Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah and prominent human rights lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), have paid glowing tributes to the late Justice Augustine Nnamani, describing him as “an intellectual giant and a philosophy in robes” whose legacy continues to shape Nigeria’s legal and governance landscape.
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The tributes came on Friday in Enugu during the public presentation of a book in honour of the late Supreme Court Justice, titled Essays in Honour of an Oracle at the Pinnacle of Justice.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s judicial history, Governor Mbah noted that the 1970s and 1980s represented the golden era of the Supreme Court, a period when the judiciary earned the trust of the public despite the pressures of military rule. “Justice Augustine Nnamani was a member of that eminent body of jurists whose brilliance defined that judiciary heyday,” he said.
Mbah commended Renaissance Law Publications Ltd and the editorial board for producing the 22-essay collection, and praised the editor, Prof. Gab Agu Gab, for his meticulous work. He highlighted that the essays go beyond eulogising Nnamani, providing insight into defining national policies shaped during his tenure as Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, including the establishment of the Legal Aid Council, public officers’ asset declarations, and the Land Use Decree of 1978.
“The essays constitute important historical and legal stories, lending perspectives to budding law students and cultural veterans alike,” Mbah said. He further emphasized that Nnamani’s judgments combined brilliance with humanity, stating, “Justice Nnamani understood that the purpose of law is not to exist in abstraction but in an environment where people can flourish.”
Chief Mike Ozekhome described Nnamani as one of the brightest stars in Nigeria’s legal firmament, praising his exceptional service on the Supreme Court and his contributions to governance. “He was going to become the next Chief Justice, just about two years before death snatched him from us. His performance at the Supreme Court was second to none,” Ozekhome said.
He also lauded Nnamani for pioneering the Land Use Act of 1978, which centralized land ownership under state governments to ensure equitable access. “Before then, land was treated by local chiefs and royals as their fiefdoms. Nnamani’s legislation made land available to everybody,” Ozekhome explained.
Prof. Agu Gab Agu highlighted that Nnamani was the first Senior Advocate of Nigeria from his region and one of only two individuals in Nigeria’s history to ascend directly from the Bar to the Supreme Court, bypassing the High Court and Court of Appeal.
Onyemuche Nnamani, Secretary of the Police Service Commission, described the late jurist as “an oracle of the bench whose legacy was justice itself.”
The event, coming a day after the Nigerian Bar Association’s annual conference in Enugu, was attended by legal luminaries who celebrated Nnamani’s enduring influence on jurisprudence and national development.
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