Erudite jurist, Katsina-Alu, bows out

Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, who has held sway as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), falls into any of these categories, depending on one’s choice of reference frame. A career which began some 44 years ago when Katsina-Alu was called to the bar, catapulted him to the very pinnacle of the nation’s judicial hierarchy, earning him […]

Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, who has held sway as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), falls into any of these categories, depending on one’s choice of reference frame.

A career which began some 44 years ago when Katsina-Alu was called to the bar, catapulted him to the very pinnacle of the nation’s judicial hierarchy, earning him fame and universal renown.

Apart from being the 10th indigenous CJN since independence, Katsina-Alu is also privileged to be one of the more than 80 justices who have sat on the Supreme Court bench since its inception in 1956.

Moreover, he is on record to be the first-ever citizen of Benue State to be appointed to the Supreme Court, where he rose to also become the first person from the Middle Belt area to become a CJN.

Katsina-Alu is described differently by many people who view him from different perspectives.

Justice Kayode Esho, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, describes Katsina-Alu as a superman, whose decisions have contributed immensely to the progressive development of the Nigerian legal system.

To Mr Tartenger Hon, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Katsina-Alu is a de-tribalised jurist, who has fought hard for the improved welfare of judicial workers during his tenure as CJN.

He notes that Katsina-Alu is retiring when he is still not tired, adding: “If I had my way, I will recommend that he continues, as he has the capacity to, since he has, indeed, done well.’’

Hon stresses that Katsina-Alu’s elevation to the Court of Appeal and later, to the Supreme Court, was well deserved, as he never lobbied anyone to get to these positions.

Again, Esho says that Katsina-Alu’s elevation to the Supreme Court in 1998 was at a critical time in the nation’s history, when democracy was restored after a prolonged military rule. The period, he recalls, underscored the imperative for the rule of law.

“The turn of events provided the enabling environment for his lordship to make his mark as an erudite jurist on the Supreme Court bench, where he spent 13 years, delivering landmark decisions before his deserved appointed as the 10th indigenous Chief Justice of Nigeria on Dec. 30, 2009,” Esho says.

On his part, Mr Moses Adaguusu, a legal practitioner, says that, “Katsina-Alu does not speak much but he speaks the mint of the law.

“That is what we find interesting in him. He says it as it is. He is not a man of many words but when he espouses the law, he does it so accurately,” he says.

Adaguusu, who has been close to Katsina-Alu over the years, also describes the retiring judge as “a God-fearing, humble and kind person”, adding that he also relates well with the high and low.

Born on According to Esho, the retiring Chief Justice has sat over 406 cases, out of which he delivered 56 leading, 346 concurring and 4 dissenting judgments 28, 1941 in Ushongo, Ushongo Local Government Area of Benue State, Katsina-Alu attended RCM Primary School, Aduku; St. Ann`s Primary School, Turungwa and St. Patrick`s Primary School, Taraku.

He later went to Mount St. Michael`s Secondary School, Aliade, where he obtained the Cambridge School Certificate. Much later, he enrolled at the Nigerian Military Training College, Kaduna, between April and October 1962, from where he moved over to Mons Military Training College, Aldershot, England, between November 1962 and January 1963.

His interest in a military career was, however, short-lived as he returned to the country to later enroll at the Faculty of Law, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, between 1963 and 1964.

In 1964, he proceeded to the Inns of Court School of Law, Gibson and Weldon College of Law, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, to continue his legal studies.

He was called to the English and Nigerian bars in 1967 and 1968 respectively.

His career on the bench began in 1979, when he was appointed a judge of the Benue State High Court, from where he was elevated to the Court of Appeal in June 1985. In November 1998, he became a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

According to Esho, the retiring Chief Justice has sat over 406 cases, out of which he delivered 56 leading, 346 concurring and 4 dissenting judgments.

These adjudications, he says, spanned all aspects of law, including constitutional, administrative, land, banking and labour laws.

Many judicial analysts agree that Katsina-Alu’s years on the bench have significantly impacted on Nigeria’s jurisprudence through his landmark judgments.

Besides his contributions from the bench, Katsina-Alu has also participated in important international conferences involving world’s leading jurists. Some of these talks include World Jurist Association conferences held in Hungary, Vienna, Dublin, Ireland and Rome.

Katsina-Alu was conferred with the national honours of the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) and Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) in 2004 and 2010 respectively, while the Benue State University, Makurdi, honoured him with the Doctor of Law (Honoris Causa) in June, 2010.

Preparatory to the CJN’s formal retirement on August 28, the launch of a book on him has been scheduled for August 4 in Abuja.

The book entitled “Katsina-Alu: Destiny Fulfilled — His Supreme Court Years,’’ is authored by Mr Moses Adaguusu, a lawyer and close associate.

Adaguusu says that the book chronicles the notable judicial pronouncements of Katsina-Alu during his 13 years at the Supreme Court.

President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to be the guest of honour at the book launch, while Vice-President Namadi Sambo and Senate President, David Mark are listed as the special guests of honour.

His towering profile notwithstanding, Katsina-Alu contended with a very sore point in his career, when a fellow jurist, Justice Ayo Salami, the President of the Court of Appeal; accused the CJN on oath, of attempting to lure him (Salami) to subvert justice in a gubernatorial appeal arising from the conduct of the 2007 governorship election in Sokoto State.

The attendant controversy shook the nation’s judicial system to its very foundations; to the extent that the National Judicial Council constituted a five-man probe panel, headed by retired Justice Umaru Abdullahi, to investigate allegations of professional misconduct against the CJN.

Nevertheless, befitting tributes to Katsina-Alu continue to pour in from eminent personalities, including leading legal practitioners like Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN), Mallam Yusuf Ali (SAN), Chief Chuks Muoma (SAN), Mr Dele Adesina (SAN) and Chief Joe Kyari-Gadzama (SAN).

Akintola who says he had appeared before the retiring CJN several times in court, describes Katsina-Alu as “a very hardworking jurist and a father’’.

A father to many children and grandchildren, fate played foul on the CJN in May this year when his wife and soul mate of many years, Lady Mimidoo Katsina-Alu, was killed after a tree fell on her in their country home in Ushongo, Benue State, during a windstorm.

Described as “hostess of all hostesses” by President Goodluck Jonathan at the burial, the late “Lady Mimi”, as she was fondly called by admirers, was the closest confidant and friend of the jurist.

No doubt, many citizens will join the eminent jurist’s colleagues to wish him well in retirement after a glorious public career on the bar and bench that spanned decades.

(NANFeatures)