Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Kudirat Kekere-Ekun said the judgments of the late former Supreme Court justice Emmanuel Ogwuegbu did not merely resolve disputes but elevated Nigeria’s jurisprudence.
Ms Kekere-Ekun said this in Abuja on Wednesday at a valedictory court session in honour of the late Mr Ogwuegbu, who died on 28 October 2024, at the age of 91.
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She said Mr Ogwuegbu’s judgments and life also speak to the conscience of a nation, strengthening the pillars of democracy, and enriching Nigerian law with experience, compassion and wisdom.
“His contributions will continue to illuminate the courts and his legacy remains embedded in the moral and legal consciousness of the nation.
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“Throughout his illustrious judicial career, he brought to bear a rare combination of erudition, clarity and compassion. He was a jurist who wrote with precision, reasoned with rigour and adjudicated with fairness.
“As a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, His Lordship contributed significantly to the shaping of our modern legal landscape.
“His Lordship’s deep insight and fearless reasoning were particularly evident in cases that advanced constitutional governance, individual liberties and the devolution of powers,” she said.
Jurisprudence is the philosophy and study of law—how it’s created, interpreted, and applied, and what makes laws just or unjust.
A judge’s influence in the legal profession is reflected in their contributions to jurisprudence within a jurisdiction, much like a surgeon’s significance is measured by the number of lives they save in medicine.
The CJN said Mr Ogwuegbu was a torchbearer of justice whose career spanned more than four decades of unwavering dedication to the bench.
“He was a judge of great dignity, humility, and empathy, qualities that humanised the law and brought comfort to those who sought justice.
“He listened intently, decided fairly, and treated all who came before him with respect and decency’’.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, charged Judicial officers to live up to expectation.
Mr Fagbemi stressed the need for judges to administer justice without fear or favour and paid glowing tributes to the late Justice of the Supreme Court.
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The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said a true measure of a judge is not in the length of tenure or the number of cases adjudicated, but in the depth of impact and integrity of decisions.
Mr Osigwe noted that Mr Ogwuegbu was a judicial titan who rendered clearer laws that made institutions stronger and democracy more stable.
“In an age where judicial courage is often tempered by politics or public pressure, His Lordship exemplified a rare independence of thought, tempered only by the boundaries of justice and the letter of the law,” the NBA president said.
(NAN)
