Jaja Wachuku - Dublin Years

Dublin Years

Wachuku was the first African, Gold Medalist, Laureate in Oratory of the Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. He matriculated at Trinity College in 1939, and was, in 1941, elected Executive Member of the College Historical Society. Wachuku represented University of Dublin during the 1943 Inter-University Debate held at University of Durham. He was called to the Irish bar association - Kings Inn - in November 1944. He was fully involved in Nigeria's constitutional conferences and struggle for independence from Great Britain. Wachuku practised law in Dublin, Ireland - for three years - before returning to Nigeria in 1947. He graduated B.A. Legal Science and was LL.B Prizeman in Roman Law, Constitutional Law and Criminal Law. He was also a Research Fellow at the Department of International Law, Trinity College, Dublin - with the topic: "The Juristic Status of Protectorates in International Law." From 1947 to 1996, Wachuku served as Barrister and Solicitor of The Supreme Court of Nigeria. He also practised at the West African Court of Appeal (WACA).

While in Dublin, Wachuku was an Executive Member of the Student Christian Movement (SCM). He lectured on various subjects during the Student Christian Movement Summer Schools in Great Britain and Ireland; and delivered the last seven of such Diplomacy lectures at Swanwick, Hampshire - on the subject: "Africa in the Post-War World." From 1939 to 1943, Jaja Wachuku was Secretary of the Association of Students of African Descent (ASAD) in Ireland. 1944 saw him elected President of the ASAD. During 1945, he represented ASAD at the fifth Pan-African Congress held in Manchester, England. From 1943 to 1945, Wachuku was founder, organizer and secretary of the Dublin International Club. He was president of the Club from 1945 to 1947 and resigned when he returned to Nigeria in 1947 to fight for an end to colonial rule and independence of Nigeria from Great Britain. In 1947 also, Wachuku was, for six weeks, Legal and Constitutional Adviser to the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) Pan-Nigeria Delegation that went to London to press for constitutional reforms in Nigeria. He was awarded LL.D (Honoris Causa) by Trinity College, Dublin.