From Kunle Idowu, Abeokuta

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described the late Chief Christopher Ogunbanjo as an exceptional legal luminary, whose vacuum would be difficult to fill in the country. 

Ogunbanjo died on 7 October 2023, at the age of 99.

The Special Assistant on Media to the former President, Kehinde Akinyemi in a statement yesterday said Obasanjo described the legal icon as an outstanding and foremost Nigerian Corporate Lawyer.

“On behalf of my family and on my own behalf, wish to commiserate with the entire members of the Ogunbanjo family, the Awujale of Akile Ijebu, Oba Dr Sikiru Adetona and entire people of Ijebu land and by extension of Ogun State on the transition of Chief Christopher Oladipo Ogunbanjo, who was one of the prominent and great sons of Africa.

“He was a successful captain of Industry, philanthropist and exceptionally excellent legal luminary, who I can safely call an outstanding Nigerian Corporate Lawyer.

“Only a few days ago, I remembered him at a discussion and the only name that was coming to memory was; ‘the Corporate lawyer’, ‘the corporate lawyer’. Yes, he was distinguished and truly deserving of that appellation,” Obasanjo said.

In his professional life, Obasanjo explained that the late legal guru in early1960s, was among the group of businessmen who supported local equity participation in foreign firms operating in Nigeria and was an early advocate of domiciliary accounts in Nigeria which later came to existence through the promulgation of the Foreign Currency Decree 18 of 1985.

Ogunbanjo was born on 14 December 1923, to the family of Daniel Ajayi Ogunbanjo, a catechist from Erunwon, Ijebu, Ogun State. He was educated at St Phillips Primary School, Aiyetoro, Ile-Ife before proceeding to Oduduwa College, Ife for his secondary education in 1936.

Two years later, he transferred to Igbobi College in Lagos. He began work in 1942 as a junior clerk in the Judicial Dept in Enugu and was subsequently transferred to Port Harcourt. He left the civil service in 1946 to study law at the University of London, obtained a law degree in 1949 and was called to the bar in 1950.

On his return from London, he worked briefly for the law firm of H.O. Davies before establishing his own private practice; his firm added two more partners, Samuel Ladoke Akintola and Michael Odesanya in 1952 to become Samuel, Chris and Michael Solicitors. The partnership was dissolved in 1960 and his practice became Chris Ogunbanjo & Co. The new practice specialized in corporate law.

Ogunbanjo married Hilda Ladipo in 1953. His wife was editor of AMBER, a women’s lifestyle magazine established in the 1960s but later acquired by Daily Times.