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;
