By Victor Enyinnaya on May 23, 2022

Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili, JSC, CFR, DSGG, GSSRS, retirded Supreme Court Justice turned  70 years last week; what a celebration it was.  It spanned from Abuja to Port Harcourt, Rivers State.  It would be recalled that she retired from the bench of the highest Court in the land, as the second most senior Justice in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

For the records, she celebrated her70^th year with her landmark retirement after 44 years of meritorious service in the Judiciary.

She has been described from many quarters as a rare Mother, unique professional and steadfastness spiced with totality commitment to heroine principles of man kind.

So far this writer and other keen objective observers are in affirmative; it was rather the celebration of a hard working virtuous African woman who wholeheartedly gave her all and played a pivotal role in reshaping and redefining the history for good and steady growth of Nigerian Judiciary in the country.

It is  instructive to note that while she served in the nation’s Judiciary at various levels, she never allowed herself to be ordinary or push-over in all emerging scenario as she earned all what she attained in the Nigerian Judiciary via hard work, due diligence, deep intellectual input and above all her extra ordinary acumen.

A very suave, disarmingly and unassuming woman and so it is crystal clear from her antecedents in her decades on the bench, that a well informed and highly articulated Judiciary is sina-quo-non for good, equitable, just and virile nation so she never compromised these all important principles.

Consequent upon that therefore, this distinguished citizen of this great country up held tightly to the tenets of truth and nothing but the truth tradition of the Judiciary.

Recall that Honourable Justice Mary Ukaego Peter- Odili is the proud daughter of late Eze Barrister Bernard Sunday Chigbu Nzenwa who was a renowned, honest, resourceful administrator, self sacrifice chairman of Rangers International FC  of Enugu for decades, a legendary football club of all times in the ever evolving Nigeria Professional Football League scene. The only football club till date that has not gone to relegation since its formation in 1970.

His time in that famous football club was exceptional and so remains so dripping till date. He was a team player as his interactions with the players then was like father son relationship, little wonder therefore, the Rangers International FC, a symbol of Ndigbo resilience spirit till date achieved so much gamely, during the eventful and action packed tenure of late His Royal Highness, Eze BSC Nzenwa often described as administrator extra- Ordinary by all and sundry.

So it won’t be misplaced for one to say that, Justice Mary Ukaego Peter –Odili came from solid sports background too, therefore one won’t be wrong to say she is well grounded sports enthusiast. I digress.     

It is against the above inflammable backgrounds therefore, l can not but applaud her perseverance, painstaking and forthrightness these while even during this Buhari/ APC repressive regime where Judges were almost boxed into a corner if not for counter resolute of very few like her.

Yet, paramount to the practice of the Law profession as tradition coated on truth and objectivity.

A profession like a nation, is exalted when it has crops of truthful and objective members in the rank and file. She has been in fore front of how to continue to uphold the independence of the Judiciary without looking back. The records are in the open domain.

 She consistently advocates and says however; concomitant to building a virile Judiciary is the welfare of the Judiciary themselves.  

 This columnist devoted this upwardly mobile page to a special and rare patriot of our time, a role model of the first order, social worker, Mother, grand Mother, A humanist par excellence who identifies with the down-trodden in every sense of the word. She does not pretend or say what she can not accomplish. To be honest with you, Justice Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili is an excellent woman in all ramifications. She does not blow hot air or talk on drop of hat. She chooses her words all the time. A very intelligent and disarmingly compassionate personality.  She goes out of her way to do charity and rewards loyalty enduringly too. She does not take friendship and loyalty for granted. She continuously waters and oils them. A thorough breed of the first order. Most importantly, she has a good and great heart.

She is the Mothers' Mother who often goes out of her way to carter for the less privileged and the poor in our society. She is so magnanimous. Foremost, she is God fearing. She has impressed everyone who has come across her, that you could imagine if such great and pure mind still exists on earth, especially in Nigeria where every person is a suspect. 

 It explains why she has a trendy followership.  She never misses an opportunity to show compassion. It is no wonder Dame Justice Mary Ukaego Peter –Odili has fierce loyalists. Most of her aides, course mates, ex- colleagues in the Bar and Bench remain with fierce loyalty to her. Her recent Thanksgiving Mass and book presentation in Port Harcourt, Rivers State were eloquent testimonies of her benevolence. It is thanks to Justice Mary Peter Odili and her well brought up and civilised family.   

The Odilis are thorough and very real in every material particular, they don’t carry airs around themselves either, so make no mistake about it. This little piece  on a very great retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Dame Justice Mary Ukaego Peter Odili, is just a token of my my appreciation.

Let me make it clear here for the records that she does not seek for publicity. She is a modest person who doesn’t like publicity in the least, who does n’t like singing her own praises or having it sung for her (for that matter).

It was roll calls of who’s who during the two all important events in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital last two weekends. This is great and best wishes to our very distinguished dear retired Justice Mary Ukaego Peter Odili.  It must be noted that she maintained the status of wonderful sportswoman all through her remarkable eventful scandal free Judiciary assignment, for whole of 44 years making history as the first woman to attain the height of highest ranking Judicial Office in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

We are rejoicing tremendously over her attainment, judging from the difficult terrain she operated on. God bless the peoples Justice. For us in Daily Sports, we will keep shooting hard till next week again!!           

Source Daily Sports Nigeria

Posted May 23, 2022

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