Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN (born 12 June 1962) is

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 ...

's former

justice minister A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...

in office from July 2007 to 10 February 2010.

Background

Michael Kaase Aondoakaa was born in Benue on 12 June 1962. He went to school at Mount Saint Gabriel's Secondary School Makurdi and upon graduation was admitted into the Faculty of Law,

University of Maiduguri The University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) is a Federal higher institution located in Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno State in northeast Nigeria. The university was created by the federal government of Nigeria in 1975, with the intention of its b ...

where he obtained his LL.B Certificate. He became a senior partner of a

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

for 18 years. While helping two of his friends, Ogiri Ajene, former deputy governor of Benue State and Professor

Daniel Saror Daniel Iyorkegh Saror was elected Senator for the Benue North East constituency of Benue State, Nigeria at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic, running on the People's Democratic Party (PDP) platform. He took office on 29 May 1999. He was ...

to secure nomination for ministerial appointment, he was invited to meet 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 20 ...

, and during the interview was offered the post of Attorney General until February 10, 2010 when he was removed in controversial circumstances by the Acting President

Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957)Lawson Heyford, ''The Source'' (Lagos), 11 December 2006. is a Nigerian politician who served as the President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to fo ...

Attorney general

He was appointed Minister of Justice on 26 July 2007. He was a member of a sub-committee to review the report of Justice

Mohammed Uwais Mohammed Lawal Uwais (born 12 June 1936) is a Nigerian Jurist who was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria from 1995 to 2006. He chaired a commission that published a controversial report on electoral reform. Uwais is the son of ...

committee on electoral reform. The sub-committee assisted in producing a white paper which sparked controversy because it reversed some recommendations of the Uwais committee. It recommended that the President continue to appoint the chairman of

Independent National Electoral Commission The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was established in 1998 and is the electoral body which oversees elections in Nigeria. History Regulation and administration of elections The administration of democratic elections in Nige ...

(INEC), among other changes. He opposed sacking

Maurice Iwu Maurice Mmaduakolam Iwu (born 21 April 1950) is a Nigerian Professor of Pharmacognosy who was appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in June 2005, and was removed from office in April 2010. Background Maurice Mm ...

, chairman of INEC, despite criticism of Iwu's conduct of the 2007 elections. He objected to the dissolution of local governments in

Ondo State Ondo State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Oǹdó) is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It borders Ekiti State to the north, Kogi State to the northeast, Edo State to the east, Delta State to t ...

Olusegun Mimiko Olusegun Rahman Mimiko ( yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Mímikò ; born 3 October 1954), is a Nigerian doctor and politician, he was the senatorial candidate of the Zenith Labour Party for Ondo Central District in the 2019 Senate elections. He served as t ...

, the new governor, although a High Court in Ondo supported the action. The

United States diplomatic cables leak The United States diplomatic cables leak, widely known as Cablegate, began on Sunday, 28 November 2010 when WikiLeaks began releasing classified cables that had been sent to the U.S. State Department by 274 of its consulates, embassies, and ...

turned out that the drug company

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered on 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1849 in New York by two German entrepreneurs, Charles Pfizer ...

had hired private investigators to find evidence against Aondoakaa to pressure him into dropping charges against the company over claims that a new antibiotic had caused harm to children. In 2010, he was stripped of the rank of

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 ...

by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee on the strength of several petitions written against him for actions taken while in Office as Attorney General of the Federation. The rank has since been restored to him. Upon leaving office, Aondoakaa became a rice farmer and his company remains one of the biggest local producers and processors of rice in Nigeria.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aondoakaa, Michael 1962 births Living people Justice ministers of Nigeria People from Benue State University of Maiduguri alumni 20th-century Nigerian lawyers Attorneys General of Nigeria Senior Advocates of Nigeria