Those we love never die in our hearts

It has been two long years since the patriarch of the Katsina Alu family left this ephemeral world. The Hon. Chief Justice Aloysius Iorgyer Katsina Alu (GCON) who became the Chief Justice of Nigeria on 30, December 2009, and retired from the position on August 28th, 2011. You lived a quiet and peaceful life and passed on to eternal glory on July 18, 2018, only a few weeks to his 77th birthday.

Death changes everything but time changes nothing. The pain of your death is still raw in our hearts, and we love you today as we loved you when you were here with us. We miss you today as we will miss you forever.

The entire family, grandchildren, sons and daughters, nephews and nieces, cousins, brothers and sisters, as well as in-laws still hold very dearly to fond memories of your sojourn in this world. You were quiet and humble yet you worked hard to attain the enviable position of the number one jurist in the country and despite the demands of your noble profession, one of your priorities was imparting moral values into children and others who came close to you.

For us your loving children, that has been a compass with which we have been navigating through this unpredictable life; without it, we would have been lost in the labyrinths of this world especially now that you are no longer with us.

What many do not know about you, which is the hallmark of your humility, is that you were trained in the prestigious Nigeria Army with the current President Muhammadu Buhari, before you left, uncommissioned, to study law at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

President Muhammadu Buhari had attested to this fact in one of his interviews, recounting how you both fared in a military field exercise in Jos.

The president had said: “We were in Jos. Again, I was made a leader of a small unit. We were given a map … you find your way from the map; you go to certain points and on those points, mostly hills, you climb them and you will get a box.

“There were five of us: myself, one Sierra Leonean or Ghanaian, one from Sokoto, and one other. I think the other person is Katsina Alu, the former Chief Justice … he was(in the military). He did the training but he was never commissioned. He went to university and did law….”

Again, we are consoled that you lived a fulfilled life, not just by climbing steadily to the pinnacle of the judicial ladder, but by the fact that you followed the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in giving out all that he had, he was crowned with glory and he is sitting by the right hand of his Father, the maker of heaven and earth. And as you sacrificed and emptied yourself in love for others, may Christ whom you looked up to as a model welcome you into his celestial abode where there is neither pain nor hunger.

Though the shoes you left behind are too big for us to wear, we are striving to distinguish ourselves in our various career paths, with the hope that whenever you look down to check on us, you will not be disappointed.

In loving memory of our beloved father, grand father, husband and father in-law, we remember you today and we will forever. You passed unto eternal glory on the 18th of July 2018. Dear Dad, we remember you today as always and your sweet memories will forever remain fresh in our hearts. Continue your peaceful sojourn with the Lord till we see you again someday where there shall be no separation. We love and miss you and promise never to disappoint you.

Just as we have always been proud of your accomplishments while here on earth, we would love to know you are proud of and happy with us so that your bones will be interred eternally.

The Chief Justice Aloysius Iyorgyer Katsina-Alu was born on the 28th August, 1941 in Alu village, Ushongo Local Government of Benue State.

He was called to the English Bar in October 1967 and the Nigerian Bar on June 28, 1968.

He began private practice in Lagos in July 1968 and later became the Nigerian Ports Authority legal officer from 1969-1977.

From 1978-1979, he became the Commissioner of Justice in Benue State and after that became a High Court Judge and later an Appeal Court judge.

He was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on Wednesday 30 December 2009 by his predecessor as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Idris Legbo Kutigi since President Umaru Musa Yar’adua was indispensable on account of ill health.

He spent 11 years on the bench before he became the 11th Chief Justice of Nigeria, succeeding Justice Idris Legbo

Kutigi.

You served our dear country Nigeria for over three decades with integrity, honour, competence and dedication which led you to the echelon of the Nigerian Judiciary, a notable arm of government. With justice, fairness, and honestly, you treated all Nigerians who came to you seeking justice without any tint of religious, ethnic or political sentiments that most times becloud the reasoning and consequently, define the actions of most leaders. You were not, the biblical ‘unjust judge’.

We will not forget your loving kindness to all. And during retirement you lived a quiet and dignifying life deserving of an elder statesman.

Again, during President Buhari’s condolence message to the family and the entire people of Benue over your death, he confirmed what you truly were.

The President stated that Justice Katsina-Alu’s knowledge, experience and diligence impacted greatly on governance in Nigeria as he featured prominently in landmark cases.

President Buhari believed the late Chief Justice left behind a legacy of discipline, brilliance and diligence that younger jurists could emulate.

As we remember you today, we know that “Those we love never die, they live with us every day. Unseen, unheard, but always near. Dad, yesterday 28th August 2020 would have been your 79th birthday here on earth but we still celebrate you posthumously. You are still loved and dearly missed.”

What many do not know about you, which is the hallmark of your humility, is that you were trained in the prestigious Nigeria Army with the current President Muhammadu Buhari, before you left, uncommissioned, to study law at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

Though the shoes you left behind are too big for us to wear, we are striving to distinguish ourselves in our various career paths, with the hope that whenever you look down to check on us, you will not be disappointed