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By Obinna Nwachukwu
On April 5, 2022, the light dimmed for one of Nigeria’s respected environmental rights lawyer and philanthropists, Barr. Lucius Ezeakammadu Nwosu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). He was a true lion at the bar.
Born on January 30, 1953, a native of Udo Ezihinitte Mbaise LGA, Imo State, Nwosu attended St. Nicholas Primary School, Oro-Evo, Woji, Port Harcourt (1958 to 1961), All Saints Primary School, Udo, Ezinihitte Mbaise (1962 to 1963), Mater Miseri Cordae Primary School, Rumoamasi, Obio-Akpor, Port Harcourt (1964 to 1965), Our Lady of Lourdes Secondary School, Ozuoba, Port Harcourt, Birabi Memorial Grammar School, Bori-Ogoni, and Government College, Umuahia, Abia State.
After his secondary education, he engaged in personal studies through which he obtained his GCE A’ Level. Thereafter attended University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu Campus, where he studied law, from 1976 to 1980. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in July, 1981.
While in secondary school, he worked as a contract staff in the Land and Legal Department of the Shell British Petroleum Company of Nigeria Limited in 1973, and in the Hydrocarbon Division of the Federal Ministry of Mines and Power, Port Harcourt, from October 1975 to September 1976.
Nwosu commenced his legal practice as a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the law firm of D.A. Akintoye & Co, Ilorin, Kwara State, from 1981 to 1982. From August 1982 to 1986, he delved into rigorous legal practice, starting as a junior counsel at Sotonye-Denton West & Co and in August 1986, established his own law firm, called Lucius E. Nwosu & Partners, with the firm’s range of practice and expertise spanning tortuous hydrocarbon environmental law, bankruptcy, conversion of landed hereditaments, oil and gas law, energy, corporate law and real estate.
As a Port Harcourt boy, Nwosu embodied the wefts and wafts of that city. Although he loved the city, he was nevertheless enraged by the misfortune which oil exploration brought to the otherwise “Garden City” of his birth. To his chagrin, there were no gardens left in Port Harcourt; instead, soot now falls from the skies on everything from the polluted environment. Proximity to the environmental anomaly compelled him to act, rather than flee. From then on, he devoted his legal activities to fighting for environmental rights and justice.
Barr. Nwosu was a luminous character: maverick, humorous, and deeply humane. For over three decades, Nwosu was actively involved in community development projects in various parts of the country. He transformed his native Udo community in Ezinihitte Mbaise, Imo State, into a modern town with basic facilities. He renovated the Udo and Obokwu communities’ roads, provided solar-powered streetlights, borehole, gave grants, scholarships, entrepreneurial development funds, built and equipped community town hall, health centre, schools, churches, and regularly reached out to the less privileged and vulnerable with food items, clothing, shoes, wrappers etc for children, teenagers and women of different age groups as well as cash gifts.
He also embarked on the rehabilitation and reconstruction of his alma mater, Government College Umuahia, among other laudable projects.
His loved for children made him to adopt the school feeding programme for the mission schools he built.
Although he touched many lives, he expected nothing in return. Unlike his peers, he rejected several offers of chieftaincy titles, rejected being made a Knight of the Catholic Church, rejected moving around with hordes of security aides and rejected living a flamboyant lifestyle. He didn’t want power through politics.
Through the decades, he not only gave all of himself to the cause of development, but also inspired generations that followed to try to live up to his example. In doing all these things, he remained exceptional; never believed that what he did was more than what any citizen of his community might do. He believed that in all of us there exists the capacity for great courage, a longing to do what’s right, a willingness to love all people, and to extend to them their God-given rights to dignity and respect.
Nwosu was married to Dr. (Mrs.) Chinelo J. Nwosu, a senior public servant and the union was blessed with five children.
As the body of this illustrious son of Nigeria, legal luminary and colossus is committed to Mother Earth this Friday, June 10, 2022, at Uhuala Udo Ezinihitee Mbaise, Imo State, our prayers and thoughts are with the family and all those traumatized by the news of his sudden exit.
Sleep on, Papa Doc. Sleep on, till we meet to part no more.
•Nwachukwu is an
Abuja-based journalist and public affairs analyst
