Daisy Wotube Okocha (born 15 January 1951) served as the 7th

Chief Judge of Rivers State The Chief Judge of Rivers State, also known as the Chief Judge of the High Court of Justice, is the title and office of the head of the judicial branch of Rivers State. The Chief Judge presides over the state's High Court, and is usually the mo ...

, in charge of the state's

High Court of Justice The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cou ...

, and Judicial Service Commission. She was appointed to the office by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Ezenwo Wike Ezenwo Nyesom Wike (born 13 December 1967), is a Nigerian politician and lawyer who is the sixth and current Governor of Rivers State. He is an Ikwerre from Rumuepirikom in Obio-Akpor, Rivers State. He is a member of the People's Democratic ...

on 4 January 2016, and held it until her retirement on 15 January 2016. She had also served as

Chief Judge A chief judge (also known as presiding judge, president judge or principal judge) is the highest-ranking or most senior member of a lower court or circuit court with more than one judge. According to the Federal judiciary of the United States, th ...

in an acting capacity before attaining the substantive appointment.

Early life and education

Okocha was born on 15 January 1951 in

Obio-Akpor Obio-Akpor is a local government area in the metropolis of Port Harcourt, one of the major centres of economic activities in Nigeria, and one of the major cities of the Niger Delta, located in Rivers State. The local government area covers 260& ...

Rivers State Rivers State, also known as Rivers, is a state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed in 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include: Imo to the north, Abia and Akwa Ib ...

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 ...

. She is of the Ikwerre tribe. Her father, Jonathan Okocha, was a former police commissioner and her mother, Helen Nonyelum Okocha, was a caterer. Daisy received her LL.B. (Hons.) from the University of Zaria in 1978. The following year, on 29 June, she was admitted to the bar. She also has a post-graduate diploma in

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, which she pursued at the Redeemed Christian Bible College (RCBC).

Judicial career

In 1981, Okocha joined the

Judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

in her native Rivers State. She began work as a Magistrate Grade I moving up through various court ranks. In 1991, she was appointed to the

, and has served as presiding judge in the Port Harcourt Division. She was selected to replace Iche Ndu as acting Chief Judge in 2013. Although recommended by the National Judicial Council, then-governor

Chibuike Amaechi Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (born 27 May 1965) is a Nigerian politician, he served as the Federal Minister of Transportation of Nigeria from 2015 to 2022 under the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari. He resigned to contest for Nigeria's presidency ...

declined to appoint her. According to him, she was not eligible to succeed retired CJ, and was chosen by the council mainly out of self-interest. In June 2015, under the new administration of

, Okocha was sworn in eventually as the acting

. She is the first woman ever to hold this position, having been rated most senior high court judge by NJC. Okocha is the past Treasurer of the National Association of Women Judges Nigeria, past executive member of the

International Federation of Women Lawyers The International Federation of Women Lawyers (IFWL), in Spanish ''Federación Internacional de Abogadas'' (FIDA), is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) that enhances the status of women and children by providing legal aid, legal ...

Rivers State, associate member of the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges' Association, current member, International Association of Women Judges.

Other positions held

*Senior Magistrate in charge Juvenile Court for 3 years *Past Secretary, past Chairman Magistrates Association of Nigeria *Past National Vice President Magistrates Association of Nigeria

References

External links

Okocha's profile
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okocha, Daisy Wotube 1951 births Living people Chief Judges of Rivers State People from Obio-Akpor Nigerian women judges Rivers State lawyers Nigerian Christians Nigerian legal scholars Rivers State judges appointed by Ezenwo Nyesom Wike Women legal scholars

Early life and education

Judicial career

Other positions held

See also

References

External links