Soft and steel, he never appears ruffled. A gentle, calm and almost indifferent exterior be- lie his strength of character and extreme drive. In regular conversations, his voice is gentle, rising gradually to an animated pitch as the discussion becomes more engaging. A former lecturer, research is his favourite game, so it is not surprising that he is a concise communicator. In the courtroom he would not back down until he makes his point. A formidable litigator, he does not hesitate to raise an objection during cross examination when he feels his client is being hounded or the lawyer on the other side is going off the tangent. Friends and foes agree that when Dr. Alex Izinyon, SAN, takes on a matter, he gets immersed, and achieves great results. Perseverance and determination has helped him forge through the most difficult cases and obtain positive result for his clients.
There’s hardly any high profile case in Nigeria without his name on it. Over the years, election cases became Dr. Izinyon’s main forte. But many do not know abouthis very modest beginnings and the amazing fact that most of his family members are law- yers. Following in his stead; his- late wife, his son, son’s wife, his brother, brother’s wife and his niece all joined the legal profession. This niece later married a lawyer!
Growing up, Izinyon admired lawyers. He wanted to be like them. This fascination was further heightened by a legal TV drama series on the defunct Bendel State Television called –‘TheAssizes.’ It was a weekly programme made up ofactors that seemed like real lawyers and judges. “You won’t even know it’s not a real judge you’re watching,” said Izinyon. “The actors got the judge’s mien, his disposition, his comportment, and erudition; same with that of the lawyers. Indeed it had an attractive and solid cast of actors who delivered believable performances, breathing life into passionate and determined fictional characters. Their dressing, the arguments, were excellent. Most people in Bendel State at the time will remember that TV drama with very loaded episodes. People looked forward to the television programme every Saturday. It was scripted by the late Justice R.O.A Ogbobine, a fantastic, erudite judge. There were episode titles like – ‘No bail for the Per- manent Secretary,’ ‘Murder’and so on. The programme later developed into a book with many parts. I was always fascinated and hoped that one day I will be a lawyer. But I didn’t have the opportunity to gain admission to study law; instead I was admitted to study English at the University of Benin.”
After three years at Benin, an opening emerged at the University of Ibadan for a student- transfer into the law faculty. Notwithstanding that he had only one year left to graduate from the English dep a r t m e n t , Dr. Izinyon followed his dream and res u m e d as a first year undergraduate law student in the 1981/82 session. They were the second set of law students. “When I went back to my Eng- lish department at UniBen to gather my transcript, my Head of Department(HOD) could not understand it because I had written some commentaries in O’Level literature that was being used to teach in secondary schools back then. He wrote the foreword to that pamphlet. It was an analysis of African Poetry from West Af- rican Verse.”
Of course, Alex Izinyon’s father was unaware of his son’s decision to leave the English department at University of Benin, to go start afresh, studying law at University of Ibadan. Being the first son, he was expected to graduate, get a job and assist in training his siblings. As if that was not bad enough, he got married immediately after graduation! “As soon as I finished my university course in July, we got married on August 3rd, 1985. We just had a simple wedding. By the time I got to the law school, I was already married. My wife was always coming to visit me. I was called to the bar the following year; 1986.” Alarmed, on being informed of the marriage plans, Dr. Izinyon’s father blurted: “You’re the first born and you’re putting a woman forward? You have seven siblings!” Undaunted though, Izinyon threw himself into the legal practice and made the best of it.
His career started with a rural practice in Kabba, then Kwara State. He was the only lawyer in the entire local government. “When I got to Kabba, there was only one Magistrates’ Court presided by a lay magistrate who was a retired school teacher, by name Pa Iluromi; an unforgettable man. He didn’t like technicalities; he liked to see justice. In the course of my work at Kabba, a lawyer was brought in as magistrate, then a High Court was established which saw an influx of lawyers. That was where I met Wole Olanikpekun, Awomolo, Yusuf Ali and others.” In 1991, Dr. Izinyon started pur- suing a Masters’ programme at University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University and eventually added a PhD. Following an outstanding performance, his Dean,Prof. Owoade, now Hon. Justice M. A. Owoade of the Court of Appeal, who had left Ife to set up the Faculty of Law in University of Abuja, invited him to join the Faculty in 1992.
“Prof. Owoade took me by hand to Professor Isah Mohammed, who was at that time, the Vice Chancellor of University of Abuja. Whenhe saw in my transcript that I made a distinction in Jurisprudence, he said something funny and remarkable to me, ‘me too, I’m mathematical Jurisprudence,’ and we laughed. Prof. Mohammed interviewed me and said I won’t stay at the university. But Prof. Owoade assured him of my commitment, telling him I was a good hand at legal practice. That was how I came in as Lecturer 2, Faculty of Law, University of Abuja. Lecturing, was what brought me to Abuja. We were staying at an unpleasant place in the area called Giri. I was already a local champion at Kabba, had built a big house, bought cars and then now coming tolive in two bedrooms. That was what my status as Lecturer 2 was entitled to. My two older kids; my daughter and son would ask, ‘Dad, why don’t we leave here, can’t you see it is bushy? There is no electricity.’ But I would tell them to calm down.”
Not losing sight of legal practice, he opened his chambers where he retires after lectures. Then, he observed that Abuja lawyers were more interested in properties, and quietly established himself as a litigation lawyer. Dividends soon followed. In 1999 he became the first resident Abuja lawyer to be conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). “The other lawyers were shocked,” he recalled. “They said, ‘How can this guy come from nowhere to become an SAN here?’ It took two years for the next set of SANs to come from Abuja. That’s the hallmark and benefit of hard work; of being focused and committed. It paid off.”
“We were staying at an unpleasant place in the area called Giri. I was already a local champion at Kabba, had built a big house, bought cars and then now coming tolive in two bedrooms. That was what my status as Lecturer 2 was entitled to.”
Lawyers in the family
The late Mrs. Grace Izinyon had her first degree in Social Studies from the University of Ilorin and a Masters in Personal Psychology from the University of Ibadan. After much persuasion, she agreed to study law at University of Bucking- ham and was later called to the bar. Thereafter, she obtained an LLM from Oxford Brooks and anoth- er Masters from Cranfield. Izinyon recalls, “Oxford Brooks even of- fered her a Ph.D, but she said she just wanted to rest. I said to her, ‘Just finish up the PhD.’ She insisted she wanted to rest. But, she was interested in Transport Law. So, she went to Cranfield for an M.Sc in Transportation. She had just finished that; in fact, she was on her sick bed when the result came out and I brought her certificate to her. Before then, she also wrote the Solicitors exam in England and was called to the English bar as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales. She was called to the bar on the same day with my younger brother, Friday Izinyon.
In order of seniority in legal practice, his son, Alex II is next to him. Alex II finished secondary school abroad, and did his A’Levels there. He then went to University of Buckingham, like his mother and was eventually called to the Nigeri- an bar. The younger Alex married Ifeoma, a lawyer and a graduate of University of Lagos. Thereafter, he returned to England with his wife where they both got their Masters atQueen Mary’s, University of London.He is currently working at the chambers of his father in Abuja, while Ifeoma, his wife, works with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Dr. Izinyon has three grandsons from them. A happy grandfather, his dream is to appear in court with his first grandson before leaving the planet.
Dr. Izinyon’s brother Friday and his wife Ronke Izinyon are also lawyers. Friday gained admission into University of Abuja while Dr. Izinyon was lecturing there. His wife was also a student of the Senior Advocate.He jokingly asserts that he is sure his brother and the wife met while at UniAbuja, though she was his brother’s junior in class.
The Izinyon family continues to produce more lawyers as his niece, Linient Izinyon, trained by Dr. Iz- inyon himself qualified as a lawyer. Linient like her family members married a lawyer. Shegraduated from University of Benin; madea 2:1 at the Law School, Abuja; won the best prize in Criminal Law and practiced with Mike Igbokwe, a friend of Dr. Alex Izinyon. Then, the last in the series at present is another brother’s daughter. She is a year two Law student at Nasarawa State University.
The younger Alex married Ifeoma, a lawyer and a graduate of University of Lagos. Thereafter, he returned to England with his wife where they both got their Masters atQueen Mary’s, University of London.He is currently working at the chambers of his father in Abuja, while Ifeoma, his wife, works with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Being in a family of lawyers must be an incredible experience. The best part for members of Dr. Alex Izinyon’s family would be seeing the impact of their patriarch’s life and dedication to the legal service, watching the respect and admiration he gets amongst members of the legal profession, and the society
