Obasanjo, Mbah, Other Dignitaries Set to Honour Justice Augustine Nnamani at Book Presentation

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo will chair the public presentation of a book in honour of the late Supreme Court Justice, Augustine Nnamani, on August 29 in Enugu State. Obasanjo will also serve as the keynote speaker at the event.

Hosted by Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, the book project is spearheaded by Prof. Agu Gab Agu, who serves as the editor-in-chief.

Renowned legal luminary, Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, will deliver the guest lecture, while Prof. Gozie Ogbodo, Rector of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, will review the book.

Among other dignitaries expected at the event are the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Mr. Uche Nnaji; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Senator Osita Ngwu (Enugu West); and Senator Kevin Chukwu (Enugu East). The ceremony will also feature a panel discussion themed around “The Nigerian Question.”

Justice Augustine Nnamani, whose remarkable legal career is being celebrated, was born on August 8, 1934, in Agbani, Enugu State. He studied law at the London School of Economics and Political Science, graduating with a strong Second Class Upper Division, before obtaining both his Master of Laws (LLM) and a Ph.D. in Constitutional Law.

He was called to the Bar at Gray’s Inn, London, in 1962 and enrolled as a legal practitioner in Nigeria in 1966. Justice Nnamani’s rise through the legal ranks was swift and impactful. He served as Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development in the former East Central State, and later as Attorney General in the old Anambra State.

On December 1, 1976, he was appointed Attorney General of the Federation and Commissioner for Justice. Just three years later, on August 15, 1979, he was elevated to the Supreme Court—both appointments made during the leadership of then Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo.

Remarkably, Justice Nnamani was one of only two Nigerians ever appointed directly from the Bar to the Supreme Court, bypassing both the High Court and the Court of Appeal. The only other was Judge Teslim Elias, who later served on the International Court of Justice at The Hague.

Before his Supreme Court appointment, Justice Nnamani was conferred the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 1978—the first from Enugu State to receive the honour. His legacy endures as a towering figure in Nigerian jurisprudence.