On Tuesday, Nigeria’s Chief Justice Olukayode Ariwoola eulogized the late Justice of the Supreme Court Chima Centus Nweze for his dedication to the enthronement of rule through the provision of quality justice.
On Saturday, July 29, 2023, at the age of 64, Justice Nwexe passed away.
According to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the late judge “was one of those cerebrally mobile judicial officers in our contemporary history who had latched on our memory an enviable degree of intellectual eminence and legal finesse that encompassed all spheres of philosophy and methodical reasoning.”
The Chief Justice of Nigeria spoke at a valedictory court session held in Abuja in honor of the late Nweze, noting that despite his seemingly humble appearance, the late Justice was extremely strict and consciously principled in disposition.
There was never a dull moment with him around. My Lord, like many great men, was a man of paradoxes: He was humble without being a pushover, and he carried himself with the utmost elegance and refinement, yet he had an uncanny knack for connecting with even the most marginalized members of society.
He remarked that the late Justice Nweze’s entire life lacked the hypocrisy, excessive pride, and elitism that some individuals display once they achieve success and wealth.
He praised Justice Nweze, saying that while he was a fierce champion for the causes in which he believed, he was also a skilled mediator and peacemaker.
Born on September 25, 1958 in Obollo, Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State, Justice Nweze attended University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus (UNEC) from 1979 to 1983, where he earned a Juris Doctorate.
On February 15, 2008, in response to Justice Nweze’s dedication to duty and enormous adjudicatory prowess, he was elevated to the Court of Appeal Bench, where he remained until his well-deserved promotion to the Supreme Court Bench on October 29, 2014.
Immense scholarship and unusual jurisprudential candor were on display from Hon. Justice Nweze in the Supreme Court, my Lord. His opinions were always infused with an air of scholarly authority. His judicial rulings had the energy and vitality of crashing waves.
His rulings covered a wide range of topics, providing us with plenty to think on as judges, attorneys, and regular people who want to live in a just, peaceful, and equitable society.
His scholarly achievements have helped to clarify the practice of law by instilling a sense of certainty in the minds of lawyers, law students, and the general public. The CJN noted that “his astuteness and eloquence in the courtroom, coupled with the seamless application of legal wisdom to every matter, made him an enigma of sorts.”
Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), Nigeria’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, recently gave a speech in which he lamented the Supreme Court’s backlog of cases.
The AGF, who was represented by Nigeria’s Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Beatrice Jeddy-Agba, said that Nigeria’s Supreme Court is among the busiest in the world.
The late Justice Nweze, he added, made significant contributions to the improvement of the country’s judicial system, and his life will continue to serve as an example to others.
During his time on the Supreme Court Bench, the late Nweze distinguished himself, according to Damion Dodo (SAN), who represented the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN).
The late Nweze made “significant contributions to the growth of our jurisprudence,” as President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Yakubu Maikyau (SAN) stated in his remarks.
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