Legal icon, Former First Lady, Humanitarian, Wife, Mother, Grandmother and everything more.
Shattering glass ceilings has never been an undertaking of the mediocre. It takes more than mere desire to tick up a juxtaposition of titles yet never be found lacking in any.
It is an awe-inspiring feeling to look back at the truly remarkable journey of one of Nigeria’s most renowned legal voices. Launching off our Magnificent Woman series this week is none other than the ever inspirational Retired Justice Mary Odili!
Retired justice Mary Ukaego Odili stands tall as one of the legal luminaries of the Nigerian legal stratosphere. Boasting an illustrious career and a plethora of achievements, reputed as just the third woman to ascend the revered apex court bench, with more than four decades of meritorious public service with the judiciary upon her appointment as a Magistrate Grade III in November 1978.
Eleven years after her appointment to the Supreme Court bench, Justice Mary Peter-Odili bids farewell to public service as the country’s second most senior judicial officer upon attaining the mandatory retirement age of 70, but even more than that, she leaves a blazing legacy that transcends beyond the legal world.
A formidable justice, core women advocate, and humanitarian, Rtd. Justice Odili whose name elicits respect and admiration as a hard worker, a voice of integrity, incorruptible, and an excellent jurisprudential mind leaves a glowing legacy in public service and beyond.
Through years of excellent dedicated service at different levels of court, her contributions to the advancement of the Nigerian legal profession cannot be overemphasized. Odili before rising to the Supreme Court bench served as Judge of the Rivers State High Court in 1992, Court of Appeal Justice in 2004, and Presiding Justice, Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division.
Born May 12, 1952, to her father Bernard Chigbu Nzenwa a monarch and lawyer of repute, and mother, Bernadette Nwatuma Nzenwa, a seamstress and textile trader, she had the pleasure of a richly diverse experience owing to her upbringing being a blend of modern and the traditional, the rare knowledge and experience of which would go a long way in molding the woman she is today.
Mary Odili gained admission to the prestigious University of Nigeria ( Nsukka) and the Nigeria Law School where she obtained (LL.B. 1977: BL 1978) degrees. Worthy of note, her brilliance saw her graduate with an LLB (Hons) from the University of Nigeria (UNN) in 1976 as the best student in the department of commercial and property law.
Justice Mary Odili was called to bar on July 1, 1977, and by 1992, she became a High Court Judge. 2005 saw her take up higher status as a Court of Appeal Judge. In 2011 from her position as Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division, her career witnessed tremendous upscale as Hon Justice Odili was elevated as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria (JSC), thereby making history as the third woman to ascend the coveted position, enabling her to reach the pinnacle of her judicial career.
The retired justice, whose impact spreads far and wide, also an avid humanitarian notably spearheaded several landmark developmental projects including launching “The Adolescent Project” (TAP) with its lens on empowering women and youths via skill acquisition programs.
While her list of achievements by far supersede the impressive scale career-wise, her family life is also just as outstanding. Retired Justice Mary Odili is married to former Rivers State Governor Dr. Peter Odili. The pair met while at the University of Nigeria, tied the knot in 1979, and went ahead to birth four children, Njideka, Peter, Adaeze, and Chinelo, two of whom were in 2021 sworn in as judges themselves, (Njideka Nwosu-Iheme, judge of the Federal High Court. and Chinelo Chidubem Odili a Judge in the Rivers State Judiciary),glaring proof of her success as a mother.
Before then in 1999, following her husband’s election as governor, Justice Odili became the First Lady of Rivers State, serving until May 29, 2007.
Scaling heights to attain a super accomplished career while merging with well-balanced family life is never easy, but the inspiring Justice is visible proof that a woman can indeed have just about anything she sets her mind to -yes, the today’s woman can have it all!
Duchess Bolaji Odunuga is the principal partner at Custodian Global Consult
