Mohammed Uwais: Good night to a humane and consummate jurist, By Layi Babatunde

He cared for others deeply and led the judiciary with the fear of God; leading from the front as it were, at all times. He fiercely defended the independence of the judiciary, irrespective of any personal consequence or inconvenience. My Lord took all the challenges in his stride, including an occasion when his chambers was “mysteriously” broken into and ransacked mercilessly! He loathed any interference with judicial functions…

Baba, as we fondly called the now late Honourable Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais, lived a fulfilled life. He was a consummate and humble jurist, deeply learned, humane, fair and firm. He bore the honour of being the longest serving Justice of the Supreme Court, and became the Chief Justice of Nigeria. He was dignity and humility personified. His judicial career was free of personal aggrandisement. He demonstrated that there is more to the office of a judge than the adornment of judicial robes.

He cared for others deeply and led the judiciary with the fear of God; leading from the front as it were, at all times. He fiercely defended the independence of the judiciary, irrespective of any personal consequence or inconvenience. My Lord took all the challenges in his stride, including an occasion when his chambers was “mysteriously” broken into and ransacked mercilessly! He loathed any interference with judicial functions and the political powers that be, and he had to live with that principled reality. He remains a living testimony to demonstrating the sacredness of the judicial calling.

The Uwais court appreciated and promoted federalism as provided for under Nigeria’s extant constitution. The case of AG LAGOS STATE v. AG FEDERATION ( 2004)11-12 SC 85, concerning the seizure of the statutory allocation due to local governments of Lagos State by the president, is a case in point. The court held that it was wrong for the president to withhold statutory allocations from the Federation Account to the states. The same federal structure was sustained in AG LAGOS v. AG FEDERATION & 36 Ors ( 2003) 6 SC ( pt 1) 24 wherein the Supreme Court, under the leadership of My Lord, upheld the right of federating states to control Town Planning issues within their respective states.

It is instructive that on such decisive moments of important constitutional issues before the Supreme Court, My Lord presided. Indeed in the case of the seizure of the revenue of Lagos State, he delivered the lead judgment. He served the legal profession, the bench, and indeed Nigeria, sacrificially, and bore the vicissitudes of life with stoic perseverance and abiding faith in God, as the dispenser of all human affairs, including death. It was his love for country that made him devote his energy and time to the work of the Electoral Reform committee that produced the highly valuable “Uwais Report.“ What our country, unfortunately, has done with the report, is a different kettle of fish.

In Baba’s latter days, on occasions when I had the opportunity to ask after his health, he would smile and say: “Layi, it’s old age.“ Such was his attitude to life that we all can profit from, especially those of us who had the grace to share in his space and time. That genuine and peculiar smile in the face of adversity and the lessons embedded in them cannot be easily forgotten. My Lord was a benefactor to many without regards to ethnicity, religion or station in life. He loved the legal profession and supported it. But for his leadership and the support of his colleagues on the Supreme Court bench at the time, it would have been near impossible to revive the Supreme Court Reports (SC Reports) when we did. Without that authorisation, It would have been long dead and buried!

As Baba joins his brothers and well known iconic friends, who went ahead of him, Honourable Justice MMA Akanbi (PCA rtd.) and Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim (SAN; former AGF) to complete the eminent cycle of friends and legal giants, may their amiable souls rest in peace. May the God comfort Baba’s beloved family, which was dear to him, colleagues on the Supreme Court bench (serving and retired) and all of us who knew My Lord in person or by reputation. A worthy era has indeed come to an end! Good night, Baba.

⁠Layi Babatunde is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Editor-in-Chief of Supreme Court Reports.