Dr Tonye Clinton Jaja is a Senior Research Fellow/Legislative Drafting Lawyer at National Institute of Legislative And Democratic Studies NILDS, an author and the first Nigerian to bag a P.hd in Law (Legislative Drafting) by London University, in this chat with TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) Regional Editor, Emman Ovuakporie, he took a deep look into the trials of King Jaja of Opobo reviewing and chronicling its legality in a book he co-authored with Dr Keke Chikere and described Nigeria at 61 as work in progress.
Just recently you wrote a book on King Jaja’s trial after over 135 years what spurred you into the project?
I have always loved to read about history and I enjoy watching historical movies. The story of King Jaja, has never been analysed from a legal perspective. As a lawyer, i wanted to examine the story of King Jaja from the point-of-view of the law, the legal system and principles of justice to ascertain whether he was given a fair trial by the officials of the British colonial Government. This is the focus of the book I recently co-authored with Dr. Keke Reginald Chikere, a lecturer at the Admiralty University, Asaba, Delta State.
If you say the British was not fair to him, did you take into cognizance the Berlin Agreement?
Yes, I used the provisions of the 1884 Treaty as a litmus test to analyze the trial of King Jaja. One of my findings was that the said Treaty provided for resort to Arbitration as a method for resolution of any disputes between King Jaja and the British Colonial Government. However, the officials of the British colonial Government did not abide by this provision of the said Treaty. In resolution of the Ohambele trade dispute, the officials of the British Colonial Government resorted to litigation (instead of arbitration) to resolve the dispute with King Jaja. The outcome would have been different for King Jaja, if arbitration was applied.
You have been in the federal service and had held some positions, what are your achievements?
It is on record that I am the first Nigerian to be awarded a PhD in law (Legislative Drafting) degree by the University of London, with my specialisation as a Legislative Drafting lawyer, i was the the first Nigerian to represent Nigeria at the World Bank headquarters during the bi-annual conference on Legislative Drafting and law Reform in the year 2014. As part of the team, it is on record that i pioneered the teaching of a course named “Comparative Legislative Drafting” at the National Institute for Legislative Studies, Abuja in the year 2014.
At the time of my appointment as the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Nigerian Copyright Commission, i was the youngest person in Nigerian history to hold that elevated position, and i pioneered the launch and publication of the first ever Nigerian Copyright Law Reports, Vol.1, in August 2019. As a compendium of all the landmark cases and judgments on copyright in Nigeria.
3.Considering your expertise in legal drafting , do you think that Law Making is really transforming and how will you adjudge our lawmakers?
One of the innovations in Law-making in Nigeria is the introduction of Order 77, Rule 3 into the Standing Orders of the Senate of the National Assembly in the year 2011. This makes it a mandatory requirement for Lawmakers to submit a cost-benefit analysis report or a compendium of the financial implications when they propose any Bill for the establishment of federal government agency. This is supposed to reduce the trend of proliferation of Bills for laws to establish federal government agencies.
Let’s look at Nigeria as a whole, what do you think is the bane of our national development.
I like to look at things from a biblical point of view, so as to understand the real meaning behind current events. At 2 Timothy 3:1-5 the bible predicted the characteristics of humans during a period that it calls the “last days”. It mentioned “selfishness”This, and “love of money” as some of the dominant characteristics.
This is what we are now witnessing, the world over, that is the bane of development not just in Nigeria but all over the world.
Nigeria is 61 today is there something we can do right?
Yes, there is a cliche:”a positive minded person will say that the glass is half filled, whereas a negative minded person will say that the glass is half empty”. So I like to say that Nigeria, is like a work-in-progress”, there are many things that we are still trying to get right.
You are from Opobo Town in Rivers state how would you assess the kingdom after 150 years?
As i previously said, i like to see the “glass as half-filled”, therefore using that analogy, I will like to say that Opobo Kingdom is also a work in progress.
Opobo king, HRM Dandeson Jaja has been at the front line for British apology and reparation do you support the move?
I have always had an overwhelming desire to see justice done, it was what made me gravitate towards becoming a lawyer. The desire is so strong that it has sometimes gotten me into situations wherein i insist on justice whereas my superior officers may say otherwise. Lawyers have a popular adage:”where there is a wrong, there must be a remedy”, therefore, having documented the evidence of wrongs committed against king Jaja in our recent book, it’s logical that those who inflicted or committed those wrongs must take steps to remedy the wrongs. So if that is the same thing that His Majesty, our Amayanabo is seeking for, then he is on the right side of the law, and I will always be on the side of anyone that is in the right side of the law.
Why did you single out King Jaja among kings like Koko of Nembe, Nana of Itshekiri and Ovanrenmi of Benin?
There is a popular adage: “charity begins at home”, as a descendant of King Jaja of Opobo, i am more at home writing about King Jaja than the Oba of Benin or any other historical personality. I can pick up the phone and call the current King Jaja to verify some facts in the book i have just written. But i cannot do the same if I were writing a book about the Oba of Benin.