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HomeChief Chimezie Ikeazor PrizeCHIEF CHIMEZIE IKEAZOR PRIZE

CHIEF CHIMEZIE IKEAZOR PRIZE

The Chief Chimezie Ikeazor Prize was established in honour of the legal luminary; Chief Chimezie Ikeazor (SAN), whose selfless service to humanity was instrumental and responsible for the establishment of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria.

Chimezie Ikeazor was born on January 21, 1930 to Eugene Akosa Ikeazor and Eunice Nwabuogo Iweka, his father was the first African of commissioner rank in the colonial police and his mother was one of the earliest trained mid-wives in the Eastern region.

He was born into a rich heritage and was christened at birth as; Chukwumezie Timothy Ikeazor, as he grew the name Chukwumezie gave way to its short form Chimezie and he dropped his other name Timothy after he returned from England at the end of colonial rule.

He attended elementary school in Lagos, Aba and St. Andrew’s School Obosi. In 1946, he got admitted into the Merchant of Light Secondary School, Oba where he excelled in his studies and was appointed senior prefect.

In 1950, he sat and passed the Senior Cambridge School Certificate Examination and was exempted from London Matriculation. In 1951 he attended, Dennis Memorial Grammar School for a session, he left for England the following year, 1952 at the age of 22.

In England, he enrolled for a Bachelor of Divinity course to study Theology at the University College, Hall, with the hope of becoming an Anglican priest. However, he abandoned the course and the dreams of becoming a priest after an encounter he had with a vicar during a class.

He returned to Nigeria and took up a teaching job in his old primary school, St. Andrews and taught there for a year. In 1954 he returned to England to study law. He was called to the bar on 10th February, 1958. He returned to Nigeria after his call to bar.

He got employed in the Nigerian civil service upon return to Nigeria and served as private secretary to the Federal Minister of communication, Chief Samuel Akintola in 1959. And was soon transferred to the Federal ministry of commerce and industries where he also served as private secretary under the minister, Alhaji Zanna Bukar Dipcharima.

He resigned from the Civil Service and relocated to Eastern Nigeria to represent his town Obosi in age-long land disputes with a neighbouring town Onitsha, he opened his office at No. 4 Iweka Road, Onitsha. Within that period and before the civil war broke out he represented the United Middle Belt Congress led by Joseph Sarwuan Tarka against the Northern Nigerian Government.

After the Nigeria-Biafra war, he returned to Lagos and with the help of his friend J.S. Tarka, who was then a Federal Minister, settled quickly and returned to his legal practice. In the course of his practice he discovered that so many Nigerians languished in Jail through awaiting trial matters because they couldn’t afford legal services.

He was greatly disturbed by this discovery that he started engaging in pro bono services and was able to convince other lawyers to join in his crusade for Legal aid for the poor, this earned him the sobriquet, “The poor man’s Lawyer” but that did not deter him.

In February of 1974, The Legal Aid Association of Nigeria was formed. The activities of the association were acknowledged internationally. Reuters News Agency reported that: ‘At least 300 suspects held in Nigerian jails for up to seven years without trial have been freed in the past two months…one suspect, Aroghonlo Akinyemi, released on 5th June (1974), had languished in prison since 1967…Akinyemi and others owe their freedom to a current campaign by a group of Nigerian lawyers.

The crusade is spear headed by the Nigerian Legal Aid Association. Its leader, Mr. Chimezie Ikeazor, a 44 year old lawyer from the war-scared East Central State, launching the campaign said: “A speedy trial should not be a privilege, but a right. It is a cruel aspect of our litigation system that a man who does not have the services of counsel can hardly hope to obtain justice in full and quickly” Mr. Chimezie Ikeazor also said: “Our aim is to ensure that nobody is denied justice on account of poverty.”

It was after the association went into operations that prison conditions and the plight of many suspects came to light, these revelations spurred the Chief Justice of Nigeria and his counterparts in the states to inspect prisons in their areas and moved to speed up the legal processes.

Despite the resounding successes recorded by the Legal Aid Association, with recognition, acknowledgement and commendations from local and international communities, Mr. Ikeazor was yet to achieve his dream for Legal Aid in Nigeria.

However, the opportunity came at a surreptitious meeting between Barr. Chimezie Ikeazor then Secretary-General of the Anambra-Imo leaders of thought and its chairman, Dr. Akanu Ibiam with Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, when the three met to discuss the plight of the Igbos and the failure of the Federal government to live up to its promises made after the civil war.

When talks appeared to have broken down between Dr. Akanu Ibiam and Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, after a hot exchange of strongly worded thoughts. Barr. Chimezie Ikeazor, caught in the heat of the moment declared to the Head of State, that he had something else to talk about, and he took time to explain to the Head of State why the Federal Government should take over the Legal Aid Scheme.

The Head of State who must have been following the activities of the Legal Aid Association was convinced and he took decisive steps which led to the birth of Decree No. 56 of 1976.

In 1978, Barr. Chimezie Ikpeazor submitted a memorandum to the Constitution Drafting Committee, which was ratified by the military regime, under General Olusegun Obasanjo.

Ultimately, Section 42 (4) (b) of the 1979 constitution makes provision for Legal Aid in unequivocal terms stating: The National Assembly shall make provisions:

  • For the rendering of financial assistance to any indigent citizen of Nigeria, where his right under the charter has been infringed or with a view to enabling him to engage the services of a legal practitioner to prosecute his claim, and
  • For ensuring that allegations of infringement of such rights are substantial and the requirement or need for financial or legal aid is real.

All this was possible because one man cared about the plight and sufferings of others and decided to do something about it.

Justice S.M.A. Belgore former Chief Justice of Nigeria, said: “I congratulate Chief Ikeazor for a book well written and the courage and zeal with which he pursued the issue of legal aid in the country. Many beneficiaries of his vision hardly know his name much less his person, but history will surely do him justice.”

The Judicial history of Nigeria will not be complete without the mention of Chief Chimezie Ikeazor (SAN). It’s in recognition of his immense contribution to the Nigerian Judicial System that we established the Chief Chimezie Ikeazor (SAN) Prize, which when it is launched will be delivered annually at the Chief Chimezie Ikeazor Memorial lecture.

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