Justice Mamman Nasir [1929-2019]

The death of Justice Mamman Nasir on Saturday, April 13, 2019 at once robbed this country of a top jurist, a pioneer in the legal profession, an astute politician and public servant, a man totally dedicated to the cause of nation and community and also a foremost traditional ruler. He died at the Federal Medical […]

The death of Justice Mamman Nasir on Saturday, April 13, 2019 at once robbed this country of a top jurist, a pioneer in the legal profession, an astute politician and public servant, a man totally dedicated to the cause of nation and community and also a foremost traditional ruler. He died at the Federal Medical Centre, Katsina at the age of 90.

Justice Mamman Nasir was the Minister of Justice of the Northern Region in the 1960s, Attorney General of the old North Central State in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in the 1970s and President of the Court of Appeal for 14 years from 1978. Until his death he was the Galadiman Katsina and District Head of Malumfashi in Katsina State.

Born in 1929, Mamman Nasir attended Kaduna College where he graduated in 1947. He then attended the University of Ibadan where he obtained a certificate in Latin. He proceeded to the Council of Legal Education in London for his Bachelor’s degree in Law and was called to the bar at Lincon’s Inn in 1956.

After his return to Nigeria, he was appointed a Crown Counsel in Northern Nigeria. He was a serving in Jos in 1961 when the Premier Sir Ahmadu Bello appointed him the Minister of Justice of Northern Nigeria, a position he held until 1966. He then became Director of Public Prosecution of the North Central State. Still later he became the Solicitor General and the state’s Attorney General.

In 1975, he was elevated directly to the bench of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. In 1978 however, he stepped down from the Supreme Court to become President of the Court of Appeal. It was an usual move by a Nigerian jurist but Nasir defended it by saying he saw all courts as the same thing. He retired from this position in 1992 to become Galadiman Katsina and District Head of Malumfashi, a position that he loved very much. Nasir was committed to the sustenance of the legacy of the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardaunan Sokoto. For more than 30 years he was the indefatigable patron of Gamji Clubs across the North, which were dedicated to the memory of the Sardauna and to upholding his great legacies.

President Muhammadu Buhari described the death of Justice Mamman Nasir as not only a loss to the judiciary but also the country at large. He said Nasir belonged to a generation of judges and justices who perceived public office as an opportunity to offer selfless service to the country and its people. According to him, “Nasir and judges of their golden age were more interested in leaving an untainted record of integrity than accumulation of wealth overnight. When you look at Nasir’s modest lifestyle and his incredibly humble possessions, you would be disarmed at once by his honesty and patriotism.”

Buhari also said “gentlemen like Mamman Nasir succeeded in protecting their reputation because greed was far removed from their minds” and that “contentment is the secret to a happy life of service to the people.” He said Nasir’s family should be proud of their father “because he built a solid and impeccable record of integrity, which is the greatest asset any individual should leave behind.”

The late jurist’s contemporaries as well as those who encountered him during his long stint of service at state, regional and federal levels all spoke of a man with an abiding faith in public service and a restless desire to do good. We commiserate with the people of Malumfashi District, with the government and people of Katsina State and with the entire legal family on the passing of this great statesman who left an indelible mark on the sands of time.  May his services to Nigeria and its people never be forgotten and may Allah reward his labours with eternal rest in Aljannat.