ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has described Barrister Kemasuode Wodu as a ‘homegrown’ Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
Wodu, a former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, is among 72 legal practitioners in the country conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in Abuja yesterday.
Speaking at a reception in his honour in Abuja, Diri said he had always referred to Wodu as a SAN in waiting.
He noted that unlike other SANs the state had produced, Wodu largely practised in Bayelsa and Rivers states and showed that he also had the qualities for the exalted rank.
He said: “At 25, Bayelsa has now produced five SANs. One is however late.
“I had always called Wodu a SAN in waiting. But I see him as a homegrown SAN. Of the five SANs the state has produced, he is the only one living that practised largely in Bayelsa and Rivers. If you x-ray all of them, including the current Attorney-General that I call a Lagos SAN even though he is from the state, Wodu appears to be the homegrown among them.
“I thank God that this day eventually came. I also thank all those that started this SAN journey of Wodu, including my predecessor in office, Senator Seriake Dickson, the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Kate Abiri, and all those who believe in the development and prosperity of our state.
“We believe that we have what it takes to compete with any other state. I’m of the opinion that the fish we eat also adds to the intelligence of the Bayelsa and Ijaw people generally.”
In his remarks, former Bayelsa governor, Senator Seriake Dickson, described Wodu as a focused Ijaw intellectual and activist.
Senator Dickson recalled how as friends and legal practitioners in Port Harcourt, the journey towards becoming a SAN began for Wodu, expressing joy that it eventually came.