Pioneer Female Arbitrator, Eunice Oddiri, Passes On

The Oddiri family in Delta State has announced the passing of an accomplished federal civil servant and a leading light in commercial arbitration in Nigeria, Mrs Eunice ‘ Rukevbe Oddiri. Late Oddiri, who was fondly called Nee Esiso, was a retired Director of the Federal Ministry of Justice, who served as Director, Regional Centre For International Commercial Arbitration, between 1999 and 2014 passed on , on Tuesday 7 December 2021 in Lagos. She was 68 years old.

Mrs Oddiri was an LLB law graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, 1978 and The Nigerian Law School.

She was called to the Bar as a Solicitor and Advocate of The Nigerian Supreme Court in 1979.

Mrs. Oddiri joined the Federal Civil Service as a Pupil State Counsel, Federal Ministry of Justice in 1980. She rose to the post of Director before she retired in 2014.

Mrs. Oddiri had a brief stint as Company Secretary Legal Adviser of The Daily Times group of newspapers and companies.

The highlight of her Public Service career, was her secondment to the Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration Lagos, as Director of the Centre between 1999 and 2014 when she retired from the civil service.

As Director of the Regional Centre, she moved the centre from a one room office space, in the Federal Ministry of Justice in the old secretariat, Marina Lagos, to a suite of modern offices, at the Union Bank Towers, 1 Alfred Rewane Way Ikoyi Lagos.

The new office had a conference Centre, Arbitration rooms with automatic audio translation facilities, and a well stocked Law Library.

During her tenure, she secured a permanent site from the federal government for the Regional Centre on Ozumba Mbadiwe Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The Regional Centre currently operates from its permanent site in Victoria Island.The centre attracted Arbitration sessions within and outside Nigeria and Africa.

Mrs. Oddiri was a pioneer in the use of Arbitration as an alternative dispute resolution outlet and one who modernised the process in Nigeria and Africa.

Mrs. Eunice Rukevbe Oddiri who hailed from the illustrious Esiso family of Agbarho, in the heart of Urhobo land in Delta State, is survived by her husband , Andrew Ovie Oddiri, children Aruoture Rotus Oddiri, Olufemi and Orhieoghene Adewunmi and Omonigo Ovie Oddiri. Final burial will be announced by her family.