Meet Godfrey Okoye University Pro Chancellor, Prof. Nwachukwu Christian Okeke as he celebrates his 80th birthday (octogenarian).
Christian Nwachukwu Okeke born on Dec. 18, 1941, from Enugu State is a Professor of International Law, Jurisprudence and Comparative Law. He is the Director of Sompong Sucharitkul Center for Advanced International Legal Studies at Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco California. He is also the Director of LL.M. and S.J.D. Programs in international legal studies at the University. He earned a Master of Law (LL.M.) with honors (summa cum laude) from Kiev State University, Ukraine, and Doctor in de Rechtsgeleerdheid (Ph.D.) from Free University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Before joining Godfrey Okoye University, Faculty of Law, he was the Emeritus Pioneer Dean and Professor of Law at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria (1985-1991), and Enugu State University of Science and Technology, (ESUT), Nigeria (1991-1995) respectively. He was a Deputy Vice Chancellor of ESUT. Professor Okeke was a partner at the Law Firm of Ilegbune, Okeke and Co. for many years. He is a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
He is acknowledged as a comparatist. He is widely published. His publications include six books, numerous book chapters and articles in international law, comparative law and international relations. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Annual Survey of International and Comparative Law (ASICL) and member of Editorial Boards of several law journals, including the prestigious Comparative Law in Africa. He is a Visiting Professor of Law at the Mount Crest University College of Laws in Accra, Ghana.
Prof. Okeke is a longstanding active member of both the American Society of International Law (ASIL), and the American Society of Comparative Law (ASCL) serving as a Director of the later. A 768-page compendium titled ‘Contemporary Issues on International and Comparative Law: Essays in Honor of Professor Dr. Christian Nwachukwu Okeke’ Edited by His Lordship, Honorable Justice C.C. Nweze (JSC), with a forward by His Excellency, Judge Abadul G. Koroma, former Judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and was published by Vandeplas Publishing Company in 2009.
In 2012 he was knighted by Pope Benedict XVI who bestowed on him the “Cross-Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice” (Cross of Honor) – the highest honor conferred by the papacy on the laity, in recognition of his outstanding services to the Church and to humanity at large. He is happily married to Tina Okeke. Professor Okeke is fluent in Igbo, English, Russian and Dutch.
Join us as we celebrate an icon and a rare jem tomorrow at Godfrey Okoye University. We shall be live on Facebook.