New Athos
Iakub Lakoba was born 1949 in New Athos. In 1966, he graduated from Sukhumi school No. 10. In 1971, Lakoba graduated from the Moscow State University's Faculty of Law. From 1972 to 1982 he worked under Bagrat Shinkuba in the staff of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Abkhazian ASSR. From 1974 onwards Lakoba held several positions with the Komsomol.