The Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, has instituted a memorial lecture in honour of the late Supreme Court judge, Justice Centus Nweze.
DAILY POST recalls that Nweze died in late July after a brief illness.
As part of the measures to immortalise and sustain the legacies of the departed jurist, the faculty of law, ESUT, has now instituted an annual memorial lecture series in his honour.
Inaugurating the Justice C.C. Nweze Memorial Lecture Series committee on Tuesday, the Dean of the faculty, Prof Simon Ortuanya described the late Justice Nweze as one of the most distinguished members of the bench.
Members of the committee are: Prof Agu Gab Agu- Chairman, Dr Vincent Egechukwu Obetta, Dr Mrs Joylin Nwabueze, Rev Dr Sr Chiegozie Onuegbunam and Dr Chijioke Agu as members.
Ortuanya said, “On the 27th of August, the Board of the faculty of law approved the institution of Justice CC Nweze Annual Memorial Lecture Series for the faculty of law, ESUT.
“We will recall that not too long ago, CC Nweze, Justice of the Supreme Court passed on to the great beyond. He was a visiting professor of our University and our faculty. He was an erudite Justice of the Supreme Court and one of the most distinguished on the bench of the Supreme Court.
“It is in recognition of this very son of ours, one of us, erudite scholar, that the faculty decided that there should be an annual memorial lecture in honour of this our colleague.”
He added that, “it is not an easy thing to get to the Supreme Court and we are privileged that our faculty has got somebody who rose to the position of Justice of the Supreme Court and he was also one of us as a visiting professor.”
The committee’s terms of reference include to plan the memorial lecture, ensure to its successful implementation, set the date, the time and other necessary logistics, reach out to possible lecturers and return to the faculty board for approval of such lecturer, liaise with the family of the deceased Judge with respect to the plans for the lecture, liaise with the University authority to ensure the success of the event, among others.
He added that the committee will also oversee the setting up of Prof Christian Nwachukwu Okeke professorial chair in international law.
Okeke, according to him, was the first dean, faculty of law, Anambra State University of Science and Technology, ASUTECH and later pioneer dean of faculty of law, ESUT.
Speaking on behalf of the committee members, Prof Agu assured that his committee would deliver on its mandate.
He said Nweze’s industry as a member of the bench would be celebrated.
“Justice Centus Nweze was a very close family friend, apart from a professional relationship. There is no doubt that Justice CC Nweze was cerebral; there is no doubt that he is an institution in the legal profession; a jurist par excellence that his judgements are always dripping of participation, you visualise the scene of what the judgements stand for; he has been quoted by many legal journals across the world.
“Justice Nweze deserves every celebration even though it is in death. My worry is whether he should celebrate his ideas or his death; but we will celebrate his ideas, because ideas don’t die, there is no memorial for ideas, they are ageless,” Agu said.