Here is a write up of the first lawyer in Ogoniland. He likes being introduced as a ‘typical village person. But anybody who knows Dr. Cyprus Nuniel, even remotely, would readily attest to the fact that he is by no means an ordinary man. If anything, he is a man of history. He has fought battles on many fronts. But he has remained unbowed. Like the famous Trojan horse, he trudges on. Not only is he the only surviving Senator of the Second Republic in Rivers State, he is the first lawyer to emerge from Ogoniland, the oil-rich community in Rivers State.
A former presidential aspirant and one of the founding fathers of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Nuniel was called to Bar on February 5, 1963 at the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, London, United Kingdom. On January 17, 1964, he enrolled as a Barrister-at-Law and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
Born on February 5, 1930, in Beery, Khan Local Government Area of Rivers State, at 83, and in spite of his old age and blurred vision, he still goes to court, especially when his professional advice is sought for, while trying to resolve some knotty, contentious legal matters.
He recently spoke in his Port Harcourt home, and told the riveting story of his life; one fit for thrillers novels, the story of a house boy who, against all odds, rose to become the first lawyer in his community. He also bared his mind on several issues, including the current political crisis in the state. He said;
I was born in the village of Beeri in Ogoni. At that time, all schools were missionary schools. The schools were owned by the Methodist Church of Nigeria. I attended the one in my village, Beeri, Khana in Ogoni. I did my primary one there. When my teacher, from K-Dere was transferred to Gokana, I followed him as a houseboy. I lived with him at the mission teachers’ quarters. I was fetching water for him and also, going to school. I was also going to his village from the Mission House.
In those days, there was only one Methodist school in Ogoni that was up to Standard Four; and they were raising it to be the Central School in Ogoni. Reverend Paul Kingston was posted to the Methodist Church and he was the first white man to step on Ogoniland. In fact, he was the one who translated the Bible from Genesis to Revelation to Ogoni language. We took the common entrance examination into Kono Methodist Church. They gave scholarship to one person from Gokana, one from Khana and one from Tai.
I took first position in Gokana, so, I was admitted to Kono Methodist School in 1936. That was where I started standard one. That school was later raised to Standard Six. So, I did my Standard Six in Kono Methodist School, which was the Central School in Ogoni. The first 30 boys went there. I was a houseboy to Rev. Paul Kingston from my standard three. It was in standard six, in 1941, that I took an entrance examination to Methodist High School, Oron. At that time, there was no secondary school in Ogoni.
Why did you decide to read Law? Well, what led me to study law? I don’t think it was really chosen by me. When I finished secondary school, I went to Government Clerical Training School, Osogbo (present capital of Osun State). By then, I had passed Cambridge Certificate Examination. They selected those of us that had School Certificate to go to the school. So, during one of the entertainment practices, we had speech contest and I won. I was given an Encyclopedia, and they nicknamed me ‘Local Barrister.’ By then, I did not know who a barrister was. But, when they were writing my report, they wrote that ‘Cyrus Nunieh is an intelligent young man and was popularly known as ‘local Barrister’. But, those who were close to Lagos knew who a lawyer was. But Ogoni people did not have a lawyer or a medical doctor. They wanted to send one person to England to study Medicine and another to study Law. I was interested in Medicine because I did science. So, my people, the Nyokhana Union, decided to send me to England to study Medicine.
Then, the Eastern Nigerian government granted a scholarship to one Danwi to study Medicine. But our people said, no, we wanted to send him to study Medicine, but the Eastern Nigerian government has given a scholarship to another classmate of his to go and study law. So, the District Officer said: ‘This boy called Local Barrister should go’. So, when I got to England, Latin was compulsory. I didn’t do Latin because, you either did science or Latin. It was when I got to London that I discovered that Latin was a compulsory subject. I started all the conjugation, grammar and Latin, because it was a compulsory subject in human law. So, my studying Law was as a result a nickname. That was how I got into Law. Some of my classmates were the late Justice Augustine Nnamani of the Supreme Court and Prof. Ben Nwabueze.
You were a Senator in the second republic, how can you compare the politics of first, second and third republics? I think they are not the same. You know, they say change is what goes on all the time. In fact, what is happening in politics now is shocking. It is not quite what it used to be. What is happening in politics now is more dynamic than what we had. It is partly business, and social revolution. I cannot understand. I’m also a student of the present situation. Every day, I feel worried about the present political situation in the country. Apart from the fact that I am older than you, I’m even more worried than you are. We have seen so many things.
This country, Nigeria, is the hope of the black race in the world, because if you see what went on in Britain and America, black people were carried across the borders as slaves. What is happening now is extra-audacity. People don’t mind consequences. They damn the consequence. They don’t think anything matters. We have to pray. We have the potentiality to be one of the top countries in the world, because we have the human, natural and mineral resources and fertile ground. Some countries do not even have oil, but we have everything that could make a country great. But, because nobody fears, nobody cares, we damn the laws; we damn the consequences.
Why do you still go to court at your age?
Well, I still go to court. You know, I did not accept to be a High Court judge because I am excited by the legal practice. In fact, I would have been retired now. If I were a High Court judge, I would not be practising. What happens now, some young lawyers call me on phone to ask me questions. Some people and companies consult me. I don’t go to court always. When I go to court, there must be a bigger matter of controversy, particularly, on interpretation. When I go to court, I feel I am alive and my clients are happy seeing me in court. If I were a judge and retired, I would not be practising at this age.
You were appointed the chairman of Commission of Inquiry, by the former military administrator, Alfred Diete-Spiff. Tell us more about the Commission.
After the d*ath of the Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed, there were problems. And there were many companies in Rivers State that were partly owned by the government; and many things were happening. I don’t know why, but, it looked as if, from what I saw, the Federal Government then had some confidence in me. But I was not a High Court Judge. And the Commission was a very high-powered one. The only way they had to enforce it was to pass a special edict to vest judicial powers on the commission, so that its decision could be enforced as law. Chairman, Nigerian Commission of Inquiry set up by the Rivers State Military Government was vested with high judicial powers under Commission of Inquiry Law, Eastern Nigeria, Chapter 24, Section 3, applicable in Rivers State, under Section 15 (1) of the Constitution, Basic provision, Decree 1975, No. 35 of 1975, which enquired into organization, management and running of 38 Rivers State Government-owned, or partly owned companies or corporations situated in the various states of Nigeria.
Compare judges and lawyers of your time and the present ones.
In our time, there was slight difference. One good thing about law is that everybody begins as junior. Everybody has a senior. Every junior, after one year has some juniors under him. Young lawyers are coming in every year. But, in our time, we learnt from our seniors. There are so many important things in law that are not in the law books, like the Code of Conduct, the decorum, the humility, the pride, the elegance. A lawyer must look neat. A lawyer must not lie. People see lawyers as liars. Any lawyer who lies is finished. When you do not tell lies, it would be an uphill task for your opponent to face you.
But, what happens now, many of our young lawyers are very brilliant; many of them are doing well. But, some of them don’t have time to learn. They have more facilities now, digital system (computer). Many of the young lawyers don’t have the courtesy we had in our time. We learnt from our seniors, but some of them are not willing to learn. But, there are some of them who are very humble and decent. When they see me, they take me as king. But, there are others, who will say, who is that old man. I think they need more consultations.
As a senator, which constituency did you represent?
I represented very wide area. I represented the Ogoni people from Khana Local Government Area, Tai, Gokana, Eleme, Oyigbo to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Okrika, Bolo, Bonny. And, one thing I’m happy about, the Bonny people brought the Polo (t-shirts) that were used in my campaign. I am proud that my footprints are on the sand of development in that area, because I was the one who initiated the building of bridges to connect my senatorial districts. And, I was instrumental to bringing LNG to Bonny. When I was in the Senate, I was not arrogant. I had many nicknames. My colleague Senators of the second republic, ask them; my nickname used to be ‘Great Soul’. Senate then was an interesting place. Lawyers called me ‘De Marquis.’ So, it has been a wonderful profession for me. The Ogoni people call me the Gbene of Ogoni. It’s a chieftaincy title. It has been wonderful for me.
What’s your take on politics in Nigeria?
My joy is disturbed by what is happening in the Nigerian politics. Nigeria is a great country. That’s all I can say.
What’s your reaction to the crisis in Rivers State
It is a pity that Rivers State, which should have been one of the most civilized states in Nigeria, is now behaving like a tout. In fact, we don’t know what we are doing; fighting everywhere. I am disturbed because Rivers State is not an ignorant state; that, our own state would be a state where the state legislature should be closed and locked makes me sad.
Another bad thing is that, a local government council, one of the richest in the state, Obio/Akpor, is shut down. Well, I don’t know what to say about it. You see, my colleagues like Dr. Onyeabor Obi from Anambra State and Professor Nwabueze and so on; when the news about the faction in PDP broke, I phoned him to find out. He said that he was in Abuja. I asked him, what are you doing in Abuja? He told me he was in Abuja for the PDP convention. But I was the founder of PDP in this state (Rivers); I have never been invited to any convention since it started. And it was I, who gave the building, my storey building at 18 Igbodo Street to PDP. I provided accommodation for PDP. And they said, if we won in that election, they would transform my house into glass house. I have been patronizing PDP. Even when they invite Rivers’ elders they don’t call me. Am I not an elder? I don’t think they know that I exist.
But that is not the only thing that is bothering me, I am from Ogoni; in Rivers State, I am the most senior lawyer and the only surviving senator of the Second Republic. They don’t ask for my advice. People like me, not that I am bigger than everybody, but I have seen things because what you see is part of knowledge and what you hear is part of knowledge. They don’t know. Then, you will see a young lawyer coming out to say, ‘the Ogoni people …’, or he is speaking on behalf of the Ogoni people. Like the Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House Assembly, he cannot say something without saying he is speaking on behalf of Ogoni people. It is as if he has assembled Ogoni people together to give him the authority to speak for them.
Like what I am saying now, there may be many errors or wrong things in what I’m saying.
You don’t have to make Ogoni to look as if they gave you license to talk about things, which will make Ogoni people look like they do not know anything about modern day politics. So, if they know or don’t know, they should say what they know or don’t know. But, let them not say, ‘we are talking this on behalf of Ogoni people’. None of them will talk without saying, ‘on behalf of Ogoni people’. Some of them don’t know what is happening and this is happening in Rivers State, as if we don’t know what we are doing. We learn every day. Even, though I am old, there are still many things I don’t know. There are many things I learn, even from children. It is said that the words of elders are words of wisdom. The wise man hears and gets wiser. So, if you see any flaws in what I’m saying, put that blame on me; don’t put it on Ogoni people. Tell our men from Ogoni, when they speak, that there are many Ogoni people who are not primitive, who have seen things yesterday and today, and are afraid of possible consequences. So, please, tell our people to be humble.
Jesus said: ‘Be humble and you will be raised’.
Another thing that worries me is that I was one of those people who elected Alhaji Shehu Shagari, as President. I was not only a member of the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, I was one of the lawyers that defended his petition against the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo at the Supreme Court. I also supported Obasanjo. But, I was a presidential aspirant. Many northerners supported me. But the military told me in Kaduna that they had been reading my contributions at the Senate and they wanted me to be alive to continue, for they would like their man to be President. And when I thought of the number of coup d’état that took place in the country, I knew I could not face it, and that Obasanjo would do better. I withdrew my candidature. Later, they started calling me ancient and modern in politics.
What is your assessment of President Goodluck Jonathan?
I was one of those that came forward to say we should support Goodluck Jonathan. And, I was one of those who first described the South-South as the hen that lays the golden egg. And, when you look at the revenue that comes into this country, there was no reason we cannot get a president from the South-South. There is no geopolitical zone in this country where we cannot get somebody who can be a president. I have only met Jonathan once, but because he’s from here, I supported him even when I had not seen him.
Why? Two reasons: He was a deputy governor. He later became a governor. Then, he became the vice president; later, he became acting president. And, then president after the death of Alhaji Umar Yar’Adua. Why has God chosen him among many people, who might have been interested? The whole thing looked like the act of God, because if it was by power, he would not have been deputy governor, governor, vice president and acting president. There must be some unseen powers behind the whole thing. And, when the Holy Spirit is doing something, in His own glory and power and you think you are stronger than that person, you are mistaking. I have seen so many people in my days, who opposed what God has done; they found out that they were wasting their time.
But what bothers me is, those, who have taken the frontline position in sabotaging this man came from his area. The way Jonathan has been abused by even his own people, I have never seen any head of state in any country or in Africa that is so abused. When God has put someone in a place, you can only correct him, but you have to respect him. Even, the piece of cloth we call the Nigerian flag, if you tear it, it can cause war. So, the emblem, the symbol of honour of this country is personified in the president. Why are our people thinking that the only person they can abuse is President Jonathan? They are abusing our pride. They are abusing our motherland. They are abusing the gift of God. Another reason is that he is from this area. We have been crying all the time that we are the area that lays the golden egg, the South-South. That’s why I disagree with my colleague, Professor Nwabueze. I have been in practical politics, not academic politics.
My reply to Professor Nwabueze’s statement that President Jonathan should not contest in the 2015 election, published in the Daily Sun newspaper, page 6, dated 30th August, 2013, is this: Since Prof. Nwabueze admits that President Jonathan is eligible to contest in the 2015 election, both of us, therefore, have no disagreement over the legal right of President Jonathan to contest in 2015 election. The following are my reasons for supporting President Jonathan to contest in the 2015 election. Since President Jonathan is eligible to stand for the election and is prepared to contest, he can contest because that is his constitutional right.
I believe that President Jonathan has now acquired sufficient experience which a good president requires and if he contests election now, he will be better qualified to do the best he can for Nigeria in his second term. I believe that not allowing him to contest will deprive Nigeria of the better services, which he will give to Nigeria if he is given the opportunity to contest this second term.
What is your take on the corruption in the country and judiciary?
Well, people tale about corruption in the judiciary, but I have not witnessed it. I can’t talk much about it. But, about the country, many usually blame the police, but I tell them that it is unfair to blame them. Though the police are not doing as much as they should, the fight against corruption is the duty of every citizen. It is not only the police; both the giver and the taker are guilty equally. Corruption in the country is something else. Some people have honour and degree in corruption. Corruption in this country is what everybody has to join hands in to pray to God.
How many children do you have?
Thirteen, but three d*ed.
SOURCE The Sun
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