According to Alogba, Nigeria would have been better off if her leaders had listened to people like Nwabueze.
By Jeffrey Agbo
The late constitutional lawyer, Ben Nwabueze, died a sad man for not seeing Nigeria succeed in his lifetime, Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba has said.
Alogba made this known in Ikeja, Lagos at a valedictory court session in honour of the late legal luminary on Thursday.
According to Alogba, Nigeria would have been better off if her leaders had listened to people like Nwabueze.
The Lagos CJ also extolled Nwabueze’s contributions to constitutional law in Nigeria.
He said: “We are gathered here to honour a man whose name must not be missed when we talk about constitutional law in Nigeria in any compendium. Such compendium will not only be incomplete but grossly inadequate.
“He was a Nigerian who if he had been listened to among other Nigerians, we would probably be enjoying better days by now.”
Alogba added that although Prof Nwabueze died a fulfilled man, it was regrettable that the country failed to live up to the ideals that he fought for in his lifetime.
“But for a man that spent his entire life trying to erect a solid foundation for enduring positive change in Nigeria, he also died a sad man because the country failed to live up to its promises in his lifetime. Try as hard as he did, Nigeria proved to be an illness that defiled all medications and the great man voiced his disappointment,” he said.
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Also eulogising the sage and his intellectual contributions to constitutional law in the country, President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yakubu Maikyau, said that Prof Nwabueze was a role model to many lawyers and that his influence goes beyond the shores of Nigeria.
Stating that Nwabueze though dead, but continues to be alive through his numerous works and publications, Maikyau recommended that his stocks of books in law firm libraries should be used as a standard for the award of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) title.
He said, “Prof Nwabueze’s death has left a vacuum too large to fill. He was an indisputable authority on constitutional law in Nigeria and his influence reaches beyond the shores of Nigeria. He was a true patriot in every sense of the word. Though gone, he will continue to be alive through his numerous works. For his rich intellectual work, I recommend that law firm libraries stock of his book should be a vital criteria for the award of the SAN title.”
Speaking on behalf of the Body of Senior Advocates (BOSAN), Solomon Asemota (SAN) noted that the voice of Prof Nwabueze will be missed in the discourse of vital issues in Nigeria.
Expressing gratitude for the eulogies, late Prof Nwabueze’s son, Eni Nwabueze said his family is comforted by the outpour of tributes on the deceased.
“I am grateful to the Lagos State Judiciary for the honour done to my late father. My family takes comfort in the heartfelt outpour of tributes here today. We are grateful,” he said.
Other members of the legal circle who attended the event include judges of the State High Court, members of the Body of Benchers and Body of Senior Advocates, lawyers and members of late Prof Nwabueze’s family.
