James Ajibola Idowu Adegoke Ige

Bola Ige was born on 13 September 1930 in Esa Oke, Osun State in the South Western part of Nigeria. He studied at Ibadan Grammar School, University of Ibadan, and University College London, where he graduated with a law degree in 1959. He was called to the bar in London's Inner Temple in 1961. He established Bola Ige & Co in 1961, and later became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. He became well known in the country for his oratory prowess, as well as his advocacy work on civil rights and democracy. During the First Republic (1963–66), he was at the centre of the Action Group crisis, when Chief Obafemi Awolowo was pitted against his deputy, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola. He became a rival of Olusola Olaosebikan for succession to Obafemi Awolowo. He was a Commissioner for Agriculture in the now-defunct Western Region of Nigeria (1967–70) under the military government of General Yakubu Gowon. In the early 1970s, during the first period of military rule, he devoted his time to the anti-racism campaign of the World Council of Churches. In 1978, he founded the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) with Obafemi Awolowo and became the governor of Oyo State from 1979 to 1983 during the Nigerian Second Republic. He was known for his progressive policies, such as free education and rural development. He also opposed the military intervention that ended the Second Republic in 1983. He was detained by the military regime of General Muhammadu Buhari from 1984 to 1985. In 1999, he joined the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and became the Minister of Power and Steel under the civilian administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo. He later became the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation in 2000. He was involved in the constitutional review process and the anti-corruption campaign of the government. On 23 December 2001, he was assassinated by unknown gunmen at his home in Ibadan, shortly after returning from a trip to Lagos. His murder sparked outrage and condemnation across the country and the world. He was buried in Ibadan with full state honors. He was posthumously awarded the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger in 2007. He is remembered as one of Nigeria's shining legal luminaries and politicians respected across the divide.