President Muhammadu Buhari has extended his heartfelt condolences to the Kutigi family on the passing of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), the Honourable Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, GCON.
President Buhari also commiserates with members of the judiciary and legal profession, the government and people of Niger State on the death of the eminent jurist, who was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1992 and named as Chief Justice in 2007.
The President joins them in mourning the elder statesman who will be long remembered and honoured for his visionary roles and contributions in the advances our country has made towards building a strong, independent and impartial judiciary, which is sine qua non for democracy to thrive.
Throughout his career in the apex court, President Buhari believes that the former CJN’s bold and articulate judicial decisions, advocacies on access to justice for all and protection of judicial independence are extant signposts for the advancement of the noble profession in the country and beyond.
The President urges all who mourn the late jurist to honour his memory by working for a better and just society, in addition to upholding the virtues associated with him during his lifetime of long and dedicated service to the nation.
The President prays almighty God to comfort Kutigi’s family, friends and associates and grant eternal rest to the soul of the departed, Presidential Media Adviser, Femi Adesina, said in a statement on Sunday.
Meanwhile, All Progressives Congress national stalwart, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has commiserated with the families of former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, and ex- Chairman of the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Engr. Hamman Tukur, both of who died at the weekend.
Kutigi from Niger State died on Sunday in a London Hospital at the age of 78 while Tukur from Adamawa State died on Saturday in Kaduna at 76.
In a statement by Tinubu Media Office on Sunday, the APC leader said Kutigi and Tukur were statesmen and distinguished Nigerians who served the country creditably in their different areas of specialisation and capacities, adding that they would be sorely missed not only by their families, home-states but also by the country at large.
Asiwaju Tinubu recalled the late Justice Kutigi’s onerous contributions to the country’s judicial system, to jurisprudence and to the political system.
He described Kutigi as a thorough-bred judicial officer who rose through the rank, serving as Attorney-general and Commissioner for Justice in Niger State until he was appointed a High Court Judge, serving in that office for more than a decade from where he was appointed into the Supreme Court.
The APC national leader said: “He distinguished himself as the nation’s 11th Chief Justice of Nigeria, serving from January 2007 to December 2009. I particularly recall how Justice Kutigi helped to stabilise the judiciary and starved off a judicial crisis when on the eve of his retirement from office he swore in his successor, Aloysius Iyorgyer Katsina-Alu, in the absence on health grounds of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who was constitutionally empowered to so do”.
Speaking on Tukur, Asiwaju Tinubu commended the former RMAFC chairman for standing firm and holding to the ideals of professionalism and transparency while in office during the time of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“Though he was appointed by President Obasanjo in 1999, Tukur refused to be cowed in the discharge of his duties and implementation of the revenue allocation formula and other issues around revenue allocation.
He left indelible marks at RMAFC, leading the way in resolving several disputed oil wells among states in the Niger Delta region and monitoring sources of revenue from both oil and non-oil sectors, which led to important improvement in accruals to the Federation Account during the period,” he said.
The APC leader commiserated with the families of the two leaders and the governments and people of Niger and Adamawa states.
He prayed that the Almighty Allah grant repose of the souls of the two leaders and wished their families the strength and courage to live on without their patriarchs.
