22-year Old Earns First Class, Wins Six Prizes in Law School

All hopes may yet not be lost about the future of the nation’s legal system following the recent mass failure recorded at the Nigerian Bar examinations, with the dazzling performance of 22-year old Osarieme Anita Omonuwa at the last Call-to-Bar examinations in Abuja.
Osarieme Omonuwa earned one of the First Class passes at the Bar final examinations out of 6, 883 students that sat for the examinations.

Consequently, she bagged a total of six prizes at the November 26, 2014 graduation ceremony, underlining her academic excellence in her chosen legal profession.

The six prizes won by Miss Omonuwa include the Clarks Legal Prize for best performance in Part 2; Equity and Trust, presented by David Rintoul; the Managing Partner, Keith Wright Memorial Prize for best overall performance in Part 2; the Shoosmiths Prize for best overall performance in Part 2; and, the Boinime Jackson Lott Foundation Prize.    

The Edo State-born Osarieme Omonuwa not only came to the Law school with a University of Reading, England, First Class Degree in Law, but also emerged as the very first Nigerian to graduate in the Bar final examinations from overseas with a First Class, BL degree – a feat in the 51-year existence of the Nigerian Law school.

She was the only graduate of all the admitted Nigerians from overseas who scaled the hurdles at the examinations with a First Class pass.

Reporting on her rare academic performance in 2013, THISDAY noted that Osarieme Anita Omonuwa bagged a First Class degree in Law at Reading University in the United Kingdom with exceptional brilliance and subsequently bagging many prizes.

Omonuwa, then 20, also received the 2012 prestigious “Chancellor's Award” of the university for her outstanding academic performance.
By the exceptional academic feat, she became the first black woman to win the Reading University Chancellor's Award.

The chancellor of the university, Sir John Madejski, on the occasion of the award presentation , described Omonuwa as “representative of our brightest and best students”.
Like a harbinger of her uncommon academic glory in law, she had three years earlier, in 2010, earned the Reading University Scholarship Award for academic excellence and won recognition as the overall best in the International Foundation Programme.

In 2012, Anita’s academic awards haul included the Clarks Legal Prize for the best performance in Part 2 Equity and Trust, presented by David Rintoul, Managing Partner, Clarks Legal LLP; Keith Wright Memorial Prize for best overall performance in Part 2; and Shoosmiths Prize for best overall performance in Part 2.

In May 2013, she was at Shoosmiths LLP, UK to do a day’s internship in the Employment Department and in June, stretched her internship drive into Construction Law. The latter experience enabled her to understand hardcore legal issues including the intricacies of construction contracts and the inevitable consequences of breaching agreed terms while at the Clarks Legal LLP.

Daughter of Mr. Omoruyi Augustine Omonuwa, is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and holder of national honour, had shown great promise at a very tender age when in her kindergarten days at Our Lady of Apostles School, Benin-City, she finished as the best KG pupil and had a free uniform as a “motivational prize”. She also won the 2003 Bournvita Award for overall primary school performance at the school.

Moreover, Anita won the 2008/2009 Certificate of Merit of the Igbinedion Education Centre in Benin-City as the over-all best graduating student in Accounting, English, Yoruba, Computer Science, Biology, Literature, Government, Economics, Foods and Nutrition.

Although, her excellence and subsequent sterling performance in England was then seen as the crowning of her intelligence and confirmation of her mental capacity, the latest laurel at the Nigerian Law School confirms Anita as an academic genius.