Charles Onyeama


Charles Dadi Umeha Onyeama was Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Judge at the International Court of Justice, and father of Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, and writer Dillibe Onyeama.

Early life and education

Charles Onyeama was born in Enugu in 1917. He was initially taught at the Government School in Bonny and received his secondary education at King's College, Lagos. He later attended Achimota College in Ghana; University College, London; and Brasenose College, Oxford. He became a member of Lincoln's Inn.

Career

In 1944, he became an assistant district officer in Lagos, followed by serving on the Legislative Council from 1944 to 1946. After being appointed Chief Magistrate in 1952, he became a Judge of the High Council in 1957.
Onyeama served as Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria from 1964 to 1967. His contemporaries on the Supreme Court included Sir Adetokunbo Ademola, Sir Lionel Brett, Sir Vahe Bairamian, Justice G.B.A. Coker, Justice M.O. Ajegbo, and Justice Chike Idigbe.
After a series of unpopular judgements of the International Court of Justice in 1966, African countries demanded greater representation amongst its judges. The seat dedicated to the Commonwealth and taken by an Australian judge was then taken by Onyeama after getting elected in November 1966, raising the number of African judges on the ICJ to two. Onyeama served from 1967 to 1976 and was succeeded by Taslim Olawale Elias.
He was appointed as a judge for the 1971 Beagle Channel Arbitration.
From 1982 to 1990, he served as a judge at the World Bank Administrative Tribunal.

Personal life

Onyeama was married and had five children. He met his first child Warrick, fathered with a British woman, the first time aged six at a conference in 1948. Onyeama married Susan Ozoamaka Ogugu in 1950, their children are Dillibe, Louis, Geoffrey and Nneze.