Professor Ben Nwabueze, a renowned constitutional lawyer and former secretary general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has passed away.
According to a news flash published by TheNiche this Monday afternoon, Prof. Nwabueze passed away in his house yesterday evening, Sunday, October 29, 2023, according to a “dependable source close to the family.”
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) was born in 1931 and is a native of Atani, Anambra State.
The Hallmarks of Labour citation that accompanies his “LIFE-TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD for Exemplary/Courageous Service to the advancement of our Legal system” is given below:
Professor Ben Nwabueze, sometimes known as the Professor of Professors to his many fans, is the first academic Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Professor Ben Nwabueze, a teacher, administrator, businessman, and former minister of education and youth development, was born in Atani, Ogbaru Local Government Area, Anambra State, on December 22, 1932.
From 1938 to 1945, he attended CMS Central School in Atani. From 1947 to 1950, he attended C.M.S. Central School in Onitsha (previously known as African College). Subsequently, he attended the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies in 1961 and its School of Economics and Political Science in 1956–1961. He worked as a senior lecturer at Holborn College of Law in London from 1962 to 1965 and as a senior lecturer at the University of Nigeria Nsukka from 1967 to 1970. He served as Director of the Law Practice Institute in Zambia from 1973 to 1975 and Dean of the University of Zambia’s Faculty of Law in 1971.
Even though his father and uncle originally provided him with strong assistance, the majority of his academic endeavors overseas were made feasible by scholarships given to him in recognition of his exceptional academic performance.
Professor Nwabueze obtained his Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) from the University of London in 1978, thanks to his three excellent books on constitutionalism, presidentialism, and judiciary. This made him the second African and Nigerian to hold a higher doctorate in law by published works, following Dr. T.O. Elias’s death.
In addition, based solely on his published works, he was the first academic lawyer to be appointed a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 1978.
Expert scholar, he served as a senator from 1971 to 1978 for the Universities of Lagos, Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, Haile Selassie in Ethiopia, Lesotho, Botswana, and Swaziland.
Between 1978 and 1979, he served as the University Assessor for Academic Appointments at the Universities of Ghana, Lagos, Ife (now known as Obafemi Awolowo University), and Jos.
Prof. Ben Nwabueze, a staunch supporter of publishing, is the proud author of more than thirty books and treatises, each with an average length of 400 pages. These include of Nigeria’s judicial system machinery, the Nigerian Republic’s constitution law, Nigerian land law, and constitutionalism in emerging states. Other titles include The Presidential Constitution of Nigeria; A Constitutional History of Nigeria; Presidentialism in Commonwealth Africa; Judicialism in Commonwealth Africa; Federalism in Nigeria under the Presidential Constitution; and Nigeria’s Second Experiment in constitutional Democracy in Africa in Five Volumes.
He has authored more than 200 papers for scholarly publications and more than 100 keynote addresses for regional and global conferences.
Ben Nwabueze is a well-known figure in the legal profession, and very few other writers are as regularly cited in court decisions as he is. Despite being widely recognized for his research, writing, and teaching, Nwabueze persisted in his involvement with university management.
The following universities appointed this learned professor to professorial chairs: Anambra State University of Technology; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, 1974; University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 1975–76; and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, 1989–1983. (visiting)
Professor Ben Nwabueze is a fervent supporter of the Igbo struggle as well. He co-founded Ohaneze Ndigbo in 1976 with other well-known Igbo sons, including Akanu Ibiam, M.I. Okpara, K.O. Mbadiwe, Chief Ugochukwu, P.N. Okigbo, and Udoji. During his tenure as Secretary-General, which lasted from 1978 to 2004, he turned the organization into a powerful, well-respected, nonpartisan Pan Igbo pressure group.
the beneficiary of The Nigerian Order of Merit (NNOM) and many Chieftaincy titles.
In every way, Professor Ben Nwabueze is a true academic titan. Probably more than any other Nigerian, he has made significant contributions to the application of constitutional law and the country’s larger governance process through his multiple publications and essays.
Indeed, without the priceless contribution of this great Patriot, the evolution of the Nigerian Constitution and the country’s whole legal system would not be complete. Prof. Ben Nwabueze, a great Nigerian, has therefore been called by the Hallmarks of Labour Foundation to join the ranks of other deserving Patriots of Hallmarks of Labour Role Model recipients (HLR) in recognition of his enormous contribution to the advancement of the Nigerian legal system, particularly in the areas of academics and publication.