A TRIBUTE IN LOVING MEMORY OF HONOURABLE JUSTICE UMARU ATU KALGO, CON, JSC – By Mohammed Bello Adoke, CFR

By Mohammed Bello Adoke, CFR

It is with a heavy heart, but with gratitude to Almighty Allah for a life so well spent, that I join the Kalgo family, the Nigerian judiciary, the legal profession and the entire nation in mourning the passing of a true legal icon and great jurist, the Honourable Justice Umaru Atu Kalgo, CON, JSC (Rtd.).

Justice Kalgo’s life was a masterclass in service, discipline and quiet excellence. Called to the Nigerian Bar in 1965, he served the nation first as an Administrative Officer and later as State Counsel and Deputy Solicitor-General of the North-Western State, laying a foundation of diligence that would define the whole of his illustrious career. In 1974, he ascended the Bench as a Judge of the High Court of Kano State, and thereafter presided with distinction over the Sokoto State High Court. His elevation to the Court of Appeal in 1988, and subsequently to the Supreme Court of Nigeria in November 1998, was a fitting recognition of a jurist whose industry, integrity and depth of legal scholarship had become the standard by which his peers were measured.

It will be recalled that from the High Court Bench to the hallowed chambers of the apex Court, His Lordship remained, in all things, an incorruptible and fearless administrator of justice.
He was that rare kind of judge who combined an unyielding commitment to the rule of law with humility and an unfailing courtesy to counsel and litigants alike.
He gave of himself tirelessly to the growth of our constitutional order, contributing his wealth of experience to the Constitution Review Committee, the Constituent Assembly, and the Law Revision Committee for the Laws of the Federation, works whose imprint on our national life will long outlive him.
As one who has had the privilege of serving the nation at the very intersection of law and governance, I can attest that jurists of Justice Kalgo’s calibre, hardworking, dedicated, and upright, are the pillars upon which public confidence in our justice system rests.

His judgments, delivered with clarity and unclouded by fear or favour, will remain a reference point for generations of lawyers and judges. He has indeed run his race and kept the faith, and he departs this world leaving behind a legacy that the Nigerian Bar and Bench will forever hold in the highest esteem.

On behalf of my family and myself, I extend heartfelt condolences to the Kalgo family, the government and people of Kebbi State, the Justices and staff of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, and all who were privileged to know and work with this distinguished jurist.
May Almighty Allah forgive his shortcomings, reward his lifetime of service to humanity, and grant him Al-Jannah Firdaus.

Adieu, my Lord.

.Adoke, CFR, SAN, FNIALS, is Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice