UG Law Faculty: Three lawyers refurbish, inaugurate lecture hall

Three lawyers have refurbished and inaugurated a lecture hall of the Law Faculty at the University of Ghana, Legon, named after their late father, Moses Kweku Baiden.

The lawyers are Mrs Adelaide Baiden Heward-Mills (LLB Class of 1986), Moses Kwesi Baiden Junior (LLB Class of 1989) and Kwesi Atta Payin Baiden (LLB Class of 1991).

The lawyers, who are alumni of the Faculty, refurbished the hall in memory of their father, affectionately called Nana Moses Kweku Ewudzie Baiden Senior, a businessman, on the local and international scenes.

Present at the ceremony was Mrs Georgina Baiden, a retired educationist, and widow of the businessman.

Mr Moses Baiden Jnr, at the inauguration ceremony, said it had been 23 years since the project began but was happy it had finally “seen the light of day.”

He was elated that he and his siblings had joined in the effort to upgrade infrastructure and facilities of the Faculty and the Ghana School of Law.

Mr Baiden lauded Prof Akua Kuenyehyia’s visionary initiative, which led to the fund raising drive for the Law Faculty in the year 2000.

He noted that his late father had a passion for education and believed that “education was fundamental to the transformation of societies and advancement of nations.”

“This hall, Nana Kweku Baiden Senior Lecture Hall, is named in his memory to encourage others to follow the good example that he demonstrated through his life.”

“What Moses Baiden achieved through funding, his wife did in practice and together they raised 13 children, four of them lawyers, Wellington Baiden, Adelaide Baiden Heward Mills, Moses Kwesi Baiden Jnr and Payin Baiden.”

Mr Baiden said three of the lawyers passed through the Faculty and many of his father’s nieces, nephews and grandchildren are also lawyers.

Notable among them being Her ladyship Avril Lovelace Johnson, a Justice of the Supreme Court,” Mr Baiden said.

He indicated that the family would continue to award best students in the subject, dubbed: “Contract” and award outstanding students of the course.

His late father exhibited high ideals and ambitions and was committed to promoting the socio-economic and political interests of his country, Mr Baiden said.

Mr Kwesi Atta Panyin Baiden, who read the father’s biography, described him as a “Daddy who never went to the Law School because he never had the opportunity but will always refer to himself as a pocket lawyer or lawyer by trade.”

Mrs Adelaide Baiden Heward-Mills, a Lawyer and daughter of Moses Baiden Snr, was glad to see the hall refurbished saying the gesture was to advance the study of law in the country.

“When I was a student, we used to meet in unclassical classrooms down the road. The first time I went there (the Faculty) I was disappointed. I am glad to be part of the first step of training lawyers at the Faculty.”

She said lawyers were needed in every facet of society and without them there would be chaos.

Professor Raymond Atuguba, the Dean, Faculty of Law, UG, commended the family for the gesture and said their contribution had given credence to improving facilities at the Faculty.

Moses Nana Ewudzie Kweku Baiden Senior was born on 21st February 1922, and died in August, 2011.

He founded two important schools in the Western Region – Chapel Hill and the Nest School Complex.