We were heading to Akure the Friday (July 3, 2009) that Justice Joseph Olakunle Orojo died. Ibidun, his fifth child and my dear wife was looking forward to showing Akure to our children.

Akure held a lot of sweet memories for Ibidun. She was only eight years old when her father had moved to Akure as a judge at the creation of Ondo State. And Akure was the Orojos' home until his voluntary retirement from the judiciary in 1985 after serving for 7 years as the Chief Judge of Ondo State.

In Ibidun's memory, those 9 years in Akure were golden years. Yet those years were arguably the most defining moments of Dr. Orojo's iconic legal career. It was in Akure as chief judge that he held that historic judgement on the Ajasin vs Omoborinwo at the height of the socio-political crisis in the aftermath of the 1983 elections. At a time when nearly all arms of government were filled up by sycophants, Orojo dared to be true to the rule of Law. That singular action saved Akure and indeed Ondo State from disaster at that time.

Orojo was as incorruptible as a judge could get. He was a rare breed. For him there was something sacred about the Law that made it higher than any personal consideration. There was no room for favouritism. It was this trait that made him the natural choice for heading the volatile Exchange Control (Anti-Sabotage) Tribunal in 1977. Despite the great threat to his life, Dr. Orojo stood for the truth whether it was popular or not. His single-eyed approach allowed him to lay a strong foundation for the judiciary and the legal profession in general.

Dr. Orojo understood the importance of the independence of the judiciary from the executive in the building of a strong democracy. Hence he never saw himself as a servant of any Governor or Head of State.

Orojo came from a generation of Nigerians who believed in what Nigeria could become if each man was selfless at his own post. Given his superior intelligence and diligence, Dr. Orojo could have applied the same energy that made him a national legal icon in making himself one of the wealthiest men in Nigeria today. Yet his ambition was higher than what he could make for himself. He was free from that common disease of greed that has robbed Nigerians of every form of patriotism. His passion was to contribute to the building of the pillars that our nation needed to stand tall among the Commonwealth of Nations. He understood the crucial role of the judiciary and the legal profession in nurturing a healthy democracy. So he gave his life to build up the legal profession in Nigeria. Whether it was in his days of restructuring the academic program as the first indigenous director of the Law School so as to produce lawyer of high calibre or the tireless hours he spent writing many books to enhance legal education, his passion was in contributing his quota in nation building. By the way, it was during the Akure years that Dr. Orojo's greatest literary achievement took place. His classic volume 'Company Law and Practice in Nigeria' published in 1976 is still a great asset to the legal profession today.

Emerging in that era when Nigeria was just coming out of colonial rule, Orojo was a pioneer in the legal profession. He sought to adapt the globally acceptable legal practices to our peculiar context. He did this mostly through legal education, his books (he authored 10 books and over 50 professional articles) and law reform. And in his later years he helped to pioneer the field of arbitration in Nigeria.

I recall how in the few years I knew him as father-in-law our conversation will return often to his disappointment with the government of the day. He saw that what was lacking in Nigeria is not so much the 'how-to' as much as the willingness to give up personal gain for the sake of the collective gain. And it is in this area that, in my opinion, he left us a big example - he put the good of his country above his personal gain.

That journey that took us to Akure left me with a sour taste about Nigerian roads. Spending four hours in a traffic jam in Ore because of potholes and lawless motorist, left me with much concern for our country. Yet I believe that in our day we stand once again at the threshold of great possibilities to reclaim the destiny of our great nation. What we need is a new generation of the type of Justice Olakunle Orojo. Men and women who have caught a vision of what Nigeria can be and are willing to sacrifice personal gain for the collective gain by serving their nation.

Chimezie, a bible teacher and missionary resides in South Africa. He can be reached at chim_ibidun@hotmail.com.

Robot  # 1 | 10.10.2009 08:11

...Read the full article.

FoxCatcher  # 2 | 10.10.2009 17:17

"Yet I believe that in our day we stand once again at the threshold of great possibilities to reclaim the destiny of our great nation. What we need is a new generation of the type of Justice Olakunle Orojo. Men and women who have caught a vision of what Nigeria can be and are willing to sacrifice personal gain for the collective gain by serving their nation." Amen! Chimezie, Amen!:pray: