Eyimofe Doyle Atake SAN, one of Nigeria’s legal luminaries and style aficionados, during the week, was honoured with a traditional title by his royal majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III, Olu of Warri as an ‘Ojoye Iwere’ a Chief (English Lord or Earl) in the Warri Kingdom.
He was honoured with the title, Tolugbogwa of Warri Kingdom. Not only was he found worthy of such honour but it is a continuation of a generational rite as his late father, the Honourable Justice Franklin Oritse-Mueyiwa Atake was also a Chief of the Warri Kingdom and held the title of Aboludero of Warri Kingdom.
He had been conferred with that title by His Majesty Erejuwa II in 1983 and held that title until he passed away in 2003. That Eyimofe, a man of uncommon brilliance deserved the honour he was bestowed with, would be simply stating it mildly. The 65-year-old became a SAN, an equivalent of a QC in 1999 at the age of 41, was one of the youngest ever lawyers at that time, to be bestowed with the silk, 16 years after his call to the bar.
He holds a doctoral degree in law, with specialization in ligation, arbitration, maritime, admiralty, international trade, oil, and gas laws. Over the years, this former president of the Oxford and Cambridge Club of Nigeria has been growing from strength to strength, with his agitation in challenging Nigeria’s judicial system, the Niger Delta matters, and sundry issues that relate to humanity.
Indeed, Eyimofe is a chip off the old block, as he has not only been adding more verve to the legal profession with a new dimension, but he is also working towards replicating at least half of the feat his late father achieved for the Itsekiri kingdom.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
