“There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.” – Mahatma Gandhi
I presume the acquiescence of our [Political Musings] readers to deviate this week from the usual political analyses and conversations. Today, we pay our last respects to my ardent reader, fan, and brother whom Mother Earth will receive tomorrow. He had shone like a star in this firmament. He was 64 years old.
Supreme Court Justice Chima Centus Nweze who died on July 29, 2023, will be buried in Obollo, Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State from where I also hail. Therefore, Nweze is not just for a Political Musings fan. He was a brother, indisputably a leading light in my town, and happened to be a good friend. To us compatriots in Obollo, Nweze was a man incapable of any guile or skulduggery.
The last time he spoke to me about Political Musings on the New Telegraph Back Page, he said, “Ike, we wait for your Thursday delight for your precise analysis of political issues, marked mostly by accuracy and exactness, in a way not available to the ordinary eye.”
When you get compliments from a Justice C. C. Nweze [whose literary prowess is outstanding], your head may swell. Justice Nweze was everything a quintessential intellectual whose command of English grammar was uncommon as attested to by his learner brothers at the Supreme Court and the bar and bench. The Chief Justice of Nigeria who had worked with him at the Court of Appeal, Olukayode Ariwoola, has this to say of him: “At the Supreme Court, my Lord, Hon. Justice Nweze exhibited immense scholarship and rare jurisprudential candour. All his judgments were laced with academic flavour and intellectual steam. His judicial pronouncements were like ocean waves that move with vigour and vibrancy.
“His judgments covered a gamut of issues that have offered us sufficient food for thought; not just as judicial officers and lawyers, but [also] as citizens of the global village who are desirous of having a free, peaceful, and egalitarian society.
“His intellectual accomplishments have, to a large extent, crystallized the legal profession by injecting confidence in the minds of practitioners, law students, and the common man on the street. His astuteness and eloquence in the courtroom and the seamless application of legal wisdom to every matter made him an enigma….”
The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, said Justice Nweze’s life would continue to shine as an example to all, adding that the late jurist contributed immensely to the development of the nation’s judiciary. The Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, represented by Damion Dodo (SAN), said the late Nweze distinguished himself on the bench and had delivered qualitative judgments in his Supreme Court days.
The Nigerian Bar Association President, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), said the late Nweze made “significant contributions to the growth of our jurisprudence and he was so intellectually tough that counsel detest to meet him unprepared.
Other eulogies from several people who had related to Nweze in life summed it all up: the thick forest just lost one Iroko and is looking bare, denuded, and unprotected.
My first direct contact with Justice Nweze began in the 1970s at St. Patrick’s College, Obollo Eke, Enugu State, when fresh from junior seminary, he and the Rev Father David Omego, another great head who has departed from our town were drafted to help prepare art students for West Africa School Certificate.
Since then as providence directed, we all developed our lives in various fields but remained connected not by profession but as Obollo Dede citizens.
C C, as he was fondly known among his people, died when he was badly needed by the people, but who dares to question God who didn’t need permission to bring us to this world and need not ask us when he is ready to call us back.
For a jurist of Nweze’s standing, one can only claim justice to a fair tribute if one mentions one or two of his landmark judgments. The top two include his minority judgment on February 3, 2020. That was the date of the apex court’s review and decision on the Imo State governorship tussle.
It is a settled case in life that in any action you take for humanity, there is always opportunity cost. Justice Nweze had a choice to make and did make the right one at the right time by giving a lifeline to the judiciary, an institution that is undergoing the worst image battering in its history. The choice was easy for him because jurisprudence and conscience corresponded with his principles and work ethic.
It was perhaps in pursuit of jurisprudence that he delivered the controversial, if not somewhat unjust, lead judgment awarding Sen. Ahmed Lawan another stint in the parliament after gambling with a bid for the Aso Rock Villa. That ruling was heavily criticized by many, including me. But as he was to explain to a critical, mutual friend and lawyer, Nweze was driven by the lackadaisical attitude of some counsel in not following the legal requirements in a matter they are paid to defend. The wrong impression of the public on the case pained him and he was looking forward to an opportunity to correct it, perhaps through academic journals but it never came to pass. In all, what cannot be wiped off is that Justice Nweze greatly enriched the nation’s jurisprudence in a manner that will endure.
Justice Nweze’s death is hurting Obollo for many reasons. Only a fortnight ago, another great jurist of Obollo descent, Justice Raphael Agbo, the second-in-command at the Court of Appeal, was buried. You can imagine the mood of a town that is burying two of its stars in active service…in one month!
In all, there is a consolation in the fact that they were outstanding. Both men on their merit stand Obollo out in a million. They left indelible marks in the sands of time, teaching the younger generation of Obollo and indeed Igbo land a lesson or two.
The impact of these two on our society can be measured in the fact that Nigerians of all walks of life are trooping down to Obollo in their numbers twice this October to pay their last respects to these personages.
It is important, while mourning Justice Nweze to acknowledge some faithful departed in this great town for their immense contributions while with us. My late dad, Chief Michael Odo Abonyi, was Justice Nweze’s very close friend Whenever C C was vacationing, he would come to share palm wine during which they shared vital information about Obollo’s sociopolitical and cultural development. Pa Abonyi [may his soul continue to repose in perfect peace] was himself an outstanding political leader, an icon of sorts.
Obollo had also bid a painful farewell to these great heads at their prime: the Rev Fr Dr David Omego, and Prof Tagbo Ugwu. The latter was in charge of Obollo’s cultural affairs when he died. Two of my classmates Ambrose Ugwueze, Godwin Onah,(Echakala), and Dr Ignatius Eze, among many others too numerous to list in this short space.
As American author and Disability Rights Advocate, Helen Keller, wrote, “So long as the memory of certain beloved friends lives in my heart, I shall say that life is good.”
Even though there may be miles between us, we are never far from each other, for friendship doesn’t count miles. It is measured by the feelings of the heart.
For Obollo people who are experiencing an unprecedented exit of their stars lately, let us be consoled in the realization that those we love don’t go away; they walk beside us in our hearts and memories. Though our collective hearts are heavy with grief, let us not lose focus on the future which should be bigger than our past.
Let us as a people of common heritage imbibe Albert Einstein’s message: “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
Adieu, C C, the great jurist who came, saw, and left behind great footsteps in the sands of time.