By Emeka Amaefula
ADAMAWA STATE CHIEF OF STAFF PROFESSOR MAXWELL GIDADO GETS OFFICER OF THE ORDER OF THE NIGER, OON NATIONAL MERIT AWARD
The 2022 Nigeria’s National Merit Award by President Muhammadu Buhari comes up on 11th of October, 2022 at International Conference Centre Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja. The more than 347 awardees were selected on merit for their contributions in diverse fields of endeavour to National development. For Professor Maxwell Michael Gidado SAN, the Office of Honourable Minister for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs in a Letter signed by Senator George Akume on 19th of September, 2022 vide ref. FMSDIGA/NHA/001/T/92 addressed to Professor Maxwell Gidado titled “2022 National Honours award Letter” read I have the honour to formally inform you that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has approved the conferment of the National Honours on You, in the rank of OON, (Officer of The Order of The Niger).”
Professor Maxwell Michael Gidado has devoted his life time in the service of humanity through intellectual impartation of Knowledge as a Law Lecturer from university of Maiduguri Borno state to other universities across Nigeria including Nasarawa state University, Bingham University, Karu Nasarawa state, American University of Nigeria, Yola Adamawa state, University of Jos, Plateau state, Nigerian Law School Bwari Abuja and Adamawa state University Mubi, Adamawa state.
Earlier, in his recommendation, Professor Terhemba Shija Professor of English from Nasarawa State University Kerfi did present to Ministry of Special duties and Intergovernmental Affairs the detailed contributions made by Professor Maxwell Gidado in the advancement of legal education in Nigeria highlighting exclusively his being “instrumental to the publishing and printing of the extant Laws of Adamawa state when he was Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Adamawa state from 1995 t0 1997. He was a member of the Legal expert team which successfully handled the internal boundary dispute case between Cameroon and Federal republic of Nigeria at the International Court of Justice, Hague, popularly known as the Bakassi Case where Nigeria won a lot of the land areas in the Northern border of the country. He was a member Ministerial Negotiation Team on the establishment of the Sao Tome and Principe Joint Development Zone, (JDZ) which led to his being conferred with the National Honours of Commander of the Civil Order of the Equatorial Guinea which is equivalent of Nigeria’s Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR).
“He was a member of the legal Consultants to the National Assembly on the Review of the 1999 Constitution which led to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd alterations to the extant 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended. He was a member of the Legal consultants to the National Assembly on the Electoral Law Reforms which led the 1st, 2nd and 3rd alterations to the current Electoral Law as amended. He was the Senior Special Assistant to former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo GCFR, on Legal and Constitutional Matters from 1999 to 2003 and served in the same capacity to Vice President Atiku Abubakar GCON from 2003 to 2007. He was member of the Oil and Gas Sector Reform Committee (OGIC) of the National Council on Privatization (NCP) from 2002 to 2007 which was the committee that midwifed the amendments which led to the present Petroleum Industry Act 2021.
“He is an avaricious writer who authored 6 Law books and has over 100 articles published in reputable journals at the national and international levels. Notable among these books is “The Province of Legal Methods In Nigeria” which is a book of reading in all faculties of Law in Nigeria. He helped established four Faculties of Law in Nigeria, nurtured them to attain partial and full accreditation namely; Nasarawa state university Kerfi, Bingham University Karu, American University of Nigeria, Yola Adamawa state and Adamawa state University Mubi. It is on record that one of the students he taught and mentored graduated from Nigerian Law School with First Class as he had taught and mentored over 1000 law students in Nigerian Law School, Bwari, Abuja; Nasarawa state University Kerfi; Bingham University Karu; American University of Nigeria, Yola and University of Jos, Plateau state.
“Among his several hundreds of the students he taught and mentored are today, Court of Appeal Justices, High Court Judges, Federal High Court Judges, Magistrates, khadis, Chief Registrars, Attorney Generals and Public and Private Legal Practitioners.
In recognition of his contribution to the development of the legal profession in Nigeria, he was conferred with the prestigious rank of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2015 in the academic category.”
Professor Maxwell Michael Gidado born in early 1960s hails from Sugu town in Ganye Local Government Area of Adamawa state. He attended St. Peter’s Minor Seminary Yola, between 1973 to 1977 and he was admitted at University of Maiduguri from 1978 to 1983 having bagged Bachelors of Law degree LLB(Hons). He was called to the Bar in 1984. This scholar of note moved over to Warwick University in the United Kingdom from where he obtained Masters of Law Degree LLM and Doctoral Degree PhD in Law from the prestigious Warwick University England from 1987 to 1992. He returned to University of Maiduguri Borno state where he rose to acting Head department of Private Law from 1997 to 1999. And from January to June 1999, he was Assistant director (Academics) at the Nigerian Law school Bwari Abuja.
This erudite handsome legal luminary, Professor Maxwell Michael Gidado is the current Chief of Staff to the executive Governor of Adamawa State, His Excellency Rt. Honourable Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri. He is married to Dr. (Mrs.) Rose Maxwell Gidado who is Deputy Director National Biotechnology Development Agency Abuja as they are blessed with a daughter Barrister Fatima Su’ugari M. Gidado.
He is a political activist who has the desire to make further contributions in the legislative arm of Government as he aspired to be elected into the Senate of the federal republic of Nigeria first in 2019 and in 2022 which he later stepped for another candidate of Peoples Democratic party Adamawa South senatorial Zone to emerge.
——————————-Emeka Amaefula —–+234(0)8111813069
