Sustaining Legacies of Ex-CJN, Late Justice Mohammed Uwais

The judiciary including legal practitioners would do well to sustain the legacies of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, late Justice Mohammed LawalUwais beyond naming roads, buildings after him, writes Alex Enumah.

Having spent nearly four decades on the bench; 27 years of which was on the apex court in Nigeria’s judiciary and 11 years as the number one judge in the land, no doubt it can be said that, Justice Mohammed LawalUwais, “came, saw and conquered”.

Besides holding the title of the longest serving Justice on the bench of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, as well as the second longest serving CJN, Justice Uwais left his imprint on the democratic and judicial sands of times, which would be remembered for a very long time.

Besides, his legacies should not just be sustained by both the bar and bench but, should serve as a compass in the pursuit of justice particularly in a time like this when the credibility and regard for the judiciary is daily fading away.

Born on June 12, 1936, the late Justice Uwais consciously and unconsciously toe the part of destiny and calling, not just into the legal profession but on that enviable office of a representative of the Almighty God in the dispensation of justice. This role as simple as it may seem is not an all comers affairs or that of any law graduate who has been called to the Nigerian Bar. It is an understatement to say that the call to the bench is a special calling only for men with integrity, a deep sense of justice, courage, fearless, fairness irrespective of who is involved and ability to speak truth to power.

While no man can be perfect except the Almighty God, Justice Uwais to the best of his ability through his conduct and judgments delivered to a larger extent reflected the high standards of the calling of a Justice of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The late CJN was called to the Bar by the Middle Temple, London, in 1963 after graduating from the University of London. Justice Uwais served as a State Counsel and Senior State Counsel (1966-1970), before his appointment as a Judge of the High Court, and later Chief Judge, of Kaduna State (1973-1976). In 1977, he was appointed a Justice of the Court of Appeal, and in 1979 as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. In 1995, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairman of the National Judicial Council.

Justice Uwais had served as Chairman, Nigerian Body of Benchers (1993-1994), and as Chairman, Board of Governors of the National Judicial Institute of Nigeria (1995- 2006). He also chaired various panels including the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Awards of Contracts by the Military Government of North Central State (1976); the Jimeta Disturbances Tribunal, Gongola State of Nigeria (1984); and a Commonwealth Member of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the deaths of senior army personnel, Sri Lanka (1993).

He was the Honorary President of the World Jurist Association, Washington D.C; Honorary Fellow of the Society for Advanced Legal Studies, London; and a Member of the Board of Trustees, Global Legal Information Network Foundation (GLIN), Washington D.C. He was Chairman of the Nigerian Electoral Reform Committee (2007-2008); and was appointed Chancellor of Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina, Katsina State in 2011.

These and so many of his successes were reeled out on June 6, 2025 and has continued since the news of his death broke out. A lot of people see him as a jurist who served Nigeria with distinction, using his exalted office of CJN to preach unity, just as he delivered justice to those deserving and promoted integrity on the bench.

Former Vice-President, Professor YemiOsinbajo, in a tribute observed that late Justice Uwais solidified the current democratic dispensation through some of his landmark judgments especially in electoral and constitutional matters.

According to the former VP, the Uwais-led judiciary resolved “far-reaching constitutional questions that demanded intellectual clarity and institutional courage”, adding that, “Justice Uwais rose to that moment with principled resolve. Without drama or personal posturing, he insisted that the Constitution–not political convenience—must always prevail”.

Among the cases Osinbajo referenced was that of the AG Ondo State v. AG Federation (2002), where the court was called upon to resolve whether State governments could lawfully sue the Federal Government over constitutional disputes.

“When Lagos State challenged federal authority over urban development and physical planning, the question that arose was who truly controls land use and planning within a State’s territory, especially where federal lands are involved?

“In AG Lagos State v. AG Federation (2003), the Uwais-led Court held that the State government retains exclusive legislative and executive authority over urban and regional planning, even in respect of federal land located within its boundaries.

“The federal government, the Court ruled, must obtain necessary development permits from the state in accordance with its planning laws — an important assertion of territorial autonomy.

“The boundaries of fiscal federalism were tested on the issue of ownership of oil revenues derived from offshore wells.

In AG Federation v. AG Abia State (No. 2) (2002), the Court determined that offshore natural resources — particularly those beyond the 200 nautical-mile limit, belonged not to the littoral states but to the Federation as a whole.

“This decision placed constitutional boundaries on resource control claims while paving the way for the derivation formula to be refined in subsequent fiscal arrangements”.

It was Osinbajo’s submission that Uwais left an enduring and transformative legacy in the judicial and democratic spheres of Nigeria. He concluded that the judgments delivered by the Uwais court will “continue to shape Nigeria’s democratic journey and will remain beacons of principled adjudication for generations to come”.

He added that, “He will be remembered not only as the longest-serving Justice of the Supreme Court, but as one who laid critical foundational stones in the evolving legal architecture of a true federal republic.”

Similarly, current CJN, Justice KudiratKekere-Ekun in a statement described the late Mohammed Uwais as a towering figure in Nigeria’s legal and judicial history, and an erudite jurist, visionary reformer, and statesman whose contributions to the development of constitutional law, judicial independence, and democratic governance will forever remain etched in the annals of our national life.

According to her, the late CJN distinguished himself by his unwavering commitment to justice, courage in the defence of the rule of law, and the clarity and scholarship of his judgments. “His post-retirement service, including chairing the Electoral Reform Committee, further affirmed his deep love for country and passion for institutional integrity”, she added.

While extending her heartfelt condolences to the Uwais family, the Nigerian judiciary, and the nation at large, Justice Kekere-Ekun remarked that the life and legacy of the longest serving Supreme Court Justice will continue to inspire generations of judges, lawyers, and public servants.

To Professor Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Uwais was not just a judge, “He was the Judge; a Judge’s Judge”. Ozekhome claimed that Justice Uwais as a CJN came drumming a new rhythm into the judiciary. “Law was not for theatrics. Law to him, was a sacred text, precise, divine, unyielding. A thing to be revered, not wielded like a cudgel. He did not just apply laws. He understood their soul.

“Calm with penetrating eyes and sharp wit, Uwais was a pleasure to appear before at the apex court. And I did so many times. He would never harass nor talk down on a counsel, not even junior ones. His humility and respect for the Bar were legendary.

There was a certain meticulousness to his rulings, an almost surgical devotion to jurisprudence. He would dance between the lines of legislation, looking out for justice, with a clarity and erudition that reminded one of sunlight on steel. And he had the rare gift of seeing the implications, not just the letter, but the heartbeat of the law. With him, a lawyer could easily know the outcome of his case based on available precedents”, Ozekhome said.

Like most observers, Ozekhome pointed out that Uwais would forever be remembered for the courageous reforms his committee introduced in 2007, when he chaired the Presidential Committee on Electoral Reforms. According to the senior lawyer, Nigeria’s democracy was hemorrhaging. “Elections that brought in Yar’Adua as president had been marred by fraud, violence and brazen manipulation. And like the prophet who warns his people not out of anger but out of love, the now late Justice Uwais stepped forward and accepted the challenge. The committee’s recommendations were not timid revisions. They were seismic. Audacious. Brave. Revolutionary.They proposed unbundling of INEC and to emerge from its stable, three brand-new commissions to handle Electoral Offences, Constituency Delimitation, and Political Party Registration.

“These were responsibilities hitherto buried within INEC, that sacred cow of electoral hopes, but which has serially dashed Nigeria’s hopes.The boldest recommendation perhaps? That the head of INEC should no longer be appointed by the President, but by the Judiciary. It was a direct shot at the veins of partisanship, to remove it from Executive control of the president. Unsurprisingly, the corridors of power shuddered. The result? Yar’Adua rejected it. Others danced around it. But Justice Uwais stood his ground, steady as a Baobab tree”, Ozekhome recalled.

The senior lawyer also recalled how Uwais in 2002, expanded the political space by giving a judgment which allowed the registration of new political parties, an act that electrified democratic possibilities.

Similarly, another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebun-OluAdegboruwa, described Uwais as a “CJN with touch of distinction”, who leveraged on his exalted office to preach unity, deliver justice to those deserving and to promote integrity on the Bench.

“My Lord rose from his humble background in Zaria to join the highest court of the land with an unblemished record of diligence in service. As the longest serving jurist in the Supreme Court, My Lord deployed his wealth of experience to unite the Bench and Bar, rising ultimately to the peak of his career as  one of the longest serving Chief Justices of Nigeria from 1995 to 2006.

 “His sojourn in the court was characterized by excellence, delivering landmark judgments and making worthy contributions to the judgments of others”, he said.

Adegboruwa added that the defining moment of the late Uwais positive impact upon the nation was when he turned in the report for electoral reforms which contained fundamental ideas for sanitizing the political space.

“The best way to honour this great jurist is for President Bola Tinubu to revisit the Uwais Panel Report for the reform of INEC and to implement the reforms contained in the said report”, Adegboruwa urged the president.

Indeed, this would be the best legacy to bequeath Uwais, so that his efforts towards ensuring only credible leaders are in charge of running the affairs of Nigeria are not in vain.