Prof CJ Dakas @54: birthday tribute to a friend and Plateau’s best 2023 gubernatorial hopeful
By Mark Longyen
A plethora of shining attributes make Prof CJ Dakas stand out and stand tall in the crowd anytime, anywhere and everywhere he goes.
Without a doubt, the combination of the unique personality and intimidating profile of Prof Dakas CJ Dakas, coupled with some brutal truth political permutations, succinctly underscore and place him in a vantage as someone you would rightly describe as the best man to succeed Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State on May 29, 2023.
Prof Dakas possesses an extremely clear and rare focus, an electric brain, a high intelligence quotient, an amazing political sagacity, an unmatched political networking statewide and nationwide, an unparalleled knowledge of virtually every subject under heaven, ranging from law to economics, to agriculture, tourism, security and international relations, international law and diplomacy, among others.
These excellent attributes put together give him an uncanny ability to grasp issues that are presented to him at the speed of light and also enable him, as a leader, to take prompt informed decisions that would automatically catapult a state or nation-state, as the case may be, in record time to compete with the so-called Asian Tigers and the Western world in terms of developmental strides.
From a firsttime encounter with Dakas, one would be irresistibly charmed by his distinct and dignified mien, coupled with his confident carriage, his perpetually disarming and infectious smile, his humbling humility, his down-to-earth disposition, his unique foreign accent, and his endless generosity. Dakas has engaged in a deluge of endowments in academic institutions and humanitarian gestures across the state.
A deeper interaction with him would unmask his burning patriotism and, above all, his unquenchable and uncompromising desire to turn around, in a hurry, the fortunes of Plateau State —all of which are takeaways that would endear him to you and resonate long after you have departed from his presence.
Dakas, who is literally speaking, a data bank and mobile encyclopedia of sorts, is indeed a first among equals, a primus inter pares, a study in high visibility, creativity, credibility, ingenuity, a study in exemplary character and exemplary leadership.He is a study in honesty, transparency, prudence and untainted integrity, a study in proactive, pragmatic and visionary leadership.
Above all, Prof Dakas is clearly focused on one mission: to consolidate on the already amazing Lalong Rescue Legacy and deliver the dividends of democracy like never before.
Cool, calm and collected, a deeper search into the totality of the personality of Prof Dakas would automatically culminate in unveiling a man who is unimpressed by the combined paraphernalia, grandeur, prestige and pride of being one of the world’s foremost professors of law and a highly respected and highly sought after Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) who has bestrode the law profession globally like a monstrous colossus.
Amongst the array of credible aspirants that are seeking to be elected as Governor of Plateau State in 2023 in their own rights, Prof Dakas, is by all and every standard, undoubtedly the most suitable man for the position.
Dakas is the second legal practitioner from Plateau State and one of the youngest to be conferred with the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN); and also the youngest academic to occupy a Distinguished Professor of Law Chair in a Nigerian tertiary institution.
Prof Dakas is also one of only four Nigerian professors of Law to hold the office of Attorney-General and also conferred with the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.(SAN)).
The youthful and dynamic Prof. Dakas, who is a staunch stalwart and loyalist of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and is of the Mupun ethnic group of Plateau Central Senatorial Zone, to which the governorship is shifting in 2023, was born exactly 54 years ago today on August 23, 1967 in Tokbet, Jipal District, Mangu Local Government Area, Plateau State.
He started his primary education at L.G.E.D. in Katul, Plateau State, from where he proceeded to Boys Secondary School Gindiri for his “O” Level and finished as the Best Graduating Student of the Year 1986.
He gained admission into the University of Jos, where he graduated with a First Class honour in Law, and won almost all the academic prizes available.
He was awarded the University’s Best Student in the Faculty of Law, the Gally Brown-Peterside Award for the Best Student in Law; the Gally Brown-Peterside Award for the Best Student in Constitutional Law.
He also took the Prince Bola Ajibola (SAN) Award for the Best Student in Jurisprudence; the Chief R. A. O. Akinjide Award for (being the first of) the Three Best Students in Law; and the Plateau State Government Scholarship.
He thereafter proceeded to the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, after which he was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1990 and did his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) at the University of Calabar, Cross River State, from 1991-1992, where he was a lecturer in the Faculty of Law.
He thereafter went on to obtain his LLM from both the University of Jos and the University of New York, U.S.A, before crowning it with a Ph.D in Law.
Prof. Dakas was conferred with the prestigious professional rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), at the young age of 45 almost a decade ago in September 2012.
Dakas rose from lecturing at the Faculty of Law, University of Jos, to the rank of a Professor of International Law and Jurisprudence in October 2010 at the age of 43. He was also, until his voluntary retirement recently, the Dean of the Faculty of Law of the university.
He also served as the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Plateau State, Nigeria, during the second term in office of the former Governor Joshua Dariye administration.
He is also the Principal Partner, Dakas C.J. Dakas, SAN & Co. Law Firm.
He has authored and edited many books on law and others, and is a member of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN); member, International Association of Law Schools (IALS), Washington DC, USA; member, Nigerian Association of Law Teachers (NALT); member, Nigerian Society of International Law(NSIL) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
He is also a visiting Professor of International Human Rights Law, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Canada.
Dakas’ array of accomplishments in the academic, legal profession and politics, nationally and internationally, have proudly placed Plateau State and Nigeria on the global scale of countries and states producing highly intellectual individuals.
His intimidating profile and legendary accomplishments are praiseworthy, just as they eloquently speak volumes and are certainly unmatched by those of all his opponents in his party, APC, as well as all his opponents in the opposition parties.
His firmly immense dispositions, unquestionable character and the uncommon passion for good governance, which he unveils in his researches, and quantum speeches which he delivers as guest speaker and other previous assignments have earned him the respect and confidence of the people desiring good governance and boundless transformations.
His exceptional humility, his unparalleled political sagacity and savvy, his sterling leadership qualities,and his demonstration of passionate patriotism in all the assignments given to him are boundless, especially considering his track record in providing excellence and model ideas on issues; Certainly his is a round peg in a round hole in any political office.
Some say he would make a better president of Nigeria than being a governor, perhaps, they are right. Many say he is not an overtly ambitious person, perhaps they too are right. Others argue that Dakas is a fine gentleman lured into the dirty game of politics by sheer patriotic determination and selfless desire to serve his people and change the business as usual approach to leadership with a revolutionary fervor, they too may be absolutely correct.
As 2023 approaches, it is the patriotic duty of those desiring qualitative leadership to search for a groundbreaker with proven track records of decorum, humanity, philanthropy, a leader who is outstanding, selfless and detribalized in his daily endeavour.
In Prof CJ Dakas, Plateau people would find their equivalent of the Biblical Moses, Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew, China’s Mao Zedong, America’s Abraham Lincoln, and South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, all rolled into one, as Dakas has consistently shown glimpses of his potentials and rare attributes of a patriotic citizen, a meticulous leader, a team player. an incurable emancipator, a rescue apostle, who would sacrifice all it takes to improve the lives of the people of the state.
Prof Dakas is happily married to his beautiful wife, Barrister Mrs Beatrice Dakas and the marriage is blessed with three children.
Happy Birthday to you, Prof!
