The University of Professional Studies-Accra (UPSA) Law School has honoured the legal luminary, Tsatsu Tsikata, with a Lifetime Achievement in Law Award for his stellar contribution to the legal sector as a lawyer, public servant and academic.
Mr Tsatsu Tsikata received the award in Accra yesterday at the “Honorific Public Lecture and Awards” organised by the law school in recognition of his undeniable influence and achievement as a practicing lawyer for 50 years.
His influence had been captured in some delicate and historic trials in the country’s political and legal history. It included the trial of former President Jerry John Rawlings in May 1979 before a military tribunal.
And in 2013, he was the lead counsel in the Supreme Court for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in successfully defending the first term victory of President John Mahama and the party in the 2012 presidential elections.
Mr Tsikata again led the courtroom charge for the 2020 Presidential Election as the lead counsel of President Mahama, then leader of the opposition NDC.
He was also a lecturer at the University of Ghana Faculty of Law, a school he previously left a footprint with First Class LLB honours, before advancing for another first class in BCL at the Oxford University.
Mr Tsikata also served as a Junior Research Fellow at Corpus Christi College, Oxford University, for two years before returning to UG as a lecturer.
As a public servant, he was also instrumental in the formation of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, which he headed from 1992 to 2000.
He was responsible for the establishment of the framework for the upstream petroleum sector.
Event
The event was interspersed with musical interludes from the UPSA Law Christian Fellowship Choir.
The visibly excited Mr Tsikata was dressed in a beautiful traditional kente cloth, with his beloved wife, Esther Cobbah, by his side.
Some dignitaries who graced the occasion were the Vice-President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang; the Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, and some superior court judges; a former Speaker of Parliament and Chairman of the Council of State, Doe Adjaho, and a former Attorney-General and Council of State Member, Betty Mould-Iddrisu, who gave a lecture.
Others were the Presidential Advisor on the 24-Hour Economy, Goosie Tanoh; Political Advisor to the Vice-President, Dr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo; Board Chairman of GCB Bank, Prof. Joshua Alabi; the Vice-Chancellor of UPSA, Professor John Kwaku Mawutor; Dean of the UPSA Law School, Prof. Kofi Abotsi, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, Kwame Ntow Amoah.
The rest were former Commissioners of CHRAJ, Francis Emile Short and Anna Bossman; former Vice-Chancellor, UG, Prof. George Akilagpa Sawyerr, and Ghana’s Special Envoy to Sahelian States, Larry Gbevlo-Lartey.
Also present were Mr Tsikata’s former law students, former students of Mfantsipim School, his alma mater, family and friends, as well as students of UPSA Law School who witnessed the honour conferred on Mr Tsikata, whose enduring legacy, unwavering advocacy in the public interest and profound influence had shaped generations of legal practitioners and scholars in the country and beyond.
Career
The Vice-President described Mr Tsikata’s journey and career as that of “scholarship, advocacy and public service” that was worth emulating by the younger generation, especially those who want to pursue the legal profession.
“His career reflects a particular understanding of the law, not only as a profession, but also as a discipline that demands rigour, independence and judgement.
That is important because the law does not sustain itself. Constitutions do not enforce themselves.
“Institutions do not operate in a vacuum.
They depend on the kinds of people willing to test arguments, question assumptions, and when necessary, stand their ground for the greater good of society. This is where the legal profession comes in.
“Its role is to interpret the law and, in the process, ensure that power is exercised within limits, consistently, and in the best interests of the nation.
Mr Tsikata’s work directly illustrates that responsibility,” Prof. Opoku-Agyeman added.
Eulogy
In a citation, the Dean of the UPSA Law School, Prof. Abotsi, described the body of works of the revered lawyer as “frontiers of Ghanaian jurisprudence reflecting both your depth of intellectual rigour and an unwavering commitment to the public good.
“Through your exceptional brilliance in practice and academia, you have left an indelible imprint on legal thoughts in the Commonwealth of Ghanaian law,” he said.
Also eulogising the honouree in her lecture, titled: “The Man, the Moment and the Mettle”, Betty Mould-Iddrisu, a former student of Mr Tsikata, referred to him as a symbol of resilience and excellence, underscoring a career which spanned an unwavering commitment to the judicial system and the practice of law.
