ABIA STATE ATTORNEY-GENERAL UWANNA SALUTES ZIK OBI AS HE RETIRES

IKECHUKWU UWANNA, SAN, CELEBRATES CHIEF ZIK CHUKWUKA OBI ON HIS RETIREMENT AS A TRUSTEE OF THE CMSA

The Honourable Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Abia State, Ikechukwu Uwanna, SAN, has joined the Nigerian legal community and the Capital Market Solicitors Association (CMSA) in celebrating the retirement of Chief Zik Chukwuka Obi, a distinguished Solicitor, Notary Public, Capital Market Consultant, and Trustee of the CMSA, upon his attaining the age of eighty.

In a statement made available to CITY LAWYER, Mr. Uwanna described Chief Obi as “a man of quiet but monumental influence in Nigerian legal development, whose career embodies the noblest traditions of the Bar learning, integrity, and service.”

Born in 1945 into the illustrious family of the late Senator Zacheus C. Obi of Nnewi one of Igboland’s foremost political and community leaders Mr.  Zik Obi’s life has mirrored his father’s legacy of scholarship and service. 

After obtaining his West African School Certificate from Dennis Memorial Grammar School (DMGS), Onitsha, he proceeded to the University of London, where he earned an LL.B (Hons.) in 1975, and later attended the University of Besançon, France, where he obtained a certificate in the French language.

Upon his return to Nigeria, he was called to the Nigerian Bar in July 1976 and appointed a Notary Public of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1987. His professional journey began as a law clerk in the chambers of his elder brother, Senator Onyeabo Obi, between 1966 and 1970. He later rose to become Managing Partner of the firm and, in 1989, founded Zik Chuka Obi & Co., a firm that has since earned an enduring reputation for excellence in corporate and commercial law.

For more than four decades, Chief Obi has been at the centre of Nigeria’s capital market and corporate law practice. He has served as a member of the Capital Market Committee of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) since 2000, contributing to the development of regulations and compliance frameworks that safeguard market integrity. He also served as Vice Chairman of the SEC’s New Rules and Compliance Sub-Committee, reflecting his exceptional mastery of regulatory law and governance.

As a Trustee of the Capital Market Solicitors Association since its inception, Chief Obi has been a guiding figure and mentor to generations of practitioners. He played a defining role in the evolution of professional ethics within capital market practice, demonstrating through both advocacy and example that law is not merely a trade but a public trust.

Mr. Uwanna particularly recalled Mr. Obi’s landmark contribution to jurisprudence in the celebrated case of Mazi Okechukwu Unegbu v. KPMG Professional Services & Guinness Plc, which clarified the application of Section 8 of the ICAN Act and reaffirmed the requirement that only duly enrolled accountants may sign audit reports under Nigerian law. This, he said, “was a watershed in professional accountability and corporate transparency, and a testament to his intellectual courage.”

Chief Obi’s distinguished record of national service includes membership of the Legal Aid Council, the Federal Committee on the Reform of Legal Education, and the National Political Reform Conference, among others. He also served as a Council Member of the NBA Disciplinary Committee and as Chairman of the NBA Lagos Branch Disciplinary Committee (1998–1999), where his balanced and firm leadership earned him universal respect.

Beyond the courtroom, he has brought his expertise to corporate governance serving as Director and Legal Adviser to institutions including FSB International Bank Plc (now Fidelity Bank), Interlinked Technologies Plc, and Bec Frères Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of the French multinational Bec Frères S.A.

A past Secretary-General and Vice President of Aka Ikenga, and the long-serving President of Otu Oka Iwu (Lagos), the foremost association of Igbo lawyers, Chief Obi has been an enduring voice for professional excellence, cultural identity, and civic responsibility. Through these platforms, he has mentored countless lawyers and advanced causes that blend professional ethics with cultural pride.

He has also contributed to public enlightenment through his appearances on NTA Channel 10’s “Legal Angle”, a programme devoted to educating citizens on their rights and duties under Nigerian law.

According to Mr. Uwanna, 

“Chief Obi represents the finest ideals of the legal profession competence without arrogance, achievement without ostentation, and seniority without distance. His brisk intellect and unassuming style belie his years, and his devotion to truth and fairness continues to inspire.”

He further remarked: “For many of us who came after him, Zik Obi stands as a compass a demonstration that success in law comes not from shortcuts, but from study, discipline, and fidelity to principle. His mentorship has guided my own professional philosophy and reminded me that the true lawyer’s duty is not only to clients but to the system of justice itself.”

As Chief Zik Obi retires from active professional life, the Bar salute his exceptional contributions to legal education, regulatory governance, and professional ethics. His legacy endures not only in the institutions he helped shape but in the countless lawyers whose paths he has illuminated.

Mr. Uwanna concluded: “We thank God for preserving him in good health and vigour at eighty. May his remaining years be filled with peace, wisdom, and the quiet satisfaction that comes from a life lived for the law, for society, and for the glory of God.”