A Special Birthday Tribute to Hon Justice Daniel Okungbowa; Dispensing Justice with Courage, without affection or ill will

This is a Special Birthday Tribute to My Lord ,the Hon. Justice Daniel Iyobosa Okungbowa (Judge),of the Edo State High Court No. 3,Benin City .

This Special Birthday Tribute to My Noble Lord is apposite in appreciation of My Lord’s steadfastness,courage and firmness in dispensing justice with out fear or favour and affection or illwill,thereby imprinting his footprints in the sand of time ,as a Judge who stood tall against all odds in giving justice to the weak ,just as he does to the strong ,the constant feature being My Lord”s sense of Justice in standing for what is right and not what is wrong ,irrespective of whose ox gored.

It was Chief Gani Fawehinwin SAN of blessed memory that said:

*I will stand for what is right ,even if I stood alone*

I have stated severally ,that *when you sit as a Judge or Judicial Officer over a Matter in Court ,you are on trial*.The Stakeholders and Parties evaluate you and make no mistake about it, even if you sat in your Chambers or in secret ,what ever you say or do as a Judge or a Judicial Officer goes very far .

Indeed ,Posterity shall judge My Lord,the Hon.Justice D.I. Okungbowa nicely and kindly as a very dutiful,intrepid and industrious jurist among other enviable attributes that stand My Lord Out.

You better have a firm grasp of the knowledge of the Law and Procedure ,before you come to My Lord’s Court and you also have to be properly dressed .My Lord ensures that the time honoured Tradition of the Legal Profession handed to us, by our Forebears are not compromised ,under any circumstances.

It was Lord Denning that said :

*The Ignorance of the Judge is the Calamity of the Innocent*

The Hon Justice D.I. Okungbowa ‘s knowledge and aprreciation of the Law and Procedure is very very deep .My Lord’s analytical prowess is top notch .it is therefore not a concidence ,but a confirmation of the assertions indicated above , that My Lord’s Judgments and Rulings are hardly set aside on Appeal .

One of the shinning lights of the Legal Profession nation wide ,the Hon Justice Daniel Iyobosa Okungbowa (Judge) had a background of being with the Edo State Ministry of Justice.Perhaps , that accounts for his profound sense of Justice.

As My Lord Marks his birthday ,we pray that My Lord will get the best of the many years to come and that all My Lord’s Wishes shall come true .My Lord has indeed made an indellible mark in the annals of history of the Legal Profession in Edo State in particular and that of Nigeria in general .

It was Abraham Lincoln , the 16th President of the United States that posited and rightly so,that:

*It is not the years in your life that matters ,but the life in your years*.

About the Author :
Douglas Ogbankwa Esq.,a Benin Based Lawyer is the Convener of the Vanguard for the Independence of the Judiciary (V4IJ).