Charles Dadi Umeha Onyeama (26 April 1916 – 5 September 1999) was a Justice of the

Supreme Court of Nigeria The Supreme Court of Nigeria (SCN) is the highest court in Nigeria, and is located in the Central District, Abuja, in what is known as the Three Arms Zone, so called due to the proximity of the offices of the Presidential Complex, the National Ass ...

, the first Nigerian Judge at 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 ...

, and father of Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs,

Geoffrey Onyeama Geoffrey Jideofor Kwusike Onyeama (born 2 February 1956) is Nigeria's Minister for Foreign Affairs. Onyeama was appointed Foreign Affairs Minister of Nigeria in November 2015 by President Muhammadu Buhari. Early life and education Onyeama was ...

, and writer

Dillibe Onyeama Dillibe Onyeama (6 January 1951 – 10 November 2022) was a Nigerian author and publisher. In 1969, he became the first black person to finish his studies at Eton College in England. He wrote a book about his experiences of racism at Eton, ''Nig ...

. He is also grandfather to professional rugby player, Andrew Onyeama Christie.

Early life and education

Charles Onyeama was born in Enugu April 26,1916 ("officially" listed incorrectly as August 5, 1917). He was the son of Chief Onyeama of Eke, a powerful ruler of the Agbaja region of Igboland. Onyeama initially taught at the Government School in Bonny and received his secondary education at

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 student ...

. He later attended

Achimota College Achimota School ( /ɑːtʃimoʊtɑː/ ), formerly Prince of Wales College and School at Achimota, later Achimota College, now nicknamed Motown, is a co-educational boarding school located at Achimota in Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana. The schoo ...

in Ghana;

University College, London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

; and read for a degree at Brasenose College, Oxford, from 1940 to 1941. He became a member of Lincoln's Inn.

Career

In 1944, he became an assistant district officer in Lagos, followed by serving on the Legislative Council from 1944 to 1946. After being appointed Chief Magistrate in 1952, he became a judge of the High Council in 1957. Onyeama served as justice of the

from 1964 to 1967. His contemporaries on the Supreme Court included Sir Adetokunbo Ademola, Sir Lionel Brett, Sir

Vahe Bairamian Vahe Haykazuni ( hy, Վահէ Հայկազունի; 351 BC – 331 BC), also known simply as Vahe, was a king of Armenia. He was the last offspring of the Hayk Dynasty. According to Moses of Khoren, he was an ally of Darius III, King of Persia. ...

, Justice G.B.A. Coker, Justice M.O. Ajegbo, and Justice Chike Idigbe. After a series of unpopular judgements of the

(ICJ) in 1966, African countries demanded greater representation amongst its judges. The Australian judge filling the seat dedicated to the Commonwealth was replaced with Onyeama after getting elected in November 1966, raising the number of African judges on the ICJ to two. Onyeama served from 1967 to 1976 and was succeeded by

Taslim Olawale Elias Taslim Olawale Elias (11 November 1914 – 14 August 1991) was a Nigerian jurist who served as minister of Justice and attorney-general of Nigeria from 1960 to 1966, Chief Justice of Nigeria from 1972 to 1975 and president of the International ...

. He was appointed as a judge for the 1971 Beagle Channel Arbitration. From 1982 to 1990, he served as a judge at the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

Administrative Tribunal.

Personal life

Born: April 26, 1916 Official Birthdate: August 5, 1917 Died: September 5, 1999 Spouse: Florence Asigha Wilcox (m. 1966) Susannah Uzoamaka Ogwudu (m. 1950 - 1966) Children: Warwick Paul John Onyeama, Charles Dillibe Onyeama, Louis Ndubisi Onyeama, Geoffrey Jideofor K. Onyeama, Jubilee Shoshana Chaya Dominic-Charles, Patrick Okey Onyeama, Caroline Onyeama

References

International Court of Justice judges 20th-century Nigerian lawyers Nigerian jurists Supreme Court of Nigeria justices King's College, Lagos alumni Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford 1917 births 1999 deaths People from Enugu Alumni of Achimota School Alumni of the University of London Nigerian judges of United Nations courts and tribunals {{Nigeria-law-bio-stub