ESQ Legal Practice Magazine JUNE 2014 EDITION | Page 11

TRIBUTE TO
JUSTICE OPUTA:
WHEN JUSTICE
GOES TO SLEEP
Lere Fashola
Publisher, ESQ Magazine

T

he worth of a man's life
is determined by the
eminence of his name.
At this time in
Nigerian history, One
hundred years after our
existence as an amalgamated
political entity and about fifty
four years after independence
from British colonial
government, with lots of failed
promises, downright
exploitation, pauperization of
the people, ethno- religious
motivated violence, and often
times gross violation of human
rights, many people ask the
question “Can the judiciary
really bring hope to the
masses?” Cynicism pervades
the air we breathe. Not only is
there a low view of the judicial
system, but also a defeatist
individualism has also taken
hold of a considerable segment
of the populace. The judiciary
is seen by many as a highly
compromised entity, corrupt
and lacking in direction while
11 I EsQ legal practice

the bar itself is faced with
many challenges eroding its
conscience as the vanguard of
democratic ethos. There is a
crying need to find ways of
raising public morale and
morality in this respect.
This story is written as a
humble tribute to a legal hero
and a judicial maestro Hon.
Justice Chukwudifu Akunne
Oputa JSC Rtd, CON. This is a
compendium of the pragmatic
lessons from the life of his
lordship. Historians writing
an account of the struggle
towards a single and
indivisible Nigeria built on the
principles of equity and justice
will no doubt record the
invaluable contributions of
Oputa at the National Human
Rights Violation Commission
(Oputa Panel) which he
chaired to ascertain or
establish the causes, nature
and extent of all gross
violations of human rights in
Nigeria between January 15,

1966 and May 28, 1999. So will
the historians who will write
about the remarkable
development of the Nigerian
jurisprudence and the
laudable contributions of
Oputa JSC (as he then was).
Memories of Oputa's dicta
linger in the galleries of the
mind, and portray the picture
of a great jurist per excellence.
He was indeed a man of
inexhaustible courage and will
and this reassure us all that in
this country, by the grace of
God, by trial and error and by
perseverance over the years,
we indeed produced an
excellent man of whom any
nation might well be proud.
PROFILE
Justice Oputa also known as
“The Oputa of Oguta” was
born on 22nd of September
1924 in Oputa, in the present
Imo State. His father was
Chief Oputa Izukwu and his
mother Madam Nnawetu

Oputa. He had his early
education in Sacred Heart
School, Oguta and Christ the
king College, Onitcha.
He then proceeded to Yaba
Higher College, but due to the
exigencies of the Second
World War, was sent to the
famous Achimota College in
Ghana, then Gold Coast.
There he graduated with B.SC
(Hon)Economics in1945. After
this, he came back to Nigeria
and took up appointment with
Calabari National College. He
later moved to Lagos where he
worked as ADO (Assistant
District Officer). It was where
he achieved a remarkable feat;
he studied at home and
obtained his BA (Hon) History
at home.
Justice Oputa then proceeded
to London where he got his
LLB (Hon) and was called to
bar in Gray's Inn, in London.
Upon his return to Nigeria,
then Barrister Oputa went into
a brilliant and successful

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