By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
Nigeria has lost one of its pioneering female legal icons, Barrister Grace Birogbemi Ogbemi (née Edukugho), who passed away peacefully in Lagos on July 5, 2025, just six days before her 90th birthday.
Born on July 11, 1935, in Warri, Delta State, Ogbemi made history in 1958 when, at the age of 23, she founded Ugbekoro Chambers in Warri, becoming the first female lawyer from the defunct Mid-West Region (now Edo and Delta States). That same year, she was called to the English Bar at the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple and admitted as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
Throughout her distinguished career, Ogbemi combined private practice with public service. She worked with Gerald Impey’s Chambers in Lagos, later served as Legal Assistant at BP Nigeria, and rose to become a Senior Partner at Godfrey K.J. Amachree & Co. in 1973.
Beyond the courtroom, she was a trailblazer in governance and advocacy. She chaired the Mid-West State Library Board, served on the Bendel State Public Service Commission, and was a founding member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) in Nigeria, where she championed women’s rights and professional recognition.
Her leadership extended into the corporate world, where she held several board positions, including Chairman of Thomas Wyatt Nigeria Plc. She was also a Fellow of the Institute of Directors in both the UK and Nigeria.
Tributes have poured in from across the country, with colleagues and admirers describing her as a trailblazer, mentor, and role model whose life’s work continues to inspire generations of women in law.
The Nigerian Bar Association once honoured her with the Distinguished Trailblazers Award, cementing her legacy as a legal luminary and advocate of uncommon resilience.
She is survived by her family, including her husband, Engineer Franklin Akomi Ogbemi, whom she married in 1960.