The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has said the late Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais, has no trace of corruption after his retirement from office as the Chief Justice of Nigeria.
The AGF, who spoke at a special prayer in honour of Late Justice Uwais, organised by Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society, said the legacies he left behind will continue to speak for him.
He said, “Justice Uwais has lived a very fulfilled life. The legacies are many when you talk of integrity, hardwork, self restraint, respect for others, no matter how young you are.
“He had integrity and he was a thorough judge. He did not use his position to amass wealth. No anti-graft agency ran after him after his tenure in office.
“The family he left behind should uphold his legacies because the work he did still speaks for him,” he said.
The National Chief Imam of the society, Imam Fuad Adeyemi, who delivered a lecture on the Theme: “Essence of Life”, extolled the virtues of the late Justice Uwais.
According to him, the late CJN was a detribalised Nigerian, who saw humanity as his tribe.
Adeyemi said, “Justice Uwais used his position to help humanity. He affected lives and you can see the testimonies here today. He came at a time when no one recognises us or believed in us.
“He trusted in our mission, even, when no one believed us. He believed in the work we are doing and supported us and brought all his friends into the organisation.
“We are always conscious of what we do because people make reference to us that those are Uwais’ children and that’s why we have to be careful with what we do. We learnt from his humility and prudence.
“He is a model of everything that is good. He made us to understand that stealing is only not good, it is not also supposed to be part of human nature. He was a detribalized person. The tribe of justice Uwais that I know is humanity, once you are a human being, you are his tribe.”
Nigeria’s Judiciary was thrown into mourning June 6, 2025, with the news of the death of the Justice Uwais.
Born on June 12, 1936, Justice Uwais served as the Chief Justice of Nigeria from 1995 until his retirement in 2006.
After retiring from the Supreme Court, he was appointed by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to lead the Electoral Reform Committee, where he played a key role in efforts to improve Nigeria’s electoral system.
He chaired a commission that published a much-publicized report on electoral reform.
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