A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State and former President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Nnia Nwodo, have eulogised late Supreme Court Justice Augustine Nnamani.
They hailed the late Nnamani’s vision, contributions and legacy toward the development of the law profession in the country through his landmark judgements and laying of foundations for the Land Use Act in Nigeria.
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The trio and others celebrated Mr Nnamani during the presentation of Essay in his honour, organised by the Renaissance Law Publications, led by Gab Agu, a professor, on Friday, in Enugu.
Mr Nnamani was a former justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria appointed on 15 August 1979, and died in 1990.
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Mr Ozekhome, a guest speaker at the event, said the late Nnamani’s vision of justice was always deliberate, thoughtful, and anchored in principle.
According to him, “Nnamani was a reminder that the law must serve the people, and not entrap them and one name that should be engraved into the granite of legal history and not buried beneath its footnotes.
“His judgments should be studied not just for their outcomes, but for the discipline, clarity, erudition and foresight they embodied.
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“And his legacy should be honoured not merely in ceremony, but in how we train lawyers, appoint judges, and build a legal culture that prizes integrity over expediency.
“In the final analysis, Justice Nnamani stands as one of those rare figures whose life proves that the law is not merely a profession, but a vocation of destiny.
“His path was not the ordinary path, and that is precisely why it commands such reverence,” he said.
He explained that Mr Nnamani was elevated directly from the office of Attorney-General to the hallowed chambers of the Supreme Court — a unique history he shared with the late Justice Taslim Elias, the retired chief justice of Nigeria.
Mr Ozekhome added that Mr Nnamani’s judgements carried the “fire of scholarship and the fragrance of wisdom”, revealing that he wrote not only to decide, but to instruct; to resolve and to inspire, as well as his legacy not be confined to the dusty pages of law reports.
Gov Mbah’s remark
In a remark, Governor Mbah hailed Mr Nnamani’s brilliance, saying the essay was a refreshing window into some defining national policies that had the late judge’s imprints.
“Justice Nnamani was not merely a jurist. He was a philosopher, a steward of justice.
“The 22 essays constitute an important historical and legal trope, each lending perspective to an aspect of his students’ daily life.
“They illuminate our understanding, the boarding law student and courtroom veterans alike,” Mr Mbah said.
Commending the organisers, the governor said, “From his humble beginnings here in Enugu to the rare heights Nnamani attained in the legal profession, his story is a lesson of discipline, resilience and purposeful leadership”.
On his part, Mr Nwobodo, who chaired the event, extolled the relationship between Mr Nnamani’s family and his, stressing that the late judge was intellectually gifted.
He regretted that he and others could not revive Mr Nnamani when he slumped during his father’s burial.
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A former senator, who represented Kogi West District, Dino Melaye, urged Nigerians to live a life they would be remembered and celebrated when they are no more.
Reviewing the book, a professor of law, Gozie Ogbodo, said the book contained 657 pages, 22 chapters with 22 contributors.
Earlier, Mr Agu said the Renaissance Law Publications Limited resolved to help in the development of the law by bringing to the public their personage of Bar and Bench of stellar qualities in the area of law and its development.
“It is our intention to publish on a quarterly basis on and about them. They possess the can-do spirit of our heroes past, and Justice Nnamani deserves the accolade,” Mr Agu said.
(NAN)
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