Constitutional lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Professor Ben Nwabueze is dead.
The foremost lawyer and one of the most outsatnding Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide, according to a family source died peacefully in his home on Sunday night.
In his lifetime her served as Secretary (Minister) of Education.
Sources close to the legal luminary said that he passed on Sunday evening in his home
A statement issued on Monday by the family reads:
“With great sadness, we announce the passing on to celestial glory of our patriarch, Professor B. O. Nwabueze SAN, NNOM, CON, pioneer Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Oduah Afo-na-isagba of Atani, Anambra State, on Sunday, October 29, 2023.”
The late legal icon was born in 1931, in Atani, Anambra State
He atended the CMS Central School Atani, from 1938 – 1945; C.M.S Central School, Onitsha (formerly, African College), 1947 – 1950.
Prof Nwabueze studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London between 1956 – 1961 and School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 1961 – 1962.
He taught at Holborn College of Law, London from 1962t to 1965, he later joined the University of Nigeria Nsukka, between 1967 – 1970.
In 1971, he was Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Zambia and Director, Law practice Institute, Zambia, 1973 – 1975
In 1978, Prof. Nwabueze earned his Doctor of Laws (LL.D) at the University of London.
Prof. Nwabueze the first Nigerian lawyer to be elevated to the rank of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) as an academic in 1978 after the publication of his epochal trilogy, Constitutionalism, Presidentialism, and Judicialism,
thus entering the record books as the second (since the death of Dr. T.O. Elias), the only Nigerian and African holder of a higher doctorate degree in Law by published works.
In his lifetime he served on the councils of several universities in Africa including the Universities of Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, Haile Selassie in Ethiopia, Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland,
In Nigeria he served on the councils of the Universities of Lagos, Obafemi Awolowo University and University of Jos among many others.
As an author, late Professor Nwabueze wrote 300 books of minimum of 400 pages and also published over 200 articles peer-reviewed international journals.
In 1976, Prof. Nwabueze co-founded the Ohaneze Ndigbo alongside alongside other prominent Igbo sons including Dr. Akanu Ibiam, Chief M.I. Okpara, Chief K.O. Mbadiwe, Chief Ugochukwu, Dr. P.N. Okigbo and Chief C Udoji.
He served as Secretary –General of Ohaneze from 1978 to 2004,