Charles Onyeama

Charles Dadi Umeha Onyeama (August 5, 1917 – September 5, 1999) was Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria,[1] Judge at the International Court of Justice,[2] and father of Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, and writer Dillibe Onyeama.[3]

Early life and education

Charles Onyeama was born in Enugu in 1917. He was initially taught at the Government School in Bonny and received his secondary education at King's College, Lagos. He later attended Achimota College in Ghana; University College, London; and read for a degree at Brasenose College, Oxford from 1940 to 1941.[4][5] He became a member of Lincoln's Inn.[6]

Career

In 1944, he became an assistant district officer in Lagos, followed by serving on the Legislative Council from 1944 to 1946. After being appointed Chief Magistrate in 1952, he became a judge of the High Council in 1957.[4]

Onyeama served as justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria from 1964 to 1967. His contemporaries on the Supreme Court included Sir Adetokunbo Ademola, Sir Lionel Brett, Sir Vahe Bairamian, Justice G.B.A. Coker, Justice M.O. Ajegbo, and Justice Chike Idigbe.[7]

After a series of unpopular judgements of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1966, African countries demanded greater representation amongst its judges. The Australian judge filling the seat dedicated to the Commonwealth was replaced with Onyeama after getting elected in November 1966, raising the number of African judges on the ICJ to two.[8] Onyeama served from 1967 to 1976 and was succeeded by Taslim Olawale Elias.[9]

He was appointed as a judge for the 1971 Beagle Channel Arbitration.[10]

From 1982 to 1990, he served as a judge at the World Bank Administrative Tribunal.[11]

Personal life

Onyeama was married and had five children.[4] He met his first child Warrick, fathered with a British woman, the first time aged six at a conference in 1948.[12]: 94  Onyeama married Susan Ozoamaka Ogugu in 1950,[12]: 182  their children are Dillibe (1951), Louis (1954), Geoffrey (1956) and Nneze (1958).[12]: 171  His oldest son, Dillibe Onyeama, was the first Black graduate of Eton College.[13]

References
  1. "Supreme Court of Nigeria". Archived from the original on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  2. "A son's tribute to his dad". Vanguard News. 2019-07-19. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  3. "'The racist questions I was asked at Eton'". BBC News. 2020-06-23. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  4. Consulate General of Nigeria (March 1967). "Nigerian Judge elected to World Court". Federal Nigeria. 11 (12): 38.
  5. Bowers, John (2021-02-16). "Principal's Blog: 16th February 2021". Brasenose College, Oxford. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  6. Meyer, Howard N. (2002). The World Court in action : judging among the nations. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 279. ISBN 0-7425-0923-0. OCLC 46858263.
  7. Ibrahim, Abdulrasheed. "Remembering Judge Charles Dadi Onyeama". Newswatch Times. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  8. Mbengue, M. M.; Messihi, N. (2017). "The South West Africa Cases: 50 Years Later". Ethiopian Yearbook of International Law 2016. Springer: 11–35. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-55898-1_2. ISBN 978-3-319-55897-4.
  9. "International Court of Justice - All Members". International Court of Justice. Archived from the original on 2016-02-05. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  10. International law reports. Volume 52. Lauterpacht, Elihu,, Greenwood, C. J.,, Lauterpacht Research Centre for International Law. Cambridge. 1979. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-521-46397-3. OCLC 1105758169.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  11. The development and effectiveness of international administrative law : on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the World Bank Administrative Tribunal. Elias, Olufemi. Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. 2012. pp. xv. ISBN 978-90-04-20437-9. OCLC 808442027.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  12. Akaraiwe, Ikeazor A. (Ikeazor Ajovi), 1962- (2001). Onyeama : eagle on the bench : an authorised biography of Nigeria's first Judge at the World Court, His Excellency, Judge Charles Dadi Onyeama, CFR, LL. D. (2nd ed.). Lagos: Touchstone Books. ISBN 978-35019-5-X. OCLC 52449965.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. "Eton apologises to Nigerian ex-student for racism". BBC News. 2020-06-23. Retrieved 2020-06-23.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.