Azinge: Born to Serve

Epiphany Chigbogu Azinge is an erudite Professor of Constitutional Law with admirable scholarly attributes: 42 years at the bar; 42 years in crowded lecture halls, impacting knowledge and building prodigies at the Bar and Bench.

“Born To Serve” chronicles the “Aba Boy” at 66, and his services from formative years to retirement as Director General, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, - “Nigerian Law Abode,” – the apex of legal education in Nigeria. He is currently among the jurists of the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal in London, representing Nigeria.

Every stage of his life is eventful. At St. Patrick’s College, Asaba, he once declared a “state of emergency” as a school prefect, and graduated tops. At the London School of Economics where he acquired his doctorate, he became popular as “Zinge,” due to his intellect, and earned a distinction.

He has grown unimaginably in status to become a man of exemplary character and great achievements in public administration, philanthropy and service to God and humanity.

Azinge served three attorneys general, and ministers of justice as special assistant and legal adviser at Nigeria’s most challenging period in history, covering draconian military regimes of Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha. He recalls sadly, June 12 1993, the execution of the “Ogoni Nine,” and the Bakassi border dispute that Nigeria lost to Cameroun.