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Late Ignatius Ayua, SAN
By Anthony Maliki
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has lamented over the demise of former Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Professor Ignatius Ayua saying that the State has lost a leading light.
Reacting to the death of Professor Ayua who died in Abuja yesterday, Governor Ortom noted that the late legal luminary was a pathfinder who defined the road map for justice and equity in the country.
This was contained in a statement by Nathaniel Ikyur, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor to Apex News Exclusive.
Professor Ayua was Benue State governorship candidate of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) in 1991 losing to Rev. Fr. Moses Adasu of the then Social Democratic Party (SDP).
According to the Governor “In Professor Ayua, Benue State has lost one of the best and fertile minds in the legal profession. We have lost a patriot who believed in the sanctity of a united Nigeria where every citizen is free to ply his or her legitimate trade in any part of the country without fear of intimidation or molestation”.
The Governor noted that Professor Ayua will be remembered for his unwavering commitment to the rule of law, protection of human rights and ideals of nationhood.
He said professor Ayua’s unblemished record of service from the academic to the public service to the nation will remain a reference point and a guide to the younger generations of public servants .
He added that Professor Ayua was a pan Nigerian who never discriminated against anyone on account of tribe or religion.
Governor Ortom urged the bereaved family and the people of the state to take solace in the fact that Professor Ayua lived an eventful and accomplished life worthy of emulation.
Professor Ignatius Akaayar Ayua was born on 5th May 1948 in Gboko, Benue State. He was educated at St. Michael’s Secondary School, Aliade, 1963-1967; Government College, Keffi, 1968-1969; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, 1970-1973; and 1975-1976; University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, 1977-1979; and Nigeria Law School, Lagos, 1982-1983.
Professor Ayua began his working career with the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he rose from assistant Lecturer in 1974 to Head of Department, Commercial Law in 1981. He was appointed Sub-Dean, Faculty of Law, 1985; Dean of Law, 1986; Deputy Vice Chancellor, from which position he withdrew into politics in 1991.
He has served on many academic bodies such as the Council of Legal Education; NUC Accreditation Panels to various Universities; National Judicial Institute; and Body of Appeal Tax Commissioners to mention but a few. Additionally, he was nominated by the Federal Government to serve as a Member of Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) in 1984 and a Member of the Constituent Assembly in 1988.
Professor Ayua has published several books on Nigerian Company Law and Nigerian Tax respectively; Many Articles in Learned Journals on topical Issues; Edited several titles on different areas of law and has attended and presented papers at several local and international fora.
He belongs to several professional bodies such as Nigerian Bar Association; Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria and Institute of Management Consultants.
He was a recipient of several honours and awards amongst which are: Winner, Faculty of Law and Nigerian Regional Philips C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition; Award for Pro-Active Contribution in respect of the Nigerian Common Boundary Dispute by International Court of Justice (ICJ), Hague. Currently, Professor Ayua is the Director, National Institute of Advanced Legal Studies.
In appreciation of his dedicated and immense contribution to University Scholarship and the Legal Profession of the nation, Professor Ignatius Ayua, a distinguished Law Professor, and an erudite Scholar was conferred with the award of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR).
Prof. Ignatius Ayua, then Director-General of the Nigerian Institute for Advanced Legal Studies was part of the Nigerian legal team to the World Court case between Nigeria and Cameroon along with Chief Pius Anyim Pius, a lawyer, and then-Senate President.
Others include Chief Richard Akinjide, SAN and Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim, SAN, both former Federal Attorney-General and Ministers of Justice, Mrs. Nella Ewa, from Cross River State, Mr. Maxwell Gidado, a Senior Special Assistant to the President on Legal and Constitutional Matters, and Prof. Olisa Chukurah, SAN.
