Adetokunbo Ademola facts for kids

Omoba Sir Adetokunbo Adegboyega Ademola was a very important Nigerian judge. He was the Chief Justice of Nigeria from 1958 to 1972. This means he was the top judge in the country. He started this big job on April 1, 1958. He took over from Sir Stafford Foster Sutton.

Adetokunbo Ademola was also a prince! His father was Oba Sir Ladapo Ademola II. An Oba is a traditional ruler, like a king. His father was the Alake of the Egba clan in Nigeria. Sir Adetokunbo was also the first leader, or chancellor, of the University of Benin.

Early Life and School Days

Sir Adetokunbo was born on February 1, 1906. He was born into a royal family. His parents were Prince Ladapo and Princess Tejumade Ademola. His father was a leader in Lagos. He later became the Alake of Egbaland. This is a historic city in south-western Nigeria.

When he was four, he lived with his grandpa in Abeokuta. A year later, he started primary school there. He moved back to Lagos when he was eight. He continued his schooling at Holy Cross School. He then went to St Gregory's Grammar School. After that, he attended King's College Lagos. He finished secondary school in 1925. He then got a job as a clerk in the government.

From 1928 to 1931, Ademola studied law. He went to Selwyn College at the University of Cambridge in England.

His Career as a Judge

Sir Adetokunbo became a lawyer in London in 1934. When he came back to Nigeria, he joined the government. From 1934 to 1935, he worked as a lawyer for the government. He then worked as an assistant secretary in Eastern Nigeria.

He left government work for a while. He started his own law practice. But in 1939, he became a Magistrate. A Magistrate is a type of judge. He worked in different Nigerian towns. He was in Warri from 1939 to 1946. Then he moved back to Lagos. In 1949, he became a High Court judge. He was only the third Nigerian to get this job.

In 1955, Sir Adetokunbo made history. He became the Chief Justice for Western Nigeria. This made him the first Nigerian to lead the judiciary in any part of the country. Three years later, he became the first Nigerian Chief Justice for all of Nigeria.

As Chief Justice, he helped keep peace in the country. In 1964, there was a problem with national elections. The president, Nnamdi Azikiwe, didn't want to form a government. Sir Adetokunbo and another Chief Justice helped solve the problem. He also helped calm things down after a military coup in 1966. Some officers wanted to separate from the country.

Sir Adetokunbo worked on many important cases. These cases helped shape Nigerian law. He also helped start the Nigerian Law School. Before this school, Nigerian lawyers had to study in England.

During his time, Nigeria changed its government. It went from colonial rule to a parliamentary system. Then it changed to military rule. Sir Adetokunbo was respected by other judges. He helped the judicial branch stay strong. He believed in having one strong court system for the whole country.

Census Board Work

After he retired from being a judge, Ademola got a new job. He became the chairman of the Nigerian Census Board. This board counted all the people in Nigeria. In 1973, they reported about 79 million people.

However, some states in the south did not agree with these numbers. They felt the count for the northern states was too high. Sir Adetokunbo himself was not happy with the results. He thought some census workers were dishonest. He felt the numbers were not reliable.

Awards and Groups He Joined

Ademola was a prince of the Yoruba people. So, he was often called Omoba. He received many honors from Queen Elizabeth II. He was first made a Knight in 1957. In 1963, he became a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. He was also made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE). These honors came when Nigeria was under British rule.

Later, the Nigerian government gave him a high award. He was given the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).

Sir Adetokunbo was also part of many important groups. He was on a United Nations board. He was a member of the International Commission of Jurists. He was also involved with groups working for world peace. He was president of the Nigerian Red Cross. He was even a member of the International Olympic Committee! He also helped start and lead several social clubs.

Personal Life

Sir Adetokunbo married Miss Kofo Moore. She was a very smart woman. She got a degree from Oxford University. They had five children together.

See Also

• Chief Justice of Nigeria
• Nigerian Law School