By Izunna Okafor, Awka

The first Nigeria's academic Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Prof. Ben Nwabueze, has died.

This is coming ten years after the legal luminary had begged God to give him more five years to finish his works on earth before calling him home.

Prof. Nwabueze had made the call in 2013 during the presentation of his two-volume autobiography titled: “Ben Nwabueze, His Life, Works, Times - An Autobiography,”

Howbeit, the popular constitutional lawyer, died on Sunday, at the age of 92 years.

Prof. Nwabueze, a one-time Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, who hailed from Atani in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, was said to have passed on in his hometown.

Until his death, he was a teacher, administrator, businessman and former Minister of Education and Youth Development.

According to reports, Nwabueze's academic pursuit started at the CMS Central School Atani, from 1938 – 1945; C.M.S Central School, Onitsha (formerly, African College), 1947 – 1950. He later went to London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, 1956 – 1961 and School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 1961 – 1962. From 1962 – 1965, he was Senior Lecturer at Holborn College of Law, London, and Senior Lecturer, University of Nigeria Nsukka, between 1967 – 1970. In 1971, he was Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Zambia and Director, Law practice Institute, Zambia, 1973 – 1975

Although, well supported by both father and uncle initially, the greater part of his Academic pursuits abroad were made possible by scholarship awarded to him for his academic excellence.

Prof. Nwabueze earned his Doctor of Laws (LL.D) at the University of London in 1978, based on his three outstanding books – Constitutionalism, Presidentialism, and Judicialism, thus entering the record books as the second (since the death of Dr. T.O. Elias), the only Nigerian and African holder of a higher doctorate degree in Law by published works.

He is also the first academic lawyer to be made a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 1978 strictly on the basis of his published works.

A seasoned Academician, he was member of Senate of the Universities of Lagos, Dar-es-salaam, Nairobi, Haile Selassie in Ethiopia, Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland between 1971 – 1978.

He was appointed the University Assessor for Academic Appointments, Universities of Ghana, Lagos, Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) and Jos between 1978 – 1979.

A firm believer in publishing, Prof. Ben Nwabueze is the proud author of over thirty books and treatises with an average extent of 400 pages. They include; The Machinery of Justice in Nigeria; Constitutional Law of the Nigerian Republic; Nigerian Land Law and Constitutionalism in the Emergent States. Others are Presidentialism in Commonwealth Africa, Judicialism in Commonwealth Africa; The Presidential Constitution of Nigeria; A Constitutional History of Nigeria; Federalism in Nigeria under the Presidential Constitution; and Nigeria’s Second Experiment in constitutional Democracy in Africa in Five Volumes.

He has written over 200 articles in academic journals and more than 100 keynotes at local and international conferences.

Prof. Nwabueze had long been partially incapacitated with age and ill-health, until the news of his demise.

R.I.P Sir

Dear Op, based on your last paragraph alone, how then is his death shocking news.

Edit. So darling OP, you have removed the 'shocking news' part from your last paragraph and this has made my post redundant. Great that you did that though.

May God grant us all good health and long life.

ShenTeh:
Dear Op, based on your last paragraph alone, how then is his death shocking news.

Na English dey cause confusion.

RIP to him

RIP SIR......

Rip prof.

R I P Erudite scholar. At 92 you remembered your primary school and secondary school meanwhile someone who is 70 don't even know the name of his secondry school let alone the primary school he attended.

Rest on sir

ShenTeh:
Dear Op, based on your last paragraph alone, how then is his death shocking news.

Dead at 92 and it is shocking? Perhaps he was expected to live till 200.

Unfortunately Atikulooter failed to become president till the man died

fnep2smooth:
RIP SIR......

The man died when he realized that Atiku Wil never become president.

D president we never had

According to the designer, a 100 years is still an omomo

ElSudani:


Dead at 92 and it is shocking? Perhaps he was expected to live till 200.

ISAIAH 65:20

"There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed"

Rest in peace

These yeye people up there should stop disrespecting the dead


If you have RIP to give, give it, if not, shut the eff up and stop disrespecting the dead octogenarian

raskymonojendor:
Rip prof.

You can see how petty you are. Smh.

RIP.We will not forget his funny picture with Atiku Abubarka.

Baba has gone to meet his creator.
Judgement on how life is spent would be explained.

Baba has gone to meet his creator.
Judgement on how life is spent would be explained.
RIP Baba Ben

Erudite scholar and a very sound jurist. RIP.

The man who drafted the law that abolished regionalism and shifted power to the center.

May His soul rest in perfect peace.

ShenTeh:
Dear Op, based on your last paragraph alone, how then is his death shocking news.

Edit. So darling OP, you have removed the 'shocking news' part from your last paragraph and this has made my post redundant. Great that you did that though.

May God grant us all good health and long life.

Pls note, what did not shock you may shock others

I am also very shocked like this I swear
Buhari is also Shocked

I hope is not the recent supreme Court judgement that birthed this saddened happening.

Farewell

RIP Prof. Ben.

You did your bit.

RIP to him.

raskymonojendor:
Rip prof.

Bahd guy

I see what you did there

So sad but live goes

raskymonojendor:
Rip prof.

It won't be long before people like you show up.
You are the same hypocrites who accuse others of disrespecting their parents!
Keep making stylish mockery of the dead.
He lived a long fulfilling life