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From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has paid glowing tribute to the late Justice Augustine Nnamani, describing him as “an intellectual giant and a philosophy in robes” whose legacy continues to define justice and scholarship in Nigeria. Mbah spoke on Friday in Enugu at the public presentation of a book in recognition of the late Supreme Court Justice, titled ‘Essays in honour of an oracle at the pinnacle of justice’.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s judicial history, the governor noted that the period between the 1970s and 1980s is often regarded as the golden age of the Supreme Court, when the judiciary earned the trust of the people despite the pressures of military rule.
“So when people pine for that glorious era, it is not a mere idolising of a ‘good old days,’” Mbah said. “It is essentially because the judiciary captured the public’s imagination – neither cowering to authority nor pandering to populism. Justice Augustine Nnamani was a member of that eminent body of jurists whose brilliance defined that judiciary heyday.”
He commended Renaissance Law Publications Ltd and the editorial board for what he described as their “painstaking diligence and insight” in producing the collection. He also lauded the editor, Prof. Gab Agu Gab, for his “thorough editing in the collection of essays.”
Mbah said it was particularly fitting that the book presentation was coming just a day after the successful annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association in Enugu, where Justice Nnamani’s early ideas and worldview were shaped.
According to him, the 22 essays contained in the book go beyond eulogising Nnamani’s life and times. “They are also a refreshing window into some defining national policies that had his imprints,” he said, citing the establishment of the Legal Aid Council, the declaration of assets by public officers, and the Land Use Decree of 1978 during Nnamani’s tenure as Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
On the enduring value of the essays, Mbah said: “The 22 essays constitute important historical and legal stories, lending perspectives to an asset of jurisprudence that illuminates our understanding to budding law students and cultural veterans alike. So we have gathered here not just to unveil essays but to celebrate a supreme legacy.”
He stressed that Nnamani’s judgments were not only brilliant but also infused with humanity. “When we speak of Justice Nnamani, we speak of excellence without compromise; we speak of brilliance harnessed for the common good; we speak of courage in the service of justice. Justice Nnamani understood something that speaks to us even today – that the purpose of law is not to exist in abstraction but in an environment where people can flourish,” Mbah declared. The guest lecturer at the event was constitutional lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome, who was also warmly welcomed by the governor.
