Victor Ndoma-Egba at 68: A life of grace

By Bernard Joseph

As Victor Ndoma-Egba, the cerebral lawyer and consummate politician adds another year to an eventful life, this is wishing him many more years in good health and peace.

Born to Emmanuel Takon Ndoma-Egba (famously known as E.T), a pioneering lawyer in their parts who retired as an early Justice of the Court of Appeal and Regina Achi Nentui, a missionary teacher, politician and public servant in Ikom, Cross River State on March 8, 1956. He attended St. Martins Primary School, Ikom, Mary Knoll College, Okuku, the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and the Nigerian Law School, Lagos. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in July 1978. He was subsequently at the University of Calabar (UNICAL) for the LL.M, the Irish Development Institute, Shannon, Ireland, Stanford and Harvard Universities in the United States for various academic programmes.

He founded the law firm of Ndoma-Egba, Ebri and Co in 1987. He was a member of the pioneer Board of Cross River Basin Development Authority and was appointed Commissioner for Works and Transport in the old Cross River State (now Cross River and Akwa Ibom States) at the age of 27 years. He was Chairman of the Calabar Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and President of the Calabar Chamber of Commerce.

In 2003 he was elected Senator on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to represent Cross River Central Senatorial District which he did for three consecutive terms. As Cross River Central Senator for 12 years, he worked diligently leaving no stone unturned to facilitate and attract numerous people-oriented projects to his senatorial district. The impact of his representation of Cross River Central was greatly felt by the members of his constituency with the several empowerment programmes he initiated.

In 2004 he was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, making him the first to be so elevated from the National Assembly and the only one till date from the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He was pioneer chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Deputy Leader of the Senate in the 6th Senate and Senate Leader in the 7th Senate.

He was member and Leader of Nigeria’s Delegation to the Association of Senates, Shooras and Equivalent Councils in Africa and the Arab World (ASSECAA) then Headquartered in Sanaa, Yemen and member of the Pan African Parliament in Midrand, South Africa. He served as President Goodluck Jonathan’s Special Envoy on the election of Nigeria’s Rt. Hon. Bethel Amadi of blessed memory as President of the Pan African Parliament which he successfully executed after mobilizing support from African leaders. This earned him the honour from the then Speaker Aminu Tambuwal to address the House of Representatives where Hon. Amadi was then a member.

He was Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), he is a Life Bencher and sits currently on the board of OKitipupa Oil Palm PLC.

A devout Roman Catholic, he is a Papal Knight of St Sylvester the Pope and has supported churches of different denominations and sponsored many Christians and Muslims to their holy lands.

An avid lawn tennis player, he demonstrated steely character, fortitude and faith when in 2020 he lost his elaborate Calabar home to the EndSars riot and his dear wife Amaka, the founder of Start-Rite Schools, Abuja, in a motor accident within three weeks. He has three children and grandchildren. He loves reading, writing and travelling.

Ndoma-Egba, currently a staunch member of All Progressives Congress (APC), is a birthday mate of former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, an erudite scholar and distinguished professor of law who is equally a year older today (March 8). Though Ndoma-Egba clocks 68 while Osinbajo is 67, the trajectories of both men’s life journey and their career paths bear striking similarities as captured in a report published by Thisday newspaper four years ago. The two graduated from the faculty of law at UNILAG except that Ndoma-Egba was a year ahead of Osinbajo. The ex-Senate Leader graduated in 1977 while the erstwhile VP graduated in 1978.

The said report indicated that Ndoma-Egba was raised by a father who was a trustee of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, same way Osinbajo was brought up by a father who was a preacher. Ndoma-Egba followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a vibrant lawyer, while Osinbajo also took after his father growing up to become a brilliant preacher. Both men well-known for their eloquence, civility, sense of humor and unassuming nature got to the height of the legal profession emerging Senior Advocates of Nigeria – Osinbajo in 2002 and Ndoma-Egba in 2004.

Bernard Joseph wrote from FCT-Abuja