By Edward Pwajok, SAN
The Nation lost an icon, a towering Jurist who left indelible footprints on the sands of time.
In spite of his accomplishments, he was very humble. I will give only two examples of his humility that I witnessed.
Sometime in 2010, at Heathrow airport, London, when the last boarding announcement was made, I saw Justice Uwais carrying his hand luggage. I told my wife to take my hand luggage and hurried to take Justice Uwais’s luggage from him. He resisted for some time, and I had to physically prise the bag from him and explained while introducing myself that I was the Attorney General of Plateau State, and our culture would not allow me to watch an elderly man and a former CJN carry a bag, so he smiled and allowed me.
The other example was his comportment at meetings of the Body of Benchers. As the most senior Bencher (for a long time he had the privilege of being the earliest to be made chairman of that distinguished body), he was supposed to sit at the high table, but I never saw him take his rightful chair. He preferred to sit with we the masses.
He was the longest-serving Justice of the Supreme Court (1979-2006), i.e for 27 years, 11 of which he served as Chief Justice (1995-2006).
He served in the Supreme Court at a time when the Judiciary enjoyed the highest respect of citizens. He was called to the Bar in 1964, one year before the legendary Gani Fawehinmi.
It was Chief Justice Uwais who, in 2001, told Gani that he was embarrassing the legal profession by not being among the nation’s senior advocates; therefore, he persuaded Gani Fawehinmi to apply for the silk rank. Gani did and was conferred with the silk in 2001.
The legal profession and the nation will miss him. May his soul rest in peace.
Edward Pwajok, SAN, is a Life Bencher and a former A.G. of Plateau State.
