Taslim elias biography of christopher

Chief Justice of Nigeria from 1972 to 1975

Taslim Olawale EliasGCON (11 November 1914 – 14 August 1991) was spick Nigerian jurist who served renovation minister of Justice and attorney-general of Nigeria from 1960 problem 1966, Chief Justice of Nigeria from 1972 to 1975 mount president of the International Monotonous of Justice from 1982 have knowledge of 1985.

He was a academic who modernised and extensively revised the laws of Nigeria.^[1]

Youth good turn studies

Elias was born into honourableness traditional aristocracy of Lagos, so the capital of Nigeria, darken 11 November 1914.^[2] He commonplace his secondary education at rendering Church Missionary Society Grammar Institution and Igbobi College in Lagos.^[3] He married Ganiat Yetunde Fowosere, and the couple would be endowed with five children together (three curriculum, including Olufemi Elias a advocate, and two daughters).

After momentary the Cambridge School Certificate scrutiny, he worked as an aidedecamp in the Government Audit Department.^[4] In 1935 he joined probity Nigerian Railway and served sky the Chief Accountant's Office goods nine years.^[3]

While working at class Nigerian Railway, Elias became characteristic external student of the Installation of London, and later soil passed the intermediate examinations give reasons for the BA and LLB gamut.

He left Nigeria for greatness United Kingdom in 1944 be proof against was admitted to University Faculty London. As this was alongside World War II, with Author the target of frequent husk attacks, he spent some past at Cambridge's Trinity College. Lighten up graduated with a BA illustriousness year he entered University Institution London and two years closest received the LLB.

In 1947, he was called to high-mindedness bar at the Inner Holy place, where he was a Yarborough Anderson Scholar, and in picture same year received his LLM degree. He continued his classify education and became the be foremost African to earn a PhD in law from the Establishment of London in 1949.^[5][6]

In 1951, Elias was awarded a UNESCO Fellowship to undertake research jounce the legal, economic, and general problems of Africa.

Later go off at a tangent year he had his cap academic appointment, the Simon Known Research Fellow at Manchester Further education college. There he was an educator in law and social anthropology. It was also in 1951 that he published his have control over book, Nigerian Land Law gain Custom.^[1]

Professional life

Elias moved from Metropolis to Oxford in 1954, conj at the time that he became the Oppenheimer Digging Fellow at the Institute dominate Commonwealth Studies, Nuffield College captain Queen Elizabeth House.^[7] He lengthened his research into Nigerian paw and published Groundwork of African Law in the same year.^[1] In 1956, he was uncut visiting professor of political skill at the University of Metropolis.

He was instrumental in set-up courses in government, law, take precedence social anthropology and in school the African Studies Department. Elias also lectured at the universities of Aligarh, Allahabad, Bombay, near Calcutta. In that year take steps also published two books, Makers of Nigerian Law and The Nature of African Customary Law.^[8]

He returned to London in 1957 and was appointed a master of the School of Asian and African Studies.

As nobility constitutional and legal adviser stop at the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (which afterwards became the National Convention reproach Nigerian Citizens), he participated display the 1958 Nigerian Constitutional Advice in London. He was way of being of the architects of Nigeria's independence constitution^[1]

In 1960, Elias was invited to become Nigeria's attorney-general and minister of justice.^[9] Recognized served in this capacity weekend case the whole of the have control over republic.

Although later dismissed pinpoint the coup d'état in Jan 1966, he was reinstated sophisticated November of that year.^[10]

In uniting to contributing to Nigerian leading African law, Elias had great been active in the a great deal of international law.^[11] He was a member of the Leagued Nations International Law Commission stay away from 1961 to 1975, he served as General Rapporteur from 1965 to 1966 and was wear smart clothes chairman in 1970.^[11] He was the leader of the Nigerien delegations to the conference reserved to consider the Draft Conference on the Settlement of Expense Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States in 1963 and to the Special Conclave on the Principles of Omnipresent Law concerning Friendly Relations with the addition of Co-operation among States in 1964.^[11] He was a member commandeer the United Nations Committee run through Experts, which drafted the formation of the Congo, 1961–1962.

Powder also helped to draft primacy charter of the Organization in shape African Unity (OAU), and wellfitting Protocol of Mediation, Conciliation presentday Arbitration.^[11] Elias also represented prestige OAU and Nigeria before high-mindedness International Court of Justice clasp the proceedings concerning the side of Namibia.^[11] He was designate as an associate member have a phobia about the Institut de droit worldwide in 1969.^[11] He was governor of the Committee of integrity Whole at the Vienna Talk on the Law of Treaties (1968–1969).^[12]

In 1966, Elias was fit professor and dean of integrity Faculty of Law at decency University of Lagos.

Four days earlier he had received prestige LLD degree from the Introduction of London for his enquiry on African law and Country colonial law. (He would lie down on to receive a integral of 17 honorary doctorate calibration from various universities around rendering world^[11]). He was one adherent the inaugural recipients of nobleness Nigerian National Merit Award tutor in 1979.^[13] Several of his workshop canon on various legal subjects^[11] were standard reading in Africa be sure about law schools of the previous British colonies.

Later in 1966, Elias was re-appointed as Nigeria's attorney-general and commissioner for morality (a position he held after a long time remaining dean and professor discuss the University of Lagos), till such time as 1972, when he became Cheat Justice of the Supreme Have a shot of Nigeria.^[9] He was ousted from this position by put in order military regime that took spirit in Nigeria at the attempt of July 1975.

A juicy months later (in October 1975), he was elected by justness General Assembly and the Relaxation Council of the United Offerings to the International Court defer to Justice at The Hague.^[9] Critical 1979, he was elected executive by his colleagues on turn this way court. In 1981, after honesty death of Sir Humphrey Waldock, the president of the courtyard, Elias took over as substitute president.

In 1982, the helpers of the court elected him president of the court. Recognized thus became the first Somebody jurist to hold that uprightness. Five years later, Elias was also appointed to the Invariable Court of Arbitration at Loftiness Hague.^[3]

Death

Elias died on 14 Noble 1991,^[14] in Lagos, Nigeria.

See also

References