By Jimmy
Ben Nwabueze was a legal luminary, teacher, and thinker whose impact continues to reverberate across multiple African countries.
The spokesperson for the family, Eni Nwabueze, in a statement on Monday, confirmed that he died on Sunday evening in his home.
“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 statement read.
The father of 10 children died an accomplished man but for one unfulfilled promise. In 2018, he pledged not to die until Atiku Abubakar, the former vice president, becomes president of the country. Ironically, Nwabueze died just a week after Atiku lost another election appeal at the Supreme Court.
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Here are some other facts you didn’t know about Ben Nwabueze:
- He played a major role in drafting the 1979 constitution in Nigeria.
- He was also credited for his roles in putting together constitutions in Zambia and Kenya
- He was a seasoned scholar who taught constitutional law in Nigeria, Zambia, and the UK while sitting on the senate of several prestigious universities.
- He is also the first academic lawyer to be made a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 1978 strictly based on his published works.
- Nwabueze was an elder statesman who owned up to the “misguided” 1979 constitution and its consolidation of enormous power to the federal government. He fought to correct his shortcomings until the end of his days.
- He is also an accomplished author.
- In 2019, he played a crucial role as a member of the election petitions filed by Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party. These petitions were filed against President Muhammadu Buhari’s reelection, adding to the already intense political climate in Nigeria. The team was defeated.
- He died after a long-term battle with prostate cancer at the age of 91.
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