African law and British colonial law. (He would go on to receive a total of 17 honorary doctorate degrees from various universities around the world). He was one of the inaugural recipients of the Nigerian National Merit Award in 1979. Several of his works on various legal subjects were standard reading in Africa in law schools of the former British colonies. Later in 1966, Elias was re-appointed as Nigeria's Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice (a position he held while remaining Dean and Professor at the University of Lagos), until 1972, when he became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He was ousted from this position by a military regime that took power in Nigeria at the end of July 1975. A few months later (in October 1975), he was elected by the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations to the International Court of Justice at The Hague. In 1979, he was elected Vice-President by his colleagues on that Court. In 1981, after the death of Sir Humphrey Waldock, the President of the Court, Elias took over as Acting President. In 1982, the members of the Court elected him President of the Court. He thus became the first African jurist to hold that honour. Five years later, Elias was also appointed to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague. Death Elias died on 14 August 1991, in Lagos, Nigeria. The names of his five children are Gbolahan, Olusoji, Olufemi, Yeside and Olufolake Elias. See also United Nations Security Council Resolution 708 References 1914 births 20th-century Nigerian lawyers 1991 deaths Academic staff of the University of Lagos Academics of SOAS University of London Academics of the Victoria University of Manchester Alumni of University College London Attorneys General of Nigeria Chief justices of Nigeria CMS Grammar School, Lagos alumni Educators from Lagos Igbobi College alumni International Court of Justice judges Lawyers from Lagos Nigerian judges of United Nations courts and tribunals Nigerian Muslims People of colonial Nigeria Presidents of the International Court of Justice Recipients of the Nigerian National Order of Merit Award Supreme Court of Nigeria justices