Today marks the graceful exit Honourable Justice Ahmad Belgore J.C.A (Rtd). Honourable Justice Ahmad Olanrewaju Belgore J.C.A from the Bench after nearly 33 years of Judicial Service, having attained the statutory age for retirement.
Born 18th April 1953, His Lordship attended Oke-Oyi, Afon and Baboko Primary Schools, all within Ilorin Emirate. Subsequent educational qualifications were received in other parts of Nigeria and abroad including the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where His Lordship with a Bachelor of Laws degree (LL.B. Hons) in 1978 and the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, following which His Lordship was called to the Nigerian Bar in July 1979.
After over a decade of sterling law practice, with demonstrable industry, integrity and profound knowledge of the law, His Lordship was appointed to the bench of the Kwara State Judiciary as a Judge of the High Court on 9 of August 1990. His Lordship would go on to serve as the Chairman, Special Tribunal (Miscellaneous Offences), Abuja; Judge of the High Court of the Republic of the Gambia from September 2001 to December 2005; Justice of Appeal, Gambia Court of Appeal from February, 2003 to December, 2005 and Justice of the Supreme Court of the Gambia from June to December, 2005.
Shortly after returning to Nigeria and resuming duty as Judge of the High Court of Kwara State, Justice Belgore was deservedly appointed as a Judge of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria and was sworn-in on 8 June 2006. During his stint at the Court of Appeal, Justice A.O. Belgore was not only a sitting Justice of the Court of Appeal but also served as the Presiding Justice, Sharia Panel of the Court of Appeal from 2008 until his retirement.
The rest of His Lordship’s exploits in the course of his impeccable career are contained in the very rich biography which has already been presented. I wish to note that Hon Justice A. O. Belgore, JCA’s career was one characterized by dedicated service and commitment to ideals and purpose. His Lordship was disciplined; diligent; polite to counsel, even those with whom he strongly disagreed; a good companion to the other judges, enlivening each meeting with humor and wittiness.
Justice A.O. Belgore’s judgments were assiduously scholarly, meticulously researched and carefully reasoned. His decisions demonstrated his commitment to the protection of the constitutional rights of all persons or groups. Importantly, Justice A.O. Belgore will be remembered as a jurist who always gave of himself completely to ensure that the rule of law was fairly applied and that all citizens benefited from his passion in administering justice; his zeal for justice and the evenhanded application of the law to all class of cases and persons will remain indelible in the annals of our legal jurisprudence.
Honourable Justice A.O. Belgore is eminently approachable; His Lordship not only spoke with conviction, but also listened with compassion. Anyone could stop him and engage him in conversation, and he would gladly indulge without the slightest hesitation. My noble Lord has the uncanny gift of always focusing on the strengths of the people around him, rather than on their weaknesses.
From a personal perspective, what stands Honourable Justice out is his absolute commitment to his judicial role, made more visible in the high standards of upholding efficiency, accessibility and transparency in the administration of justice. The garlands bestowed on him and encomiums showered on his person on this day, are only testimonies of his very productive and exceptional career in his judicial service to the nation.
His Lordship will be greatly missed for his manifest integrity, impeccable acumen and endless capacity for work. His insatiable penchant for high standards of precision and accuracy in his beautifully crafted opinions will remain a source of inspiration to most of us who strive to meet his exacting standards. I have personally learned from his erudite decisions and immaculate judgments. I refer, with the fondest admiration, to one of my Lord’s noble contributions to our legal jurisprudence in the field of customary arbitration in the case of DONDOOR IEKA & ORS. v. IKYEREVE TYO (2007) LPELR-12871(CA) where my noble lord held (at Pp. 15 – 17 Paras C – D) thus;
“The law is well settled on the issue of customary arbitration or any arbitration for that matter. Where a body of men, be they Chiefs or otherwise, sat as arbitrators over a dispute between two parties, their decision shall have binding effect if it is shown that both parties submitted to the arbitration. It is said that where two parties to a dispute voluntarily submit the issue in controversy between them to arbitration according to Customary law and agree expressly or by implication that the decision of such arbitration would be accepted as final and binding on them, once the arbitrators reach a decision, it would no longer be open to either party to subsequently back out of or resile from the decision so pronounced.”
Honourable Justice A. O. Belgore is an exemplary jurist and a worthy ambassador of Nigeria who has made Nigeria proud in his judicial assignments and capacity. His contribution to the religious and socio-cultural affairs of his community also remains unparalleled. Even as a young lawyer, he was a very active member of Ilorin Descendants Progressive Union in the North and represented the zone at the Union’s Annual Conference on a number of occasions. He was even a member of the Union’s National Executive Committe till he was appointed a Judge of the High Court of Kwara State.
As my noble Lord retires to his beloved family, may I on behalf of the Bar, congratulate His Lordship on his glorious retirement as I wish him many more years of qualitative and rewarding services to humanity.
I had noted earlier in my speech, that His Lordship was born on 18 April 1953, this means that today is His Lordship’s Birthday. I wish My Lord a Happy 70th Birthday and very many happy returns. I wish your Lordship a long and healthy life in retirement, to enjoy the fruits of your labour on the Bench. May the good Lord continue to strengthen you now and always, Amen.
