17th September, 2023
President Bola Tinubu has poured encomiums on the late legal luminary and political stalwart, Dr Tunji Braithwaite, on the commemoration of his posthumous 90th birthday today.
The President said Braithwaite’s courage, wisdom, and unswerving dedication to democracy left an indelible mark on the lives of countless individuals.
President Tinubu recalled standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Mr. Braithwaite in the trenches during the struggle for democracy after the annulment of the June 12 1993 election..
He said Braithwaite patriotically played a pivotal role during Nigeria’s long and treacherous road to sustainable democracy and the return to civilian-led governance.
“Tunji’s tireless efforts, spanning across multiple decades, have significantly contributed to shaping the contours of democratic governance and the progress that we enjoy today,” Tinubu said.
President Tinubu urged Braithwaite’s family, friends, associates, and fellow progressive-minded Nigerians to reflect on the democratic principles that unite us and to pledge an unwavering commitment to safeguarding them at any cost.
He prayed that the sacrifices of heroes such as Tunji Braithwaite continue to reverberate into the future for a better country and that such will never been in vain.
Braithwaite was the founder of the Nigerian Advance Party and a pro-democracy activist.
He was born in September 1933 and died on 28 March 2016 at the age of 82.
He was educated at the famous C.M.S Grammar School in Lagos. He first enrolled in the school’s Preparatory Section in 1946 and completed his education in 1953.
He thereafter went to the UK for his GCE A-levels at London University’s Kennington College in 1955.
He enrolled in 1957/58 as a Law student at the Council of Legal Education, London.
He was admitted into Lincoln’s Inn that same year and graduated as a barrister in 1960.
When he returned to Nigeria, he was quickly drafted into the defense of Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the 1963 treasons trial.
Despite his over 50 years of legal practice, he was never honoured with the title of senior advocate, a title he derided as a colonial legacy.
In an interview with The Guardian before his death, he said.
“I am not interested in the archaic and backward title called SAN. If you know my title, I abhor anything like that. They are characterized by standards that are below mine. It’s an importation from Britain, former colonial masters…
“The biggest democracy in the world which also has the biggest scope for lawyers, the United States of America, does not have room for such nonsense unlike the artificial titles by British lawyers”.