From Godwin Tsa Abuja
Former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais has passed away at the age of 89, bringing to a close a judicial career that spanned over four decades.
Justice Uwais was the nation’s Chief Justice from 1995 to 2006. He died on June 6, 2025.
His death was confirmed on Friday morning by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Ondo State, Dr. Kayode Ajulo SAN. Already, preparations are said to be underway for a funeral prayer and his interment.
During his tenure, he was widely regarded for his commitment to judicial integrity and reform.
Born on June 12, 1936, in Zaria, Kaduna State, he began his education at the Native Authority Elementary School in Kaduna and later attended Barewa College, completing his secondary education in 1957.
In 1959, he joined the civil service as a Publicity Assistant in the Ministry of Information, Kaduna. He later served as Editor of the Law Reports of the Northern States of Nigeria from 1974 to 1978. He studied at the Institute of Administration, Ahmadu Bello University, and was called to the Nigerian Bar on January 17, 1964.
Following his call to the Bar, in the early days of his legal career, Uwais worked at the Ministry of Justice of Northern Nigeria as a Pupil State Counsel. By 1971, he had become Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the North-Central State. In 1973, he was appointed as Acting Judge of the High Court of the North Eastern States and became a substantive judge in 1974. He briefly served as Acting Chief Judge of Kaduna State in 1976 before being appointed to the Federal Court of Appeal on January 1, 1977.
In 1979, he was elevated to the Supreme Court, where he served for 27 years.
During his days on the bench, Uwais was involved in several landmark cases, including A-G Federation vs. A-G Abia State (2001), INEC vs. Musa (2002), and Fawehinmi vs. I.G.P. (2002). After his retirement, he chaired the Presidential Electoral Reform Committee in 2007, inaugurated by late President Musa Yar’Adua, which produced the “Uwais Report.”
The report recommended significant changes to Nigeria’s electoral system, including the establishment of an independent electoral offences commission and reforms to the appointment process of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission. His wife, Mrs. Maryam Uwais, a lawyer, served in the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari as Special Adviser and Coordinator of the Social Investment Programmes.