A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof Mike Ozekhome, Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State and former President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, have eulogised late Supreme Court Justice Augustine Nnamani.
They hailed Nnamani’s vision, contributions and legacies toward the development of law the profession in the country through his landmark judgements and laying of foundations for Land Use Act in Nigeria.
The trio and others celebrated Nnamani during the Presentation of Essay in his honour, organised by the Renaissance Law Publications led by Prof. Gab Agu, on Friday in Enugu.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nnamani was a former Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria appointed on August 15, 1979 and died in 1990.
Ozekhome, a guest speaker at the event, said Nnamani’s vision of justice was always deliberate, thoughtful, and anchored in principle.
According to him, Nnamani was a reminder that the law must serve the people, and not entrap them and one name that should be engraved into the granite of legal history and not buried beneath its footnotes.
“His judgments should be studied not just for their outcomes, but for the discipline, clarity, erudition and foresight they embodied.
“And his legacy should be honoured not merely in ceremony, but in how we train lawyers, appoint judges, and build a legal culture that prizes integrity over expediency.
“In the final analysis, Justice Nnamani stands as one of those rare figures whose life proves that the law is not merely a profession, but a vocation of destiny.
“His path was not the ordinary path, and that is precisely why it commands such reverence,” he said.
He explained that Nnamani was elevated directly from the office of Attorney-General to the hallowed chambers of the Supreme Court — a unique history he shared with the late Justice Taslim Elias (Rtd, CJN).
Ozekhome added that Nnamani’s judgments carried the fire of scholarship and the fragrance of wisdom, revealing that he wrote not only to decide, but to instruct; to resolve and to inspire as well as his legacy not be confined to the dusty pages of law reports
In a remark, Gov. Mbah hailed Nnamani’s brilliance, saying the essay was a refreshing window into some defining national policies that had Nnamani’s imprints.
“Justice Nnamani was not merely a jurist. He was a philosopher, a steward of justice.
“The 22 essays constitute an important historical and legal trope, each lending perspective to an aspect of his students’ daily life.
“They illuminate our understanding, the boarding law student and courtroom veterans alike,” Mbah said.
Commending the organisers, the governor, said, “From his humble beginnings here in Enugu to the rare heights, Nnamani attained in the legal profession.
“His story is a lesson of discipline, resilience and purposeful leadership”.
On his part, Nwobodo who was the Chairman of the event, extolled the relationship between Nnamani’s family and his, stressing that Nnamani was intellectually gifted.
He regretted how he and others could not revive Nnamani when he slumped during his father’s burial.
A former member representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Sen. Dino Melaye, urged Nigerians to live a life they would be remembered and celebrated when they were no more.
Reviewing the book, a Professor of Law, Gozie Ogbodo, said the book contained 657 pages, 22 chapters with 22 contributors.
Earlier, Gab Agu said the Renaissance Law Publications Limited resolved to help in the development of the law by bringing to the general public their personage of Bar and Bench of stellar qualities in the area of law and its development.
It is our intention to publish on a quarterly basis on and about them. They possess the can-do spirits of our heros past and Justice Nnamani deserves the accolade,” Agu said.