“I regrettosay it is a cankerworm this country mustbe rid of. Itseemsto pervade all the society and it is worldwide, even inso-called developed nations. Corruption is based onsome circumstances inthe lifeof some people. These include early deprivation in life and with anopportunityto acquire material things, any means justifiesthe end. It is alsobased on greed and above all, on lack of patriotism. Some are corruptbecausethey haveno fear of God; for every acquisitionbased oncorruption, the generalityof the people will lose something” Providence made my path and that of Former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Honourable Justice Salihu Modibbo Alfa Belgore (GCON) cross each other 36 years ago, during my Students’ Union days at the then University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University. I appeared before him as a witness, during the Judicial Commission of Enquiry into the Students’ Disturbances set up by the then President Shehu Shagari. I recall vividly while giving my testimony as Secretary-General of the Union, when I refused to answer a question from one of the counsel. Justice Belgore merely smiled and overlooked my action, which was contemptuous. It was also during the enquiry, that I also met the incoming Governor of Ondo State Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN). He (Akeredolu) was just three years old at the Bar at that time. He was a counsel to one of the parties at the tribunal. Both of us later served as National Officers, under the aegis of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). He was the President and I was the National Assistant Publicity Secretary (2008- 2010). As a judicial reporter till I left as Judicial Editor of The Guardian Newspaper, I followed the work of Justice Belgore on the bench, but I had another opportunity between 2005 and 2006 to study him more at close quarters, when I served as a member of the National Committee on the Reform of the Law of Evidence, of which he was the Chairman. During our meetings, he demonstrated a deep knowledge of Nigerian history, culture and languages. As a student of history, I benefitted a lot from his prodigious knowledge and wisdom. The highpoint of my relationship with Justice Belgore was on Wednesday, January 17, 2007, the day he bowed out of the Judiciary having put in 42 years of meritorious services, six months of which he served as the CJN. (I will come to this later). On his imprints on the judicial landscape, a Newsletter of Olisa Agbakoba & Associates in one of its editions with the title – ‘Tribute to a Judicial Icon’ described him as “a unique nationalistic Nigerian with a radical posture to justice and rule of law, simple, yet very strict”. Justice Belgore’s six months tenure as CJN, which former Supreme Court Justice late Kayode Eso described as “it’s not always how long, but how well” was echoed by Agbakoba, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) at that time, who described him as “an agent of change. His tenure, though very short, had remarkable contributions”. Belgore’s achievements, according to Agbakoba are on: Impeachment Procedure Rules, increased conferees of the Silk Robe Procedure Rules, Vitality into National Judicial Council (NJC) Procedure Rules: Discipline of erring Judges, landmark decisions of Supreme Court; Justice Sector Reforms, which include Simplification of the Rules of Court and Unification of the Criminal Justice Administration and the Rules of Evidence for which he was appointed as the Chairman of the National Working Committee for the Amendment of the Evidence Act.” Now to the event of January 17, 2007. It will not be out of place to recall the honour accorded Justice Belgore on that day by his colleagues on the Bench, his large families in Ilorin and Kebbi State; his friends, royal fathers, governors, lawyers, and the press which gathered inside the imposing Supreme Court complex in Abuja to “give honour to whom honour is due”. The first to open encomiums on Justice Belgore was the then Attorney- General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo, SAN, followed by Agbakoba and others. To Ojo…. “After six months on the saddle at the Supreme Court, Justice Belgore has confounded many observers of the highest court. He has demonstrated that the brevity of time needs not to be a barrier to a man of focus, dynamism and determination. ‘’Today’s happy event of his retirement as CJN marks the height of a very momentous period in the annals of the nation’s judicial evolution. Probably, only a few would deny that Justice Belgore’s tenure as CJN has gone into history as one of the most memorable chapters in the chequered history of the nation’s judicial development.” Agbakoba described Belgore as a unique and nationalistic Nigerian, with a radical posture to justice and the rule of law, simple and yet very strict. On his impact on the judiciary, Agbakoba said, “The gale of impeachments would have derailed our democratic system with obvious implication. “Let it be noted that the apex court under the leadership of Belgore rose to the challenges of saving Nigeria from the brink of constitutional crisis, which would have paved the way for anarchy. The crises in Anambra, Plateau, Oyo and Ekiti would have continued to other states unabated, were it not for the judicial intervention under the regime of the retiring CJN.” In his valedictory speech, Justice Belgore recalled his birth, and formative years with emotion, especially the role of his father, Mallam Yusuf Bello, and the supportive role of his wife, Fatimah now late. He spoke on national issues like corruption, NBA and the press. On corruption, he said, “I regret to say it is a cankerworm this country must be rid of. It seems to pervade all the society and it is worldwide, even in so-called developed nations. Corruption is based on some circumstances in the life of some people. These include early deprivation in life and with an opportunity to acquire material things, any means justifies the end. It is also based on greed and above all, on lack of patriotism. Some are corrupt because they have no fear of God; for every acquisition based on corruption, the generality of the people will lose something. “But corruption in the judiciary is not based on acquisition of wealth only. Judicial officer adjudication not according to the law, but on ethnic or other consideration, like religion, is guilty of corruption. A judicial officer faced with the option of discretion but chooses to exercise that discretion not judiciously, is corrupt. “On my taking offices seven months ago (June 2006)”, he continued, “I took a dedicated assessment of the NBA. This is a body backed by the law. Must it be impecunious to run its affairs and unite the profession? I have, with the consent of the Bar, initiated a new method of collecting the practicing fees from legal practitioners. The new measure, I am glad to say, has opened gold mines to the Bar Association. It has not removed the custody of fees from Chief Registrar of Supreme Court, but it has obviated possible fraud and default by practitioners. I am proud of the Nigerian Bar. It is one body, united in the cause of justice and democracy”. Calling on politicians to respect the Constitution, Justice Belgore at his valedictory also said: “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is our Supreme law, the fountain of all our laws. It must not be treated by politicians with disdain; otherwise they may be breaking their Oath of office and Oath of Allegiance. The constitution is young but must be treated as our most sacred document. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the constitution if the operators manifest loyally to the nation”. The media was not left out for commendation, saying: “I am grateful to the Nigerian press, that watchdog of democracy- The vibrant Nigerian press is a pride to the nation and the Black Race. Even if what they write is misconceived and this is very uncommon, the Nigerian press provokes democratic reaction that is good for the nation”. At the instance of a Lagos lawyer and publisher, Chief Fassy Adetokunbo Olore Yusuf, now a doctorate degree holder in Mass Communication, eminent Nigerians gathered in Abuja in 2009 to mark Justice Belgore’s 72nd birthday anniversary. Two books – ‘Issues in Justice Administration in Nigeria: Essays in Honour of Hon. Justice S.M.A. Belgore’ (176 pages) and ‘Alfa Jeje’ – the Biography of Hon. Justice S.M.A. Belgore both edited by Yusuf, were presented to the public. Notable Nigerians from all walks of life contributed to the book. The list includes former Head of State, General (Dr) Yakubu Gowon, former Head, Interim Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan, former Vice- President, Atiku Abubakar, Justice Eso, pioneer Chairman Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Justice M.M.A Akanbi, first female Chairman Body of Benchers, Mrs Hairat Balogun, and former NBA President, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN. The list also includes my humble self and Ms Funke Aboyade, now a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, among others. Before Yusuf’s book, Chief Nkereuwen Udofia Akpan in 2004, authored a 575 page book – “Salihu Modibbo Alfa Belgore; A Twenty First Century Realist”, where Belgore recalled his first meeting with the Chief Justice of Lagos (as the nomenclature was then), Justice John Idowu Conrad Taylor in November, 1972. Belgore was recorded on page 83 to have said this of Taylor: “He was a very kind and friendly person despite the onerous burden of work. He plugged in the kettle for tea and served me… This humility was very rare among some of his contemporaries”. In 2001, a book- “A Judicial Path. Biography of Honourable Justice SMA Belgore”, written by the pioneer Director of the Institute of Education, University of Abuja, Dr. Hauwa Imam, hit the nation’s shelves. The 328 page book, according to Eso who wrote the foreword, noted that it “is a biography with a difference. The life of a great judge happily married with children told in a simple, but powerful prose by a master story teller”. Justice Eso added that, “As I have stated earlier, the last six years of Justice Belgore became very memorable. He was Chief Justice for six months and during that short period, he made an indelible mark on the profession, as one of the greatest Chief Justices, the country ever produced. Quick dispensation of Justice, which was an outlaw to Nigerian jurisprudence, was brought to shame during the tenure of our subject”. I join others, his immediate and extended families, and the judicial community, to wish my Lord who is 80 years old today, a very Happy Birthday. Gbolahan Gbadamosi, Legal Practitioner, Immediate Past National Publicity Secretary of the NBA. ]]>