Igbariam, Anambra State — June 4, 2025
Renowned human rights lawyer and public intellectual, Sonnie Ekwowusi, is set to be honoured by the Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Anambra State, for his remarkable contributions to health policy and development in Nigeria.
The award, which will be presented during a formal event on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, recognizes Ekwowusi’s hard work, dedication, and significant contributions to the development of the health sector.
In a letter jointly signed by Professor Nkeiruka MaryKate Orji, Dean of the Faculty; Dr. Blessing Onyeje, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee; and Dr. Eucharia Ezeumeh, Secretary, the University commended Ekwowusi for his enduring efforts in championing ethical healthcare laws and values-based public advocacy in Nigeria.
A former Editorial Board Member and columnist at ThisDay newspaper, Mr. Ekwowusi currently serves on the Editorial Board of The Guardian. He is the Principal Partner of Sonnie Ekwowusi & Co., a firm of legal practitioners and notaries public. A graduate of University of Nigeria, Nsukka, he holds an LL.M in Maritime and Commercial Law, and serves as a Director at Project for Human Development (PHD)—a pro-life, values-driven NGO.
As a prominent international advocate, Ekwowusi has led advocacy efforts at the United Nations Headquarters, New York, collaborating with global lobbyists to defend human life and traditional family values as espoused in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Back home in Nigeria, he has provided legal expertise to lawmakers in resisting the domestication of international conventions and protocols deemed contrary to African heritage and cultural values. He was among the key legal figures who opposed the National Institute of Reproductive Health Bill in 2006 and the Imo State Reproductive Health Bill in 2009.
In 2011, Ekwowusi also contributed to the successful passage of the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, and later, was instrumental in the opposition to the Nigerian Artificial Reproduction Bill, which sought to legalize human cloning and embryo trafficking. His legal submissions were pivotal in the eventual removal of certain controversial clauses in the National Health Act, including those related to human embryo harvesting and cloning.
Currently, he is spearheading a campaign for the repeal of the Anambra State Reproductive Rights Law—which took effect in 2005 under the administration of then-Governor Chris Ngige.
Ekwowusi is a graduate of several international leadership institutions including the Leadership Institute in Arlington, Virginia, USA, and the Acton Institute’s Lord Acton University in Michigan. He is a recipient of the 2010 Global Leadership Award, jointly presented by the Leadership Institute (USA), the Howard Center, and the Bow Group (UK).
This latest honour from Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University further cements his standing as a tireless advocate for legal ethics, life, and human dignity.
