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MOHAMMED LAWAL UWAIS, A JUDGE OF IMPECCABLE INTEGRITY

CapitalTimesNews / 7 days
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7 min read

By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu When he opened the All Nigerian Judges Conference in February 2003, then Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Mohammed Lawal Uwais, who died on 6 June 2025, six days short of his 89th birthday, lamented the fact that State Chief Judges in Nigeria “go begging for funds from their governors”; a practice pioneered by the military. It was part of a wider complaint about the historical legacies of judicial corrosion inherited from military rule. It also reflected the values of a man for whom judicial integrity was a way of life, and an independent judiciary was a constitutional mandate of the highest salience. In 1976, Mohammed Lawal Uwais secured a loan from the Nigerian Building Society to enable him to build a modest home in Kaduna for his mother, Hajiya Hajara. At that point, Uwais had worked as a judge of the High Court for over four years, including a stint as Acting Chief Justice of the North Central (later Kaduna) State. Yet he had only one bank account with Union Bank. Nearly thirty years later, entering his tenth year as Chief Justice of Nigeria, Uwais’ office as CJN suffered what looked like a mysterious burglary. The Chambers of the Chief Justice is supposed to be a sanctuary inside the Supreme Court of Nigeria where the CJN presides over the judicial shrine. It ought to be one of the most protected spaces in the country. The idea of a burglary in that office is so ordinarily implausible as to make the provenance of such an act easily predictable. The burglary coincided rather conveniently with a period of intense judicialization of the political antipathy between then vice-president, Atiku Abubakar, and his principal, Olusegun Obasanjo, over the latter’s attempt to succeed himself by lifting constitutional term limits that he had sworn to preserve and protect. That political conflict spawned a succession of high-profile cases which ended up at the Supreme Court, resulting in decisions that constrained the caprice of the president. Entirely characteristic of CJN Uwais, the court in case after case, handed President Obasanjo a judicial shellacking with neither flash nor flourish. It later turned out that the convenient burglar appeared to have been desperate to find non-existent material to dent the record of an uncompromising CJN and probably afflict him with indelible ignominy. Instead, all they could find were records indicating that the man had maintained the same bank account for over four decades and with impeccable integrity. Few would have predicted this turn of events in the relationship between Uwais and the man who preferred him to the Supreme Court as a sprightly 43-year-old in August 1979. On 11 August 1979, the country had voted in a contentious presidential ballot in preparation for the return to civil rule after 13 years and nine months of bloody military rule. Five days later, on 16 August, the Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO) announced Shehu Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) the winner. On 15 August, army general and departing military ruler Olusegun Obasanjo appointed two new Supreme Court justices. One was a Pharmacist-turned-lawyer and Attorney-General of the Federation, Augustine Nnamani. The other was Mohammed Uwais, something of a judicial prodigy. The following week, Obasanjo also appointed a new CJN, Atanda Fatayi Williams, to oversee the adjudication of the dispute over the 1979 election. As Attorney-General of the Federation, Nnamani had authored the Electoral Act at the centre of the presidential election dispute. That precluded him from sitting on the dispute and catapulted Uwais onto the bench that would ultimately decide the destination of the presidency in 1979. For Uwais, this guaranteed that his Supreme Court career would begin at the very deep end. It was a new high in a career that was destined for the very top. He had the good fortune of being born in Zaria, home to some of the most elite schools in the country. The son of a railway worker from Zaria, Abdullahi Uwaisu and his wife, Hajara, Mohammed Lawal Uwais was bereaved of his biological father at the age of six in December 1942. When his mother remarried two years later to a headteacher, Mohammed Jumare, Mohammed Uwais acquired a stepfather who inspired his educational pursuits under the watchful eyes of a doting mother. His high school education was at the elite Barewa College, where he was junior to Yakubu Gowon and in the same class and good friends with Gowon’s nemesis, Murtala Mohammed. A graduate of the Institute of Administration at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Uwais did his vocational legal training at the Inns of Court in London before becoming part of the pioneer set of lawyers graduated by the Nigerian Law School in 1963. After his admission to the Nigerian Bar, Uwais returned to his civil service career, this time in the Ministry of Justice, first in the Northern Region, and then in the North Central (later Kaduna) State. Mohammed Bello, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) under whom he worked as State Counsel, became his colleague at the Supreme Court and immediate predecessor in the office of CJN. In the Ministry of Justice of the North Central State, Uwais became Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary in 1971. The following year, under the government of his high school senior, Yakubu Gowon, Uwais was appointed Acting Judge of the High Court of the North Eastern State. He was only 36. In 1975, when his high school mate, Murtala Mohammed, emerged as military ruler after overthrowing Gowon, Uwais was offered the office of Chief Justice of the North Central State but turned it down in favour of a more senior serving expatriate judge, A.W.E. Wheeler. When the military established the Court of Appeal the following year, Wheeler preferred him from Kaduna State to the bench of the new court at 40. When Uwais got to the Supreme Court three years later, he was only 43. He went on to serve as Justice of the Supreme Court for 27 years, setting a

THE LEGAL PROFESSION: UPHOLDING DIGNITY AND RESPECT FOR THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF JUDGE

CapitalTimesNews / 5 months
0
5 min read

By. Pelumi Olajengbesi Esq. The legal profession is rightly celebrated as the mother of all professions, a noble vocation that demands not only profound intellectual engagement but also a steadfast commitment to decorum, exemplary character, and noble conduct. The mantra instilled in us during our formative years in law school—“fit and proper”—serves as a perennial reminder of the standards we are sworn to uphold. As legal practitioners, we are not merely advocates; we are the custodians of justice, the stewards of integrity, and the torchbearers of the rule of law. Judges, particularly the Chief Judge of a state, occupy a position of unparalleled importance in this judicial ecosystem, serving not only as administrative and judicial leaders but also as symbols of impartiality, wisdom, and fairness. There is, however, a delicate boundary between constructive critique and baseless disparagement. It is imperative to recognize that unwarranted attacks on judicial figures, especially those in high-ranking positions, not only demean the individual but also risk undermining public confidence in the judiciary as an institution. Recently, in Akure, the capital of Ondo State, the Chief Judge dutifully fulfilled his statutory responsibilities amidst the ongoing electoral processes and formation of Local Government Councils. Acting upon a formal notification from the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC), the Chief Judge constituted and administered the oath of office to the Chairman and members of the Local Government Election Petition Tribunal. This act, which exemplified both judicial propriety and patriotic commitment, was regrettably met with unwarranted criticism. One Adebayo Solagbade, Esq., a counsel whose employment status remains somewhat unclear, sought to trivialize the Chief Judge’s statutory role by invoking an outdated and repealed 21-year-old law that had been duly amended. This attempt, driven by either ignorance or an ill-conceived agenda, not only reflected a lack of legal depth but also betrayed a troubling disregard for professional courtesy and respect. What is most disheartening and worrisome is the brazenness with which this counsel approached the matter. For how long will we continue to condone intellectual rascality under the guise of public advocacy? How do we justify actions that seek to belittle the statutory and patriotic duties of a Chief Judge, reducing them to the subject of public ridicule? Despite the clear and detailed clarifications provided by the Attorney General of Ondo State and Mrs. Ajanaku, Esq., the Chief Registrar of the High Court, aimed at dispelling misinformation and fostering public trust, the lawyer remained obstinate in his erroneous assertions. His insistence that every legislative amendment must undergo public hearings revealed a profound misunderstanding of legislative processes, particularly in instances where the amendments addresses narrow or technical issues of law. As a senior legal practitioner in Ondo State and a proud member of the global legal community, I find these developments deeply troubling. My investigation revealed that the law cited by the junior counsel had been duly amended and the new amendment was signed into law by the Governor of Ondo State last year. This fact would have been readily apparent had the counsel exercised due diligence by conducting proper research or seek clarification from appropriate authorities such as the High Court or the Ministry of Justice. Such an inquiry could have been as simple as submitting a formal letter of inquiry to the relevant office. It would have been a different matter entirely if his requests had been ignored, but that was not the case here. This incident raises an important question: how should lawyers engage in the critique of judicial figures, particularly those in positions as revered as that of a Chief Judge? The answer lies in a steadfast commitment to truth, thorough research, and objective analysis. The more we desecrate the sanctity of the bench, the more we erode the public’s trust in the judiciary. Recklessly disseminating unfounded accusations, particularly on public platforms like social media, not only tarnishes the individual targeted but also brings disrepute to the legal profession as a whole. This conduct constitutes a blatant affront to the sanctity of our profession and must not be allowed to fester. In my considered opinion, if the counsel in question reconsiders his position, the most honorable course of action would be to tender a public apology to the Chief Judge and the Nigerian Bar Association at large. Such a gesture would not only be appropriate but also necessary for restoring the dignity of the profession. Should he fail to issue such an apology, the Attorney General of Ondo State, as the leader of the bar in the state, should initiate a formal complaint against the erring lawyer. Additionally, the local branch of the Nigerian Bar Association must act decisively to uphold the profession’s ethical standards. Should these measures prove inadequate, I am prepared to escalate the matter by filing a petition with the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) to address this act of infamous conduct. Preserving sanity, decorum, and respect within the legal profession is not a mere aspiration; it is an absolute necessity. As lawyers, we hold a privileged position in society, and with that privilege comes the responsibility to uphold the dignity and sanctity of our judicial institutions. Baseless attacks on judicial figures, especially those occupying esteemed offices like the Chief Judge, cause irreparable damage to public trust in our justice system. It is incumbent upon us to foster a culture of respect, integrity, and constructive engagement. By doing so, we not only honor the core values of the legal profession but also contribute to strengthening the pillars of justice and fairness in our society. Let us rise above pettiness and embrace our roles as paragons of professionalism, ensuring that our actions consistently reflect the noble ideals that define our esteemed vocation. Pelumi Olajengbesi is a Legal Practitioner and Managing Partner at Law Corridor.

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