Nigeria Has Lost A Great Legal Mind With Justice Eso’s Death – President Jonathan
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan said he has received news of the death of retired Honourable Justice Samuel Kayode Eso with sadness and a feeling of great national loss.
A statement today by Reuben Abati, special adviser to the president media & publicity said on behalf of himself and the Federal Government, President Jonathan extended heartfelt condolences to the Eso family, their friends, associates and the government and people of Osun State as they mourn the eminent jurist, courageous judge and consistent advocate for an independent judiciary, whose long and exemplary life was dedicated to the service of law and order, and the dispensation true justice, equity and fairness to all.
He urged them to take solace in the incontestable fact that Justice Eso will forever be remembered as a very bold, fearless and courageous judge who contributed enormously to establishing the independence of the Nigerian judiciary, and the national effort to entrench the highest levels of professionalism, discipline and integrity in the country’s legal system.
President Jonathan said that members of the legal profession in Nigeria will always owe a debt of gratitude to the late Justice Eso for his immense legacy of learned, erudite and seminal judgments, prodigious writings and major interventions in national debates on and outside the Bench which will always be remembered for their incisiveness, thoroughness, intellectual touch and impact.
He urged members of the bar and bench to emulate the dedication, discipline, integrity and activism that Justice Eso exemplified even up to old age as well as his commendable patriotism which manifested in his constant readiness to take on national assignments whenever he was called upon to do so.
The President also prayed that God Almighty would grant the soul of the revered jurist eternal rest.
Mark mourns Kayode Eso
President of the Senate, Senator David Mark on Friday described the death of late supreme court Justice Kayode Eso as a monumental loss to the nation especially the Judiciary.
Reacting to the passing unto the great beyond of the foremost jurist, Senator Mark lamented that Nigeria has lost one of the best and fertile minds in the judiciary.
He noted that Late Eso was one of the proponents of the legal reforms that ushered in the era of dignity and the independent of the nation’s judicial system
According to Mark, ” As a legal officer and jurist, Eso was a voice for the voiceless. He defended the defenseless and was there for the oppressed.He was forthright and a distinguished officer.
” Nobody doubted his integrity and where he stood on national issues were clearly unambiguous. He was a patriotic Nigerian”.
Senator Mark recalled that Late Eso as the then Pro-Chancellor and Chairman,Governing Council of the University of Benin(UNIBEN), brought positive reforms in University Administration especially the tenure of Vice-Chancellors.
He said the nation shall miss the worthy contributions of Eso whom he described as eminent in all ramifications .
For Senator Mark, Eso left his positive footprint on the sand of time. He urged the Osun state government and the people especially the bereaved family to take solace in the fact that the erudite jurist left a legacy worthy of emulation.
Justice Kayode Eso was integrity personified – Atiku
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has extolled the extraordinary virtues of integrity of the late retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Kayode Eso.
Atiku, in a statement by his media office in Abuja on Friday, said the late legal luminary was notable for his courage and integrity because of his role in saving the image of the judiciary from the nadir of moral eclipse.
As a judicial activist, he said the late Justice Kayode Eso was always on the side of justice, regardless of whose ox was gored.
The former Vice President also recalled that almost every administration in Nigeria had invited Eso to head one judicial inquiry or another because of the recognition that he was a rare man of probity.
In the words of Atiku, “honour counted above money in the eyes of the late Eso and even his enemies must privately find themselves admiring his unique uprightness.”
The Turaki Adamawa said one of the greatest desires of any man was to retire with his integrity intact and that the late Eso had achieved this ambition.
According to Atiku, the late Eso deserves a special place in the pantheon of Nigeria’s judicial heroes and that judges and lawyers should imbibe his virtues to make our judiciary more vibrant, unbiased and fearless.
Atiku prayed that God grant his soul eternal rest and also give his family and the whole nation the fortitude to the bear this immense loss.
Eso personified the best Tradition of the Judiciary—-Daniel
The former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has described the demise of retired Justice Kayode Eso as the exit of one of the shaping forces of the country’s judiciary
saying the departed Supreme Court Justice contributed immensely to the development of the bench and legal education in the country. He said Justice Eso whose activism on the bench was never in doubt personified the best tradition of equity, fairness and justice which the judiciary is noted for.
“Justice Kayode Eso exemplified the best of the judiciary. He was courageous, fearless and painstaking. He was a firm believer in the rule of law, justice, equity, and fairness all through
his stay at the bench. Justice Eso, through his many well thought out judgments and reasoned pronouncements, promoted the integrity of the judiciary and restored the confidence of many in it. Our thought as this time go to his wife, Children, colleagues and associates. The best way to remember and keep his legacy alive is for those currently holding the fort to emulate his sterling
qualities and for them to continue to uphold the best tradition of the bench which Justice Eso exemplified”, Otunba Daniel said.
Otunba Daniel also prayed for the repose of the soul of the departed elder statesman and for God to grant his family and associates the fortitude to bear the loss.
