Nigerians Continue to Extol Virtues of Late Former Attorney General, Akinjide

former Minster of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Richard Akinjide, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria passed on in the early of hours of Tuesday.

Many Nigerians are have been paying tributes to the Legal icon and politician.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, on Tuesday described the death of a former Attorney General of the Federation, as a great loss to the Nigerian legal system.

A family source told newsmen that Akinjide died on Tuesday morning at his Ibadan residence during a suspected age-related illness.

In his reaction to Akinjide’s demise, Adegboruwa expressed sadness that Nigeria’s legal system had lost an icon whose impact could not be forgotten in a hurry.

Adegboruwa said that Akinjide contributed positively to the development of the legal profession in the country.

“Chief Akinjide was a renowned jurist and in his time was among the modern faces of legal practice, combining his position as former Attorney General of the Federation and his experience, to mentor young lawyers.

“He was able to insist on professionalism in legal practice and he sailed on same boat with late Chief Rotimi Williams and other leading lights like late Chief G.O.K Ajayi.

“I believe that his death is a major loss to the legal profession and the Nigerian polity.

“The lessons to be learnt is that we must use legal practice for social engineering; Akinjide’s landmarks and the cases he represented continue to remain areas of ingenuity in the legal framework.

“He was a brilliant mind,” he said.

Akinjide, an Ibadan High Chief, attended Oduduwa College, Ile-Ife, in Osun State and passed out with a distinction (Aggregate 6).

The legal luminary proceeded on his educational journey in the UK in 1951 and was called to the English Bar in 1955.

He was later called to the Nigerian Bar and then established Akinjide and Co legal firm.

The late Akinjide was a Minister of Education in the First Republic during the government of Alhaji Tafawa Balewa and Minister of Justice in the Second Republic during the administration of President Shehu Shagari.

The deceased was also a member of the Judicial Systems Sub-Committee of the Constitutional Drafting Committee of 1975 to 1977.

He joined the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in 1978 and became the Legal Adviser of the party.