Headline

Why Chicago Saga May Not End Soon

Published

1 year ago

September 17, 2023

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

The crises surrounding the authenticity of President Bola Tinubu’s academic sojourn is as old as his political career. But the simple desire of the Nigerian public has been for the president to show evidence that he attended school, especially the Chicago State University. This plea has been met with rebuff, therefore, dragging the saga of a supposedly unauthenticated certificate.

However, on Friday, the Chicago State University announced that a said Bola A. Tinubu attended their school, but the transcript released still bear female as gender, and offers discrepancy in dates, thereby sustaining the saga.

Earlier in 2002, the present Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, went to court over certificate forgery against Tinubu. This was cited by the spokesperson, Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation, Daniel Bwala, in an interview on Channels TV. He noted that Keyamo had sued the Lagos Assembly in 2002 over Tinubu’s candidacy as the then governor of Lagos State.

Citing a law report titled Keyamo V. House Of Assembly, Lagos State (2002), Bwala said, “This is the Supreme Court decision in the case I have cited and I will just read a line: The appellant alleged amongst others as a legal practitioner that he has been confronted by some of his clients who wanted to understand certain things they consider important relating to their contesting the governorship in Lagos State.

“He further, that is Festus Keyamo, alleged certificate forgery against the Governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and that the latter was not qualified for the office of the governor.”

Bwala noted that Keyamo, who is today speaking in favour of and defending tinubu’s eligibility, was the appellant in the then case.

Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President of Nigeria, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2023 presidential election had heightened the tension associated with the 2023 election by filing a petition to obtain information about Tinubu’s academic records at Chicago State University, where the president claimed he attended and obtained a certificate.

Atiku’s attorney, Angela Liu, had requested documents pertaining to Tinubu’s admission, attendance, degrees, awards, and honors obtained during his time at the university. These issues had been a subject of disputes since the days of Tinubu’s stewardship as the governor of Lagos State.

Atiku had aimed to use the subpoena to verify the authenticity of his claims and establish the truth amidst ongoing disputes about his election and academic history.

Atiku’s application was spurred by an earlier case in Nigeria on November 9, 2022, several months before the Presidential elections, in which one Mr. Mike Enahoro-Ebah, described as a “Human Rights Defender and Public Interest Litigator” in Abuja, commenced proceedings against Tinubu by filing a “Direct Criminal Complaint” in the Chief Magistrate Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

In a swift response however, President Tinubu’s legal team had filed a counter motion to dismiss the subpoena in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Chicago, USA through Victor Henderson, counsel to President Tinubu, who argued that the petition lacked the necessary court authorization and provided inadequate time for compliance, violating the Illinois Supreme Court Rules.

According to BussinessDay, “Legal experts and commentators have voiced their opinions on Atiku’s pursuit of justice abroad. Mike Ozekhome, a human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, viewed Atiku’s actions positively, stating that the international nature of the matter warranted seeking legal assistance outside Nigeria.

“Kennedy Khanoba, a Constitutional lawyer, however, maintained that unless President Tinubu is convicted in the US court, Atiku’s efforts might yield little results. He emphasized that only a conviction would have a significant impact on Tinubu’s presidential position, as convictions result in a prohibition from holding public office for a specified period.

“Jackson Ojo, a political analyst, told Punch Newspaper that the sovereignty of Nigeria as an independent state could limit the influence of foreign court rulings on Nigerian affairs. He expressed skepticism about the direct impact of an American court ruling on the outcome of Nigerian elections and judicial proceedings.

As the legal battle unfolds, Nigerians remain divided on the efficacy of seeking justice abroad. Atiku’s pursuit of evidence through the US court system has ignited debates about the integrity of Nigeria’s legal system and its potential impact on the country’s political landscape. The final verdict and its implications for the Nigerian presidency remain uncertain as legal proceedings continue.

But complicating the defence of Tinubu and his legal, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, admitted that it has jurisdiction in the case instituted by Atiku, to compel CSU to produce critical documents relating to Tinubu.

The desire of all and sundry to know the truth led to a bombardment of the university official X (former Twitter) account, and due to heavy traffic and enquiries about President Bola Tinubu academic records, a lockup of the account of authorised.

In the X account of the university, there was the ‘protect your posts’ feature that allows users to disclose their mission from persons who are not followers.

This, it was learnt was due to new enquiries to those who were not usual visitors to the X account of the university.

Owing to this, any new visitor to the social media account was asked to disclosed the purpose.

THE ORIGIN

In his original complaint as described by oblongmedia, Mr. Enahoro-Ebah alleged that Mr. Tinubu submitted an “Affidavit of Personal Particulars” to INEC in June 2022 as part of a required filing to run for President that included a forged CSU diploma dated June 22, 1979 and other information that is inconsistent with the CSU documents.

According to court papers filed by Atiku in the US court dated August 2, 2023, to support the allegations, “Mr. Enahoro-Ebah stated that after Mr. Tinubu made his INEC filing, Mr. Enahoro-Ebah obtained a subpoena from the Circuit Court of Cook County, dated August 11, 2022, and served it on CSU. In response to the subpoena, CSU’s Registrar, Mr. Caleb Westberg, sent a letter dated September 22, 2022, to Mr. Enahoro-Ebah’s Chicago counsel, Mr. Matthew J. Kowals, advising Mr. Kowals that “[t]he enclosed documentation is all the records we have for Bola E. Tinubu.

“According to the complaint, the documents that accompanied Mr. Westberg’s letter included a CSU diploma issued to Mr. Tinubu on June 27, 1979. The June 27 diploma allegedly produced by CSU to Mr. Kowals, and the June 22 diploma allegedly submitted by Mr. Tinubu to INEC, are very different documents. In addition to the different dates, the documents have different seals, fonts, and language. The June 22 diploma has grammatical errors that the June 27 diploma does not have. They are also signed by different persons who are ostensibly officials of CSU. The June 22 diploma has three signatures, one of which purports to be the signature of Dr. Elnora Daniel as President of CSU. The other two signatures on the June 22 diploma are illegible.

“By contrast, the June 27 diploma only has two signatures. They purport to be the signatures of Dr. Daniel, again as the President of CSU, and Dr. Niva Lubin as the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees. Compare

“In his complaint, Mr. Enahoro-Ebah asserts that the June 27 diploma produced by CSU to Mr. Kowals is authentic, and that the June 22 diploma submitted by Mr. Tinubu to INEC is a forgery. However, Applicant’s staff have recently conducted further research into the names of CSU officials with legible signatures on the two diplomas: Dr. Daniel (whose signature appears on both the June 22 and June 27 diplomas) and Dr. Lubin (whose signature appears only on the June 27 diploma). According to public records, Dr. Daniel and Dr. Lubin did not join CSU until the late 1990s—around two decades after CSU supposedly awarded the June 22 diploma and/or the June 27 diploma to Mr. Tinubu.

Applicant’s research therefore calls into question the authenticity of both the June 22 and the June 27 diplomas.

In his complaint, Mr. Enahoro-Ebah alleged the following additional discrepancies between the information provided by Mr. Tinubu to INEC and the documents produced by CSU to Mr. Enahoro-Ebah:

“According to documents produced by CSU, the “Bola Tinubu” who attended CSU was a U.S. citizen, while in the information provided to INEC, Mr. Tinubu states that he has always been solely a Nigerian citizen and has never acquired the citizenship of any other country. According to the documents produced by CSU, the “Bola Tinubu” who attended CSU was born in 1954, while according to the information provided to the INEC, Mr. Tinubu was born in 1952.

“According to the documents produced by CSU, the “Bola Tinubu” who applied to CSU submitted a prior transcript from Southwest College that identified “Bola Tinubu” as “female.” According to the documents produced by CSU, the “Bola Tinubu” who attended CSU claimed that s/he had graduated from Government College, Lagos, in 1970, while in the information provided to INEC, Mr. Tinubu makes no mention of having attended Government College.

ATIKU SATISFIES ALL REQUIREMENTS – US COURT

Pursuant to the above, Atiku, by and through his counsel, applied to the Court for an order granting him leave to compel CSU to release and verify the authenticity of documents purportedly issued to Tinubu by the university.

The court said Atiku has satisfied all statutory requirements as he is an “interested person”; and the respondent, CSU, is a public university established and existing under the laws of Illinois, with its principal campus and offices in Chicago.

Having met all requirements, the court said it will not hesitate to grant the prayers of Atiku.

Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on March 1, 2023 declared Bola Tinubu winner of the February 25, 2023 presidential election, having polled 8,794,726 to defeat his closest rivals, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Peter Obi of the Labour Party to the second and third positions respectively.

Both Atiku and Obi questioned Tinubu’s eligibility to run for the presidency. Obi’s argument revolved around Tinubu’s alleged forfeiture of $460,000 due to a drug-related case in the United States and his inability to secure 25 percent of votes in the Federal Capital Territory among other irregularities he felt occurred during the elections.

CHICAGO STATE UNIVERSITY CONFIRMS TINUBU’S STUDENTSHIP

Chicago State University, CSU, in an article published on CBS Chicago, confirmed that President Bola Tinubu attended the university and graduated in 1979.

Read the full statement below:

“As an educational institution, we are sometimes asked to provide information related to student records. The federal law known as FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) protects the privacy of student records and limits what an institution can release.

In August 2023, a request was made in U.S. federal court for the university to provide information related to educational records concerning Bola Tinubu, the President of Nigeria, and a former CSU student. The university has confirmed Tinubu attended CSU and graduated in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree. Federal law, however, prevents us from providing further information without consent or unless allowed via court order.

CSU is confident in the veracity and integrity of our records regarding Tinubu’s completion of graduation requirements and degree certificate. The university is not a party to the Nigerian legal proceedings that spurred this request, and a U.S. federal judge will determine whether the university will provide further requested information.

Our response to the request for Tinubu’s academic records has been entirely consistent with our practices, policies and federal law. We would respond in exactly the same manner for any request for any student information by a third party.”

Meanwhile in a post on the PDP website, Angela Liu, who is Atiku’s Attorney for the case against Tinubu about the Chicago University Certificate, argued that the university never gave the president any certificate.

The application made in Case No. 23-cv-5099 was filed pursuant to 28 United States Constitution 1782.

The post stated that Liu already submitted a 24-paragraph declaration in support of the application, pursuant to 28 U.S.C 1782, for an order granting leave to serve the Subpoenas to Chicago State University attached to the Application as Exhibits 1 and 2.

Angela Liu stated, “How can you have two certificates issued by the same university, to the same person, for the same course of study, but issued on different dates and signed by two different people.”

According to Atiku’s lawyer, the certificates which Tinubu submitted in Nigeria were different.

“The first Chicago State University certificate which Bola Tinubu submitted to INEC was issued on 22nd June, 1979, and signed by three signatories including a certain Dr. Elnora Daniel, whose signature is dated 22 June 1979.

“The second certificate supposedly issued to Mr. Enahoro by Tinubu and tendered at the PEPT was issued on 27th June, 1979, and now signed by two people and the same Dr. Elnora Daniel, signed it but now the date changed to 27th June, 1979, and a certain Dr. Niva Lubin also signed.”

According to the post, “Now evidence has shown that Tinubu submitted two different certificates and both may even be fake. The two certificates have different fonts, they both have different dates, they both have different Chicago University Logo, they both have different grammar written, they both have different signatories.

“Now here is the crazy part, the Dr. Elnora Daniel who Tinubu put on his certificate as a signatory for CSU in 1979, was not an employee of CSU in 1979. She was not employed by CSU until 1998

“A whole 19 years after Tinubu allegedly graduated. So how did she sign in 1979, when the woman was not even an employee of Chicago University as at that time.

“Also the second signatory Dr. Niva Lubin who Tinubu claimed signed his certificate dated in 1979 was not an employee of Chicago University until 1996. A whole 17 years after Tinubu claimed he graduated.”

It alleged that Tinubu had no certificate from Chicago State University and Atiku had taken the bold step to summon Chicago State University as a respondent in the case in Illinois.

Tinubu’s political rival, Atiku Abubakar, claims that documents showing that Tinubu graduated from Chicago State in 1979 are not authentic, and that is grounds to nullify Tinubu’s election victory earlier this year.

According to the People’s Gazette, Tinubu submitted the diploma to Nigeria’s election commission. It was purportedly issued in 1979 and signed by university President Elnora Daniel. But Daniel didn’t arrive at CSU until 1998 and left about ten years later. Submitting false records to the National Election Commission before the vote should nullify the election, Abubaker claims.

At a hearing in Chicago, Abubakar’s lawyers asked a federal judge to compel CSU officials to turn over Tinubu’s academic documents and appear for depositions. Judge Jeffrey Gilbert of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois did not rule on the request.

CSU’s lawyer, Michael Hayes, told Gilbert that the university wouldn’t be able to certify Tinubu’s diploma under oath.

A CSU spokeswoman said the university can confirm the president graduated. However, it cannot authenticate the diploma because it is a ceremonial document that is not part of a student’s official academic file.

With the confirmation of a certain Bola A. Tinbu attending and graduating from CSU in 1979, it therefore behoves on the Atiku legal team to prove that the aforementioned Bola is not Nigeria’s president, but a certain lady as the documents tend to declare.

The parties will soon have their day in court, and so the saga continues.

Headline

Who Will Rescue Nigeria from Political Bandits?

Published

5 days ago

October 6, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

The Oxford Dictionary defines a bandit as a robber or outlaw belonging to a gang and typically operating in an isolated or lawless area. In a layman’s language, a bandit is a basically a robber, most of the times, heavily.

In many professional sectors, bandits have arisen in form of leaders, as a result of their high handedness, disrespect for constituted authorities, greed for power and disregards for humanity. Among the bandits of the Nigerian society are the political bandits. They are members of diverse political parties spread across the judiciary, legislature, executive, business environment and more. The banditry has created dissension across boards, affecting the main and opposition political parties, the Nigerian economy, the judiciary with the infamous conflicting judicial pronouncements and judgments, creating a typical musical staccato.

As a result, while the country battles the known bandits of Sokoto, Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina and Niger among others, the people are unfortunately putting up with the rascality of the new kind of banditry, which shares public space with the populace, albeit politicians and public office holders. But while the shenanigans persist, the government and people keep a blind eye, pretending that all is well.

“It’s no longer news that the issues prevailing in the country today vis a vis political crisis, judicial rascality and the total economic downturn ravaging the nation, unleashing hunger among the populace is a direct invention of the government of the day.

“Firstly, to decimate the opposition parties so as to create a leeway for a smooth return to power in 2027 as well as impoverish the people, make them hopeless so as to feed them crumbs without questions. Of course, the constant phoney distribution of palliatives is a consequence of the self-made affliction,” an analyst told The Boss.

It would be recalled that the nation has experienced more than a far share of democratic brigandry and political banditry since the May 29, 2023 inauguration day pronouncement of ‘subsidy is gone’ by President Bola Tinubu. Apart from the economy hitting the rocks since then, the opposition parties have continually remained on each other’s neck in what political analysts have described as a deliberate ploy of the government in power to instigated crises across board, and propel the country towards a one party state under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), leadership tussle has remained endemic, creating factions between those loyal to the Acting Chairman, Umar Iliya Damagum and the the rest of the members, with an allegation that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr Nyesom Wike, has a superlative control of the leadership; a situation that has made it absolutely difficult for the opposition party to successfully play its opposition role.

“No matter what anybody says, it’s obvious that Wike is working for the APC, and at the same time maintains a strangle hold on the PDP for the very wrong reasons. It’s completely difficult for the PDP leadership as presently constituted to speak against the APC or even Wike himself. It is not by accident that Senator Dino Melaye, a vocal chieftain of the party, described it as a ‘dead party’. You know that New Nigeria’s People’s Party’s Rabiu Kwankwaso has echoed that line of thought,” a PDP stakeholder, who prefers anonymity said.

The crisis of leadership has also divided the Governors Forum under Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, causing the party to abandon Rivers State governor, Sim Fubara, in his battles for the state structure against Wike.

While Bala Mohammed had earlier indicated that the forum was considering the return of the national chairmanship to the North-Central, describing the current leadership arrangement in the North-East as unconstitutional, a decision that was supported by Osun state governor, Ademola Adeleke.

“My brother from the North-East is currently acting as the national chairman, which is a constitutional anomaly. According to our Constitution, any vacancy in a leadership position should be filled by the region from which it was originally created,” Bala said on Tuesday.

The Bauchi State governor explained that the North-Central region had been expecting the position and hinted that the forum was working with the chairman, the National Working Committee (NWC), and the broader party structure to return the chairmanship to the North-Central.

“We have discussed the issue and will work to ensure that the North-Central is given the opportunity to assume this responsibility,” he stated.

However, Governor Fintiri of Adamawa, in a sharp contrast to Bala’s stance, declared his strong support for Damagum’s leadership.

Fintiri noted that the North-East zone, which includes Bauchi, supports Damagum remaining as acting national chairman.

He referenced a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja that restrains the NWC, Board of Trustees (BoT), National Executive Committee (NEC), PDP, INEC, and any affiliated bodies from removing, replacing, or nominating a new chairman outside of Damagum.

“The court’s ruling is clear, and we must respect it for the sake of our party and democracy,” Fintiri stated in a statement earlier issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou.

The Adamawa governor further praised Damagum’s leadership for rebuilding public confidence in the PDP following the party’s defeat in the 2023 presidential election, and he endorsed him to complete the tenure of the former chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, a situation many members of the party disagree with.

Fintiri also emphasised that the North-East, having delivered strong results for the PDP in the 2023 elections, deserves the national chairmanship more than other regions. The zone includes Adamawa, Taraba, Gombe, Bauchi, Borno, and Yobe states, and Fintiri argued that their performance in the polls strengthens their claim to the chairmanship.

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, also declared his full support for the NWC under Damagum’s leadership, underscoring the growing division within the PDP Governors’ Forum over the party’s leadership crisis.

Makinde noted that, while internal disagreements are inevitable in any political party, the focus should remain on unity as the party prepares for critical elections.

The party also agreed to support Fubara in Rivers, resolving to hand over party structure to him against Wike’s quest to hold to the structure. But in response, Wike threatened to step fire in the states of the PDP Governors, who took the decision. But while Mohammed called his bluff, Makinde pleaded to be exempted, acknowledging alleged Wike’s superiority.

The dissension that has continued led to the party’s loss of the Edo State governorship election. They claimed it was rigged by the APC.

Demagum continues to argue that the party’s rules allow for some flexibility in leadership positions and pointed out that the deputy chairman from the North could naturally assume the chairmanship if it were vacated.

Also in the Labour Party, leadership crisis has continued to polarize the party, creating a faction supposedly chaired by deposed Chairman, Julius Abure, and another by the new caretaker Chairman, Esther Nenadi. The party’s crisis also resulted in the dismal performance of their candidate, Olumide Akpata, in the just concluded Edo State governorship election on September 20.

The political rascality has further transcended to the judiciary, where what appears to be judgment for the highest bidder, is in vogue.

This situation has been witnessed in Rivers State, where the several court judgments continue to flow from several courts in favour of anyone, who applies for it.

On September 30, the court barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voter register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) for the elections.

The judge, Peter Lifu, cited RSIEC’s non-compliance with its 2018 law concerning the voter register as a reason for the court’s decision to halt the elections

Many lawyers and judicial stakeholders have expressed their disagreement with the court order and stressed the importance of judicial independence.

They argued that the case underscored the unconstitutionality and undemocratic nature of caretaker committees managing local governments.

A lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Jibrin Okutepa, noted as follows:

“Section 1 of the 1999 Constitution makes the constitution supreme and binding on all persons and authorities, including Nigerian courts.

“Section 287(1) further stipulates that decisions of the Supreme Court must be enforced across Nigeria by all persons and courts with subordinate jurisdiction to that of the Supreme Court.

“Judgments of the Supreme Court, whether rightly or wrongly decided, cannot be questioned or ignored by any courts or individuals in Nigeria; they can only be criticised.”

Also toeing the line of political banditry in the nation is the recklessness that has been exhibited by the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The body has been accused of also giving electoral victory to whomever expresses monetary and influential concern, especially the government of the day. The situation was further brought to light with the handling of the Edo State governorship election.

The situation of almost complete lawlessness that has pervaded the length and breadth of the nation’s political and economic sectors, have reduced the society to enclave enslaved by a group of individuals, who do not wish corporate existence, but selfish fulfillment of individual agenda.

In Rivers State, Governor Fubara appears to have called the bluff of the Bola Tinubu-led APC, the camp of Wike and all, who were bent on undermining his administration, but the question still stand, who will rescue Nigeria from political bandits as the situation is far from over.

Headline

Glo Splashes Millions of Naira on Partners at Luxurious Event in Lagos

Published

6 days ago

October 5, 2024

Eric

Globacom, Nigeria’s telecommunications and digital solutions services provider, on Thursday treated its business partners across the country to a luxurious ceremony in Lagos. The event was held at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island.

At the event, Globacom honoured its top-performing partners that fulfilled all regional and national deliverable requirements with millions of naira in recognition of their outstanding work.

A total number of 71 partners were rewarded in two broad categories, with the winners receiving millions of naira in cash prizes. Category 1 comprised 22 Activation Award winners and 33 Divisional Recharge winners.

In Category 2, 16 partners were rewarded for outstanding performance at the national level. They included partners who performed excellently in Sponsored Data and Activation and those who won national awards in the Recharge category.

The event was held to “honour not just individual successes, but the collaborative spirit that drives innovation and growth”, according to a statement from Globacom. It added that each of the partners “continues to play crucial roles in Globacom’s mission to empower people and businesses, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in telecommunications”.

Globacom shared with them its current and future projections to grow the company and maintain a win-win partnership with the business partners and promised to constantly take their interest and that of other stakeholders into account in all of its plans and projections.

“We are excited about the future, of our continued partnership in serving our customers, fulfilling their needs and helping them achieve their ambitions. We count on you all to be by our side all the way”, the company reiterated to the business partners.

Globacom, which recently clocked 21st, noted that it has grown from being a telecommunications service provider to becoming a Digital and Technology Company, leading the drive into Nigeria’s digital future. It promised to continue to explore unlimited opportunities to serve the customers by investing heavily in the latest tools and technologies.

The company recently unveiled My-G which gives subscribers more data value and more freedom to explore their passions. It has also reinvigorated the Glo Cafe app to give subscribers total control and access to entertainment, gaming, data solutions and other VAS services on their mobile devices. Glo also enhanced the Berekete tariff plan to give unparalleled juicy benefits to subscribers, ensuring that every new business innovation, product and service bring Glo customers one step closer to their goals.

However, the partners had a terrific time being entertained, so the event wasn’t just about business presentations and prizes. Lilian Yeri Danceworld, an all-female dance company with a lot of versatile dance movements, was available to entertain the guests.

Celebrated musician, Flavour, also brightened up the evening with great music, adding color to bring the celebration to a close. Several guests joined him on the dance floor to enjoy his songs and flow along with his captivating performance.

Headline

Charles Osuji: Canada Celebrates a Legal Wizard

Published

2 weeks ago

September 30, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

From a very humble beginning in Imo State, South East Nigeria, Charles Osuji has not only found the golden fleece, but had nature give him a soft landing on posterity; the evidence of his prolific hard work.

Here’s the story of a man, who transcended boundaries and borders, challenges and huddles as well as barriers to take the legal profession by storm, hitting the highest echelon with panache in far away Calgary, Alberta in Canada. He graduated top of his class with honours from Imo State University in 2009, and called to the Nigerian bar from where he migrated to Canada. He was absorbed into the then Smith Law Office, where he had a successful articling before being admitted into the Alberta Bar in 2014. He became a partner in 2016, and moved to sole ownership in 2017.

Today, Canada celebrates a man of vision, impact, focus, determination and commitment to growth, just as Nigeria walks tall with pride at a total package of dignity, influence, affluence and candor exportable to the global world. His name is Dr. Charles Osuji, the Chief Executive Officer of one of Canada’s most thriving law firm, Osuji & Smith Lawyers. Osuji proved from day one to be a man, who knows what he wants, and it is no accident that he has achieved so much, and yet not rested on any oars. He sits comfortably as the owner of the largest black-owned law firm in Canada.

Osuji’s larger than life achievements have been encapsulated in what most authorities have said and written about him.

In a speech during the welcoming of The Boss Publisher, Chief Dele Momodu, in Calgary the week before, Barrister Juliet Omonigho, has this to say about Dr. Osuji

“Sir, let me tell you a bit about Dr. Charles Osuji; like Chief Dr. Momodu, he embarked on a journey fueled by vision and determination. Charles arrived in Canada and quickly rose through the ranks with sheer hard work, humility, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. In just a few short years, five years to be exact, he went from a young Nigerian boy in his twenties who, though graduated at the top of his class, seemed to have no prospects when he arrived in Canada, working three menial jobs to make ends meet, to finally getting an articling position after over 200 rejections! He bought the firm just three years after Articling and, in just five short years as managing partner, led it to become the largest black-owned law firm in Canada! His story is one of resilience, innovation, courage and the kind of tenacity that transforms dreams into reality.

“Osuji & Smith Lawyers, under Charles’ leadership, mirrors the journey of Ovation International. Both entities began with a vision, faced numerous challenges, achieved feats that had never been achieved before… and ultimately became symbols of success and excellence in their respective fields. Just as Chief Dr. Dele Momodu has become a beacon of pride for Africa in the global media landscape, Dr. Charles Osuji and his firm have become shining examples of what can be achieved by a young immigrant lawyer with no connections in Canada but through hard work and a commitment to uplifting others rise to national recognition in this country.

“Through the Foot in the Door Initiative, FIDI, an organization founded to empower internally trained lawyers Charles, our firm’s reach is international, giving incredible opportunities to internationally trained lawyers around the world to gain legal experience so they do not have to spend years writing hundreds of applications as he did before getting a foot in the door into a legal profession.

“As a director of the program, we get contacted by lawyers from around the world about the opportunity to be part of the initiative, and we say yes, which gives them the confidence to move to Canada to pursue their legal careers. The impact of the FIDI innovation is truly global.

“Our firm is so successful because Charles has assembled an incredible team of legal minds producing first-class work and the most dedicated and brilliant administrative staff. And collectively, we are all determined and dedicated to giving back. We are a full-service law firm with a diverse staff that speaks over 31 languages; by the way, Chief Momodu, we know you are a linguist who speaks several languages. Our ages range from twenties to seventies, and we serve a diverse Canada.

“As a result of Charles’ leadership, Nigeria is uplifting others regardless of race, ethnicity, or nationality. Over 200 FIDI students from different races have passed through our doors. Osuji & Smith has won landmark cases that established precedents, especially in employment law.

“Our firm has won over 105 awards across Canada, and Charles was recognized as one of Canada’s 25 most influential lawyers at age 35.

“Chief Dr. Momodu, you have led the way, setting an incredible example for a person like Dr. Charles Osuji—to rise to remarkable heights while keeping your focus on a larger mission: showcasing excellence, rewriting narratives, and creating opportunities for others. Your story continues to impact us even in the diaspora. It reminds us that with vision, determination, and the courage to stand for something greater than ourselves, there are no limits to what we can achieve.”

For a gentleman, who moved to Canada in 2011, it is quite impressive how he has climbed the ladders of success, and settled at the very height of greatness.

OF CHARLES OSUJI AND OSUJI & SMITH LAWYERS

By the age of 30, Charles Osuji, an internationally trained lawyer from Nigeria, bought a 37-year-old firm wherein he had served as an articling student not long before. Today, Osuji & Smith is a thriving small-sized firm that offers multi-generational and multi-cultural perspectives to its client base. The firm’s diverse staff includes lawyers who are educated or trained abroad, as well as individuals who can speak English, Igbo, Mandarin, Cantonese, Bengali, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, French, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu. Professionals at Osuji & Smith can bring their diverse legal, financial and lived experiences to the table, which is what sets the firm apart from others.

Charles Osuji acts as a role model for young professionals and as a mentor to the associate lawyers, articling students and legal assistants at the firm. For these reasons, Three Best Rated has consistently named Osuji & Smith, beginning in 2017, as one of the top-rated employment and business firms in Calgary.

Also on the endless list of those, who have one or two things to say about Osuji is the site LEXPERT Business of Law, who wrote in 2021 as follows:

In 2011, Charles Osuji uprooted himself — and his developing legal career — to move to Calgary from Nigeria. An internationally trained lawyer, he came to Canada knowing he’d have to become re-accredited and develop a new network of personal and professional colleagues — but Osuji wasn’t daunted by these challenges. He joined what is now Osuji & Smith Lawyers in 2013 as an articling student, was called to the Alberta Bar in 2014, became partner at the firm in 2016 and then, at the age of 31, made another bold move: he became sole owner of the firm. At an age when most lawyers are still preoccupied with learning their craft, Osuji stands at the helm of a thriving and fast rising small-sized law firm as managing partner and CEO.

Osuji was recently named one of Canadian Lawyer’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers; was recognized in both Canada and Avenue Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 Award categoryies; won the Immigrant of Distinction — Achievement Under 35 Award from Immigrant Services Calgary; was recently recognized, and voted by his fellow lawyers across Canada, in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, 2022, for his outstanding professional excellence in private practice; and was a nominee for the Canadian Bar Association’s 2020 Douglas Miller Rising Star Award.

Osuji & Smith covers a number of areas of law including personal injury, immigration, civil litigation, business, wills and estate, real estate, family, and employment and labour. Clients, which represent a cross-section of Alberta businesses and individuals, benefit from the firm’s multi-generational and multi-cultural perspectives, and Osuji’s willingness to provide these different perspectives sets his firm apart in the Calgary market. He strives to bring an entrepreneurial, multi-cultural and holistic approach to the practice of law.

Osuji is dedicated to providing mentoring and leadership for his staff and is also “a volunteer extraordinaire.” He plays piano at his church, provides pro bono work such as with E-Fry and legal clinics and is a mentor for other newcomer professionals through the Calgary Region Immigrant Employment Counsel, where he participates in workshops and panel conversations as well as serves on the Board of Directors and as Secretary.

Despite his fast and furious rise in the Canadian legal community, Osuji remains humble, genuine and kind. His unique combination of high intellect, tireless work ethic and business acumen fuels this rising star, but Osuji remains grounded by his role as a model citizen for all young professionals.

A multi-award-winning lawyer across divides, Charles Osuji remains undaunted, churning out firsts after first.