile was born on November 20, 1921 in
Onitsha, Anambra State. For his primary school education, he attended Immanuel Church Infant School, St. Mary’s Primary School in Onitsha. His secondary school education was at
Christ the King College (CKC), also in Onitsha. After his graduation from
CKC, he worked as a teacher at the Holy Trinity School, Onitsha in 1941. In 1954 proceeded to Balham and Tooting College, London and North-Western Polytechnic, London. He attended the
Inns of Court School of Law
The City Law School is one of the five schools of City, University of London. In 2001, the Inns of Court School of Law became part of City, and is now known as the City Law School. Until 1997, the ICSL had a monopoly on the provision of the Bar ...
in 1959. He was called to the bar at the Middle Temple, London, also in 1959. He attended the
Nigerian Law School and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1960.
Career
He started his legal career in 1959 in the chambers of his cousin and worked there till 1964. In 1964, he went into private practice. In 1979, he was made a
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 ...
as well as a life bencher. He left private practice in 1983 and became a member of the defunct Supreme Military Council. In 1984,
General Muhammadu Buhari, then military president of
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
appointed him as the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. He left office in August 1985.
Awards and Recognitions
In 2008, President
Umaru Musa Yar'Adua
Umaru Musa Yar'Adua (16 August 19515 May 2010) was a Nigerian politician who, was the President of Nigeria from 2007 to 2010. He was declared the winner of the Nigerian presidential election held on 21 April 2007, and was sworn in on 29 May 2 ...
conferred on him the National Honour, Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR).
References
*https://web.archive.org/web/20101220125953/http://thenationonlineng.net/web2/articles/225/1/Bola-Ajibola-An-icon-at-75/Page1.html
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1924 births
Justice ministers of Nigeria
2014 deaths
Government ministers of Nigeria
20th-century Nigerian lawyers
Attorneys General of Nigeria