By MOHAMMED UMORU BRAVO
The Idoma nation is in jubilation mood as one of her finests professional, distinguished and renowned public servant and legal icon Hon. Justice Anyalewa Alapa, the wife of our Hon. Nelson Alapa, former member of House of Representatives representing Oturkpo/Ohimini Federal Constituency, takes oath as Justice of the Federal High Court .
The sweat is not sweet but the fruit of the sweat is very sweet. This connote that nothing good comes easy. The journey of our Hon. Justice Anyalewa Onoja Alapa is not an easy one.
It is a reward for conscientiousness, devotion and absolute engagement to her career and duty, the diligence that earned her the height we are going to continuously celebrate for the taste of time
Her journey to this enviable and desirable height started in Yaounde, Cameroun where she was enlisted in pre-primary school study in American International School, Yaounde, Cameroun in 1985 to 1986.
She proceeded to Auntie Margaret International School, Calabar Cross River State where she did her primary school education from 1986 to 1991 when she got Her First School Leaving Certificate.
The young focused and clever Lady Anyalewa Onoja Alapa who have a caring and responsible parents that have comprehensive guide of developing their children, fitting into her parental challenge of given her good home via fear of God, good education and moral uprightness.
After completion of her primary school education in 1991, she proceeded to the esteemed Federal Government Girls College Gboko, Benue State in 1991 and rounded up her secondary School Education in 1997, with flying colours. The ambitious Mrs. Anyalewa Onoja Alapa never relented as she came out with good grade from JAMB in 1998 and was admitted into the prominent University of Abuja to study Law in 1998. This is where the journey of the illustrious career in law began.
Due to the epileptic strike action in Nigeria university system, she graduated from University of Abuja in 2005, with Bachelor of Law degree (LLB.) and proceeded immediately to the primus inter pares (first among equals) Nigerian Law School and graduated with Barrister at Law (BL.) professional certificate and was duly called to the highly rated Nigerian Bar in 2006.
Barrister Anyalewa Onoja Alapa, commence her law profession with usual demands of a legal practitioners which is ‘practice’.
She fanatically committed herself to legal practice until she got appointed as registrar in Federal High Court in 2016.
Before her appointment into the administrative department of Federal High court. Barr. Anyalewa Onoja Alapa zeal for more study in the area of her career took her to Harvard Law School where she undertook Intensive Negotiation Course for Lawyers and Senior Executives in 2014, she also attended the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies to further enrich her knowledge in her chosen profession in 2015.
In the same year 2015, to show the originality and genus Barrister Anyalewa is made up, she enlisted into University of London and Harvard Law School at the same time as she got her Master of Law (LLM.) from University of London and Master in Advance Negotiation from Harvard Law School in 2015.
These her investments in self development had made her to procure more knowledge for the new noble responsibility and the future.
As a registry staff of Federal High Court of Nigeria, as usual, she show character and meticulouse dedication to the service.
She thoroughly established herself through industrious and reliable productivity that engrained her to her bosses and the Federal High Court management.
Indeed one of the best registry staff of the Federal High Court as she was then.
Her allegiance and promptness to service did not go on noticed as she was promoted to Assistant Chief Registrar in 2022.
The post she held before her elevation in to the new status as Justice of the Federal High Court.
Historically, Justice Patricia Ajuma Ene Abu Mahmud was the first Idomal lady to be called to Nigerian Bar in 1980 and rising to the Bench in 1991. These opened door for Idoma women in the legal profession in Nigeria.
In as much that we have numbers of women jurists in High Courts and Appeal Court, Barr. Mrs. Anyalewa Onoja Alapa elevation as Justice of the Federal High Court today is historical and first of its kind in Idoma land. Since 1973 that Federal High Court was created, no Idoma son or daughter had ever served as Federal High Court Judge, she has broken the gremlin or jinx that was preventing Idoma emergence as Federal High Court Judge in Nigeria, and had further paved the way for Idoma girl childs of this generation to stand up and take their position in Nigeria society and show the world that women belong to where decisions are being made, it shouldn’t be that women are the exception.
Our daughter, sister, and wife had made us proud as she has given Idoma nation voice to echo that there is no strata’s of Nigerian Judiciary that Idoma person had not served as a judge.
Justice Anyalewa Onoja Alapa has proven she is one of the brighter ambassadors of Idoma nation.
We own her prayers to succeed in her new face of national assignment, we own her advice and support to become a fearless woman judge that will break barriers and biases in the justice system.
We look forward to her bravery and courageous stand against corruptions and ensuring the rein of rule of law and the protection of vulnerable group through the rule of law.
I have no doubt that she will excel and excels well in the judiciary.
Her moral upbringing couple with the progressive husband she had lives with and learned from his virtue will propel her to succeed.
Hon Nelson Alapa is a disciplinarian, hard working and progressive individual with fair sense of judgment, the virtue that is already entrenched in the family as a good and devoted catholic family with the fear of God.
This noble family background will certainly drive our daughter, mother and sister to great success in her new channel of service to our great nation Nigeria.
Justice Anyalewa drive to the top is emulative. Her life is a learning curve not only for the women fork but for all.
Her live shows self development, absolute dedication to service, commitment to prayer and love of God. She remain a good example to Idoma women and youth.
Her life has rendered inspiring lesson to us and arising confidence in Idoma women and youth. Her efforts tells us, that determination is the rooth of success.
I call on Idoma nation, Benue State and the entire Nigeria to join me to congratulate a jinx breaker, a legal celebrity and eminence Justice Anyalewa Onoja Alapa.
In summary, in order to have success we have to make efforts and this demand having the fear of God, be focused, diligent, persistent, hard working and determination.