Guardian

LUKE Chukwudi Ilogu, 63, can best be described as a silent achiever in commercial and maritime law practice. He is rarely in the news and shies away from publicity, but when he does, everyone listens because he has something to say, especially in his area of practice.

Through hardwork, focus, determination and self-discipline, Ilogu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has carved a niche for himself in the industry and today, is regarded as one of the authorities in maritime law practice in Nigeria. He is a consultant to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on legal matters, member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, (CIArb), UK; the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN) and member of both the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the International Bar Association (IBA).

He is second vice president of the Nigerian Maritime Law Association and serves on the Advisory Board of the Maritime Arbitrators’ Association of Nigeria. The revered silk consults for the Federal Ministry of Transportation and major maritime parastatals in Nigeria on maritime policies, legislation and contentious matters; Acts for Protection & Indemnity (P&I) Clubs, several shipping, logistics, Oil & Gas Companies and port terminal operators. He specialises in ship sale and purchase, ship financing and mortgages and consults from time to time for the National Assembly as well.

For his dexterity, he was in 2008 appointed the chairman of the Federal Ministry of Transport Committee on Complaints of Arbitrary Increases in Local Shipping Charges by Private Terminal Operators (Concessionaires), Ship Agents and Bonded Terminal Operators. He served as a member of the Transport Schematic Working Group for the Vision 2020 Committee set up by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2009 and in 2010/2011 acted as Chairman of the Federal Ministry of Transport Port Reforms Evaluation Committee.

He authored Essays on Maritime Law and Practice and several articles in local and international journals on Shipping and Maritime Law as part of his contributions to the development of law in Nigeria.

Ilogu was named in “Who’s Who Legal” 2008 and 2009 (the Official Research Partner of the International Bar Association) as “the best in Nigeria” in shipping and maritime law practice.

He has attended several international courses on Ship Financing and Shipping including the Euromoney Training Course on Ship Finance in 1995; the Oil & Gas Development Seminar by the International Law Institute & Georgetown University, Washington DC and the 38th Course of the Institute of Maritime Law, University of Southampton, UK in 2011.

He lectured Carriage of Goods by Sea at the Institute of Maritime Law, Lagos State University, between 2001 and 2005. Currently, he serves as 2nd Vice President of the Nigerian Maritime Law Association, and on the Board of Maritime Arbitrators’ Association of Nigeria and is the immediate past chairman of the Maritime Law Committee, Section on Business Law, Nigerian Bar Association.

Ilogu features regularly as a Resource Person at the Maritime Seminar for Judges organised bi-annually by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council in collaboration with the National Judicial Institute.

He was recognised in the 2012 Who’s Who Legal (the official Magazine of the International Bar Association (IBA) released at the recent IBA Conference in Dublin, Ireland as “renowned for his vast experience of maritime law. He is considered an excellent practitioner and stellar consultant to the Maritime Arbitrators Association of Nigeria.”    He was admitted to the inner Bar as Senior Advocate of Nigeria, in July 2012.

But how did he come to study law? Ilogu admitted that it was a difficult decision at the beginning due to the fact that his father, who was a clergy opposed his becoming a lawyer.

“It was difficult for my father who was an Anglican clergy man to accept that his son should be a lawyer. After the Civil War, I came back to Kings College where I had abandoned my High School Certificate. I decided that instead of going on with International Relations, which had being my first choice, it was good I took on a profession. I decided I would read Law so I could have a career, moreso from the Nigerian Civil War experience. So I took a common entrance to University of Ife to read Law. I did not tell my dad that I took the entrance because he was opposed to the idea of my becoming a lawyer.

“He felt that the son of a clergyman should not become a lawyer. But some of his colleagues in the University of Nigeria and some family members convinced him. That was how I ended up reading law. But I assured my dad that I would concentrate on areas that would not involve criminal practice or having to defend criminals. By God’s grace, I have kept faith with that assurance. So over time, apart from engaging in commercial law practice, I have developed interest in maritime law. Fundamentally, I specialised in maritime law after 15 years of legal practice”, he recalled.

Ilogu is the second son of Venerable Professor and Mrs. Edmund Ilogu from Ihiala, Anambra State. He was born in Ibadan, Oyo State. He attended Kings College, Lagos, University of Ife (L.L.B 2nd class honours 1974), Nigerian Law School (B.L 1975) and Cardiff Law School, University of Wales (LL.M with distinctions in Carriage of goods by Sea and Admiralty Practice, 1991). He undertook six months internship with the London Maritime Law Firm of Ince & Co. after his LL.M programme in maritime law.

He started his pupilage as a solicitor in the law firm of G.N. Uwechue & Co. from 1976 to 1979. He later left to form a partnership with his schoolmates known as Abuka, Ajegbo, Ilogu & Nwaogu (AAIN) from 1979 to 1999. The firm was one of the foremost corporate law firms in Nigeria at the time.

The Partnership was dissolved in 1999 after about 20 years in existence. “After my youth service, I joined the law firm of G.N. Uwechue and Co. I was with Uwechue from 1976 to 1979 when I started a partnership with three other schoolmates. Our partnership lasted from 1979 to 1999. When I joined Chief Uwechue, we did some cases for importers of stockfish and other commodities. And I had the privilege of going to arrest some vessels in the course of doing the work. I will not forget the experience I had as a junior in Chief Uwechue’s chambers going aboard a speedboat to arrest a vessel with a bailiff and the police. It inspired me to take more interest in maritime law”, he stated.

He thereafter established his own firm, Foundation Chambers, in 1999. The firm commenced operations on Wednesday, September 1, 1999 and specialises in international transportation law with competences in maritime, shipping, international trade, aviation and related areas.

Currently, there are eight solicitors in the practice and six efficient and dedicated support staff. The firm was recognised as the Nigerian Shipping & Maritime Law Firm of the year 2010 by the Global Law Experts.

In fact, he was invited to be part of a team that established the first maritime law school at the Lagos State University, LASU in the late 80s.

As a young lawyer, he was inspired by legal giants, who he considers as mentors. They are G.O.K. Ajayi, Chief J.O. Cole, Chief George Uwechue (SAN), late Chief Rotimi Williams, late Harry Afolabi Lardner, late Chief Michael Agbamuche (SAN) and late Sir Louis Mbanefo.

One of his low points in the legal practice involves the sale of a vessel under a loan agreement by an agent.

He arrested the vessel, but the owners challenged the arrest in court. The court agreed with them that the claims were not a maritime claim but a commercial one between agent and principal. He followed it to Supreme Court and lost. He was also the counsel behind the highly celebrated but controversial S. Aras case, which involves the principles of beneficial ownership in maritime law.

He believes that with patience, industry and focus, any young lawyer would reach his goal. Read him: “For the young lawyers, though the times are tough, they should recognise that you must learn to crawl before you walk and run. Rome was not built in a day. They should work hard, take time to understudy competent seniors, take to the good qualities in them and ensure that they maintain the integrity that is expected at the Bar.

“I believe that the sky is the limit for every well-focused and determined legal practitioner. You can make it in any areas, especially these days of specialisation if you have the focus, learnt the rope properly without trying to cut corners. What I found out is that the younger ones believe that the times are tough, so they must be in a hurry by trying to do things without principle.”

Aside his profession, Ilogu is also a practicing Christian who doesn’t hide his love for God. He is a national director of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship Nigeria, past deputy chairman and bible study leader at the Chapel of the Healing Cross, Idi-Araba, Surulere, Lagos. He is also the deputy chancellor, diocese of Ihiala (Anglican Communion), Anambra State.

For hobbies, he plays the Alto Saxophone, listens to gospel, classics and Jazz music. He is married with children.