MOHAMMED Lawal Uwais, former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), has passed away bringing to a close a judicial career that spanned over four decades. He died on June 6, 2025. Uwais served as Chief Justice from 1995 to 2006.
Born on June 12, 1936, in Zaria, Kaduna State, he began his education at the Native Authority Elementary School in Kaduna and later attended Barewa College, completing his secondary education in 1957.
In 1959, he joined the civil service as a Publicity Assistant in the Ministry of Information, Kaduna. He later served as Editor of the Law Reports of the Northern States of Nigeria from 1974 to 1978. He studied at the Institute of Administration, Ahmadu Bello University, and was called to the Nigerian Bar on January 17, 1964.
Following his call to the Bar, in the early days of his legal career, Uwais worked at the Ministry of Justice of Northern Nigeria as a Pupil State Counsel. By 1971, he had become Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the North-Central State.
In 1973, he was appointed as Acting Judge of the High Court of the North Eastern States and became a substantive judge in 1974. He briefly served as Acting Chief Judge of Kaduna State in 1976 before being appointed to the Federal Court of Appeal on January 1, 1977. In 1979, he was elevated to the Supreme Court, where he served for 27 years.
Uwais was involved in several landmark cases, including A-G Federation vs. A-G Abia State (2001), INEC vs. Musa (2002), and Fawehinmi vs. I.G.P. (2002).
Post-retirement, he chaired the Presidential Electoral Reform Committee, which submitted a report in 2008 recommending electoral reforms such as the establishment of independent commissions and a proportional representation system. Some proposals from the report sparked public debate.
Uwais received several national and international honours, including the Commander of the Order of the Niger (1980) and Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (2000). He also served as Chairman of the Body of Benchers (1993–1994) and held roles with international legal organizations.
He is survived by his wife, Mariam Uwais, a lawyer and former Special Adviser on Social Investment to President Muhammadu Buhari.
A book titled Uwais Through Cases, edited by Chief Gani Fawehinmi, documents many of his significant judgments.