G. B. A. Coker

Chief G.B.A Coker

Chief George Baptist Ayodola Coker (27 January 1917 – 7 February 1991) was a Justice of the Nigerian Supreme Court, serving from 1964 until 1975. He was an author of two books: Family Property among the Yorubas, and a lecture series, Freedom and Justice.

He was the Olori Eyo of the Adimu, the highest position in the Eyo cultural masquerade in the Nigerian chieftaincy system, and in 2000 there was a festival celebrating his life. He was also the Baba Isale of Lagos.

A member of the prestige Coker family who are one of Nigeria's most aristocratic and elite families and hold a lot of influence in business and politics. An affluent district in Lagos, Coker, is named after this family. All are descendants from Daniel Coker, a freed American Slave who was instrumental in the movement for emancipation in the United States. Other notable members include Folorunsho Coker and High Chief Dr F.B.A. Coker, OON, KJW; a renowned doctor now in his 90s who is seen as one of the greatest doctors in Nigeria's history

Life

A Saro, Coker was born in Lagos as the son of George Baptist Coker. He was a great-great grandchild of Daniel Coker, a freed slave that emigrated to Sierra Leone and was a key figure in the creation of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) in 1816, which became the first independent black denomination in the United States. When Coker arrived in Sierra Leone in 1820, he became the first Methodist Missionary from a Western nation. There, Coker founded the West Africa Methodist Church.

High Chief G.B.A Coker's siblings have been heavily successful in their own right. Such as Mr. F.C.O. Coker, an Oxford Educated charted accountant, Lagos Municipal Treasurer and Secretary to the first Lagos State Government. F.C.O Coker was on the board of the first Lagos state government and played a key role in economic policy and created a tax system that is still used to this day. Mrs. Oye Akintola-Williams nee Coker (Mama MUSON), who later became a professional health nurse, patron of the arts and ardent environmentalist. She was married to Chief Akintola Williams CBE, the first indigenous African chartered accountant and regularly described as the Doyen of Nigerian Accountancy. As brothers-in-law, G.B.A. Coker and Chief Williams worked together on many occasions and Williams was involved in the Coker Commission where G.B.A. Coker was the judge in the trial of Obafemi Awolowo that found him guilty of malpractice and sent to prison, resulting in a huge shift in the poliical climate of Nigeria. Obafemi Awolowo was a Nigerian nationalist and politician who played a key role in Nigeria's independence movement (1957–1960). G.B.A. Coker's remaining siblings would include Mrs. Hilda Omolola Johnson nee Coker SRN, SCM, a future founder and matron of Logemo Hospital; Chief H.T.O. Coker SAN, OON, KC who later became a successful lawyer and who won many cases against the likes of Chief Frederick Rotimi Williams The only surviving sibling, High Chief (Dr.) F.B.A. Coker, OON, KJW, a Trinity educated consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, boardroom guru and owner of Victoria Island Consultancy and Hospital Services.  Chief (Dr.) F.B.A. Coker would grow up to be a titan in the Nigerian medical field with an international reputation; his hospital carried out the autopsy of Moshood Abiola and was involved in a number of other high-profile operations. He was also the senior gynaecologist to multiple Nigerian Presidents. Chief Dr F.B.A. Coker was the personal physician to Fela Kuti and the doctor taking care of the late Fela Kuti, a pioneer in Afrobeat's and the most notable Nigeria musician of the 20th Century before he died and died in Coker's hospital in Victoria Island. Chief Coker has also been successful in the construction industry and his office building in Victoria Island includes tenants such as Main One, Austrian Embassy and Adeniyi Coker Consultants Limited (ACCL). ACCL is run and owned by two of Coker's son's and is one of the top 3 largest architectural firms in Nigeria. One of his son's Charles, is a medical consultant who has excelled in his field. His youngest son, Dele Coker was the director of the Nigerian Rugby Football Federation and took them on multiple international tours around Africa and Dubai and has contributed significantly to the promotion of grassroots rugby in Nigeria. The grandchildren of G.B.A. Coker and his siblings are amongst Nigeria's elite social scene and rub shoulders with other prominent members of society.

Chief Coker was educated at Olowogbowo Wesleyan Primary School, Lagos from 1924 to 1928 and he then attended Methodist Boys High School, Lagos from 1929 to 1931, he finished his secondary education as one of the foundational students of Igbobi College. Thereafter, he worked briefly as a civil servant and later as a teacher. He later proceeded to London to earn a law degree and was called to the bar in 1947. He obtained a Ph.D. in law in 1955. Coker had a lucrative law practice in Lagos before he was appointed to the bench of High Court of Lagos in 1958.

In 1962, during a political crisis in the Western region of Nigeria, Coker was appointed by Moses Majekodunmi, the sole administrator of the region to chair a commission of enquiry into the affairs of some statutory corporations. The commission was viewed by some as an instrument to discredit the Awolowo faction of the Action Group. However, in the final report of the enquiry, it found Awolowo culpable in the diversion of regional funds to finance the Action Group but exonerated Akintola, which made it easier for the latter to be reinstated as Premier of the region. This became known as the Coker Commission. He became a justice of the Nigerian Supreme Court in 1964. At the apex court, Coker was notable for his judgements in stay of execution pending judgement cases. Two notable cases of the nature were Vaswani v Savalakh and Utilgas Nigerian And Overseas Gas Co. Ltd.v. Pan African Bank Ltd.

Coker was a member of the Methodist Church in Tinubu, Lagos.