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Urhobo Historical Society |
Remembering Dr. Muadiaga Odje, A Pioneer in
Legal
Matters
Dr. Mudiaga Odje, SAN (OFR): A Bright Jewel Lives On1
By Daniel Obiomah
Dr. Mudiaga Odje is
dead. It behooves
every Urhobo person to pay tribute to him. He made ample success of his
chosen
career and never indulged in weeping and blaming others for his
failures. He
was a bright jewel on Urhobo attire. It goes far beyond this indeed.
Warri is the cradle
of Urhobo
progress and unity despite natural hiccups. Name any of our early
Urhobo
potentials, but he was one who cut his success teeth in Warri � Chief
Mukoro
Mowoe, Chief J. Obahor, Chief Okpodu, Hon. P.K. Tabiowo, Chief A.T.
Rerri,
Chiefs Mowarin, Okoh; Mr. Ighakpata, Akpoyovware, Chief (Mrs.) Alice
Obahoar.
Warri therefore, is the great pride of Urhobo nation. Anyone who helped
Warri
out of the thraldom thrust upon it and its Urhobo owners by colonialism
did
more, (to adapt Oliver Goldsmith) to the Urhobo population than he who
forever
talks of Urhobo progress without daring to stick his neck out for Warri.
This, Dr. Mudiaga
Odje did. I
knew Dr. Odje as far back as the mid � 1950s. He was a teacher in UPU�s
It happened that we
met as
members at the 1977/78 Constituent Assembly, which produced the 1979
Federal
Republic of Nigeria Constitution, which has since become a model for
subsequent
ones. Up to that moment there had been entrenched in the 1963
Constitution a
clause, which discriminated against Agharha-Urhobo and everyone else in
favour
of a rival ethnic group generally regarded as powerful and dangerously
vindictive as a bear.
My duty at the
Constituent
Assembly was to expunge the inappropriate discriminatory clause already
in the
Draft Constitution to be considered. Because I know I was watched for
attack
and obstruction, I made it a point to work behind the scenes. In this
regard, I
teamed up without show with the women members of the assembly who were
determined to save women from discrimination. We produced a draft
motion for debate
and approval by the assembly. My name was not, as a matter of
diplomacy, on the
motion. But before it was sent to the clerk of the House for inclusion
in the
order paper, I took it to Dr. Mudiaga Odje who vetted it, ensuring that
it
closed for good the discrimination aimed at Agbarha but against all
Urhobo. In
due course, the motion was called to be moved and debated. It was moved
and
seconded. There was no counter motion. It was put to the vote and
endorsed
unanimously! This amendment to the Draft Constitution and the 1963
Constitution
then appeared in the 1979, and now in the 1999 Constitution.
Dr. Mudiaga Odje
had given
his weighty support as it were to the children of
That was not all.
We,
Agbarha, Warri-Urhobo were sued to court by adversaries who should be
friends.
Why? We dared to assert our independence and sovereignty
following the
constitutional amendment. Dr. Mudiaga Odje stood by the Agbarha people
without
a fee. He won. In due course, of his own volition in order to fortify
my own
effort, he gave me, without a fee two legal authorities.
The Agbarha Urhobo
says, �Arha
mre Oghene ne ene-e.� You cannot pay more homage to God than this,
that is,
best is best, there cannot be a better.
Oho re Izegede!2
Take a message to Oyivwi3
Tell Oyivwi Mission complete
It is the dream come true.
Say also you were labourer in the
vineyard with
M.G. Ejaife and Igho to spread knowledge
now prolific throughout the land.
It is a common quote from Shakespeare
that:
�The evil that men do lives after them
The good is oft interred with their
bones.�
It will not be so with you. All Urhobo
acclaim you and with
Long fellow say:
�Lives of
great men all remind us
We can make our
lives sublime
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of times.�
You have left bold footprints on the
sands of time
Ohorizegede! Ohorizegede! Ohorizegede!!
Ewewu!
Your family mourns you, but are proud of
you.
Adieu .
♥ ♥ ♥
Mudiaga Odje (SAN): A Veteran Lives On4
By Dafe Omoko
An iroko tree has
fallen. A
man who provided cover not only to the Urhobo nation, but to the entire
country
has departed this world for the great beyond. And since his demise,
dignitaries
within and outside the legal profession have been attesting to the fact
that he
contributed immensely to the development of our legal system. He also
worked
tirelessly to change the destiny of the Urhobo of Warri, especially in
the
celebrated Supreme Court case No. SC/309/74. If not for him, the story
of the
Urhobo of Warri would have been different today.
His contribution to
the
growth of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) alongside Dr. Esiri, late Chief
Daniel
Okumagba (of blessed memory) was priceless. They all combined
tirelessly to
maintain the legacy of the likes of late Chief Mukoro Mowoe, Chief
Salubi, and
Chief Sam-Warri Esi, who ensured the Urhobo spoke with one voice and
won their
battles in a manner devoid of distrust, hatred and disunity. No wonder
their
authority was never challenged or questioned. It was a period the
Urhobo nation
was held in high esteem by other ethnic groups in the defunct
Then, the
leadership of the
UPU meant authority to every Urhobo man on earth, even in politics.
There was
no dissenting voice. The whole Urhobo nation respected the candidature
of late
Chief Daniel Okumagba who was the governorship candidate of the defunct
National Party of Nigeria (NPN). This was why the NPN got more than the
25 per
cent vote required for Alhaji Shehu Shagari in
Dr. Odje was a man
who valued
education and knew its importance to the development of man, hence he
preached
the sermon of education to the upcoming generation. He ensured that his
seven
siblings (all male) read up to university level, and also made history
in
This is the story
of the
first Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in Urhoboland, Dr. Mudiaga Odje
(OFR),
who transited into the great beyond peacefully at about 6:30p.m. on
Friday
December 9, 2005 at the ripe age of 82 years.
After the death of
the legal icon
was made known to the public by one of his sons, Barrister Okiemute
Odje,
relations and friends from all walks of life have been trooping to his
G.R.A
Warri residence to register their condolence, making the once quiet
area busy.
Notable and highly distinguished Nigerians have since been registering
their
condolence. Honourable Justice E.O. Akporido of Effurun High Court
described
late Chief Odje as a great man who contributed immensely to the
development of
law in
On his part,
Barrister Albert
Akpomude (SAN) who worked under Chief Odje said his former boss was
�the icon
of the NBA, the lone star of the Warri branch of NBA, and a foremost
lawyer in
Urhobo nation.� The incumbent chairman of NBA, Warri chapter, Ojo
Abijogun
simply said: �An iroko has collapsed, our foundation has shaken,� while
another
legal luminary in Urhoboland, Chief Okpoko (SAN) described Chief Odje
as a
merchant of honour.
An Itsekiri
historian, J.O
Ayomike in his brief comment described Dr. Odje as a good man.
While
another prominent Itsekiri figure, Chief O. Temile stated that �Chief
(Dr.) Mudiaga
Odje was a very jovial and friendly man.� Chief F.O. Esiri, one of Dr.
Odje�s
contemporaries simply said: �Rest in peace after a job well done.�
Speaking in the
same vein,
one of the children of the deceased, Barrister Okiemute Odje, said:
�Daddy has
not died, he has gone home. He has fought a good fight. And he has
achieved
everything a man could ever wish for. All we need is prayers and
strength to
give him a befitting farewell. �His admirers should begin to
celebrate,
to thank God, and wish to have another great Urhobo man who would be
able to
take his position.�
Dr. Mudiaga Odje
(SAN) OFR
was born in Evwreni, Ughelli North local government area of
He read law at the
He returned to
Dr. Odje was called
to the
English Bar on February 9, 1960 and enrolled at the then Federal
Supreme Court
of
He was the leading
counsel,
Hon. Justice Begho Tribunal that probed assets of former public
officers of
Midwestern Region, Benin City, in 1966; member of the Midwestern
Nigeria
Delegation to the ad hoc constitutional conference in Lagos between
1966 and
1967; president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) from 1974-1976,
and was
elected to represent Ughelli and Isoko local government in 1979. He was
chairman, Odje Commission of Inquiry,
Dr. Odje became a
life
bencher on March 30,1989 and was past chairman of the Honourable Body
of
Benchers of Nigeria from 1996 � 1997. He was also responsible for the
admission
and call of new entrants to the Nigeria Bar during this period, and was
the
chancellor of the Diocese of Ughelli, as well as legal adviser of the
Diocese
of Warri, both of the
Odje was a holder
of four
chieftaincy titles, including Olorogun and Okakuro in
Urhoboland
and
♥ ♥ ♥
Late Odje Added Value to Lives
By Francis Daniel-Okumagba
Olorogun Francis
Daniel-Okumagba has said the late Chief (Dr.) Mudiaga Odje (SAN) added
value to
many lives while on earth.
In a chat with The
Urhobo
Voice during the service of songs for the one-time Nigeria Bar
Association
(NBA) president, the renowned banker recalled that his father (Chief
Daniel
Okumagba) and late Chief Odje impacted on their environments.
�Look
at the houses Chief Okumagba and Chief Odje lived in, you would know
the kind
of morals they had,� he added, remarking that the two men would have
made a lot
of wealth, but �they confined themselves to the little they had because
they
were not interested in making dubious money; what they were interested
in was
adding value to life.�
He said the
legacies which
they (children of both men) received from their fathers centred on
selflessness
and love for their nieghbours, describing Chief Daniel Okumagba and
Chief Odje
as two great men who fought for the growth of the Urhobo nation.
�It would be rare
to have
such people today,� he declared, tracing the friendship between his
father and
Chief Odje to the early 20s when they were teachers at
In a related
development,
Chief Yoma Esiso has described the death of Chief Odje as a loss not
only to
the Urhobo nation, but to the country. Esiso, who was present at the
burial,
urged the children of the late deceased to sustain the legacy their
father left
behind.
On his part, a
frontline
politician in Delta, Chief Okiemute Majemite described Chief Odje
as a
collossus in the legal profession.
The Agbarha
Otor-born
politician, who is also a lawyer suggested that the likes of Chief Odje
should
be immortalized, and called on upcoming lawyers to emulate the deceased.
♥ ♥ ♥
How Odje Was Laid to Final Rest5
By Dafe Omoko
The life and time
of Chief
(Dr.) Mudiaga Odje was during the past weekend celebrated in a
colourful
ceremony that could best be described as a burial carnival as the high
and low
in
The burial carnival
which
started with service of songs at late Chief (Dr.) Odje�s Warri GRA
residence on
Thursday, January 26 was conducted in a grand style. A popular
Warri-based
master of ceremony called Pecee confessed to The Urhobo Voice
that he
was in awe at the turn out of eminent personalities at the service of
song to
the extent that he was careful while acknowledging names of
distinguished
personalities present in order not to offend anyone.
The service of
songs that
took place between the hours of 4pm to 6pm also witnessed a reunion of
loved
ones, particularly amongst relations and friends. The premises of Dr.
Odje�s
residence and indeed the length and breadth of the quiet GRA Road was
jam-packed with people who came from far and near to pay their last
respect to
the late sage.
The next day which
was
Friday, January 27, 2006 was more eventful. This was the day the legal
icon
received his dues from members of the profession, which he helped to
build.
After a brief
stopover at his
residence, the late legal luminary was then taken to High Court (I)
Warri where
a valedictory court session described by many as first of its kind was
held in
his honour. The court session was attended by all sections of the
judiciary
including the bar and bench. In spite of the strict restriction of
admission
into the court hall, it could not contain the eminent lawyers as well
as
magistrates from within and outside
The Delta State
Chief Judge,
Justice R. Bozimo was in charge of proceedings. She was flanked on both
sides
by the president of Delta State Customary Court of Appeal and another
high
court judge. Time and space would not permit one to recount the
encomiums
poured on late Chief (Dr.) Odje (SAN). The
After Chief
Okpoko�s speech,
the remains of late Chief (Dr.) Mudiaga Odje (SAN, OFR) was driven in a
motorcade
to the St. Andrews Anglican Cathedral Okere Road, Warri where a church
service
was conducted.
Here again, there
was a
problem of space as a result of the multitude of people from all walks
of life,
who went there to pray for the repose of the soul of the man who
changed the
legal destiny of the Urhobo of Warri in the celebrated Supreme Court
case No.
S/309/74.
The presence of
Governor
James Ibori, his deputy, Chief Benjamin Elue, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan,
Senator
Felix Ibru, Chief Ighoyota Amori (JP) were announced at the pulpit with
apology
to the array of other eminent personalities who were present but whose
presence
could not be acknowledged due to lack of time.
However, Pastor Ayo
Oritsejafor of World of Life Bible Church, Rev. Father Ambrose Abaka
Oghenejode
of the Roman Catholic Church, Chief Ray Inije, Yoma Esiso, Chief Adolor
Okotie-Eboh, Justice Niki Tobi of the Supreme Court, Justice F.F.
Tabai, Chief
Efe Akpofure (SAN) and a host of other highly placed personalities were
present
at the church service.
Immediately after
the church
service, Dr. Mudiaga Odje (SAN) made his final journey to his hometown
of
Evwreni where he was received like a hero (of which he was) by
thousands of
natives who were seen clad in a specially designed textile material
with the
photograph of late Chief (Dr.) Odje on it, dancing and singing in
praises of
him.
Meanwhile it was
celebration
galore in the posh residence of late Chief (Dr.) Odje. The premises was
wide
enough to contain about eight canopies including the final resting home
of the
late sage which was described by many as one of the best tomb in this
part of
the state. Caterers were at different spots including the nearby
primary school
to attend to people without discrimination of any kind. A gospel
musical
band was also on hand to entertain with the latest gospel music in
town.
On Sunday, January
29, 2006
an outing service was held in honour of the late Urhobo patriot at the
St. Paul
Anglican Church Evwreni. Again, a galaxy of who is who in Urhoboland
and indeed