The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Motomori Kekere-Ekun, Monday, described the late Supreme Court Justice, Justice Emmanuel Ayoola, as an epitome of judicial excellence, who upheld the banner of justice, equity and fair play at all times.
The CJN stated this at the valedictory court session held in Abuja in honour of the late jurist.
Ayoola, a onetime Chief Justice of the Gambia and the Seychelles Court of Appeal, according to the CJN, upheld the banner of justice, equity and fair play all through his over five decades of service in the judiciary.
“We are here today to honour our late brother, Hon. Justice Emmanuel Olayinka Ayoola (rtd), who has profoundly touched our lives in diverse ways.
“We are not here to mourn but to celebrate the life and times of one of Nigeria’s most erudite and versatile jurists. Everything in life has its appointed time and season. There is a time to be born and there is a time to die. This is a mandatory call of nature that we all shall answer at the appointed time.
“His primary constituency, the Nigerian judiciary, which he served for over five decades, would always have fond memories of him as that eloquent jurist who upheld the banner of justice, equity and fair play. His judicial pronouncements have, deservedly, occupied vital pages of law books across Africa.
“He was a quintessential judicial icon who bestrode the judicial landscape with honour and great panache. He believed strongly that a judge must decide cases without fear or favour, affection or ill will.
“He was courteous to all, yet his politeness never invited disrespect. He always endeavored to deploy plain, precise and pointed language in all his judgments. He chose his words with uncommon precision, while stating the facts precisely.
“An epitome of judicial excellence whose voice would keep resonating in our courtrooms, He was that pillar you could lean on without looking at its foundation.
“His meteoric record on the Bench and the indelible footprints he has left on the global stage continue to inspire hope and courage in us all.
Justice Ayoola, a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria from November 25, 1998 to October 27, 2003, passed away in his sleep on August 20, 2024.
