Eminent Jurist, Kayode Eso dies at 87

Eminent jurist and former Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Kayode Eso, is dead. He was aged 87. According to a release issued by the family, Eso died peacefully at the Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom, in the early hours of Friday, after a brief illness. The release also stated that he is survived by his widow, Mrs. Helen Aina Eso, and children, Funmilayo Eso-Williams and Olumide Eso. Justice Eso, who was highly respected for his forthright and courageous views on national issues, was born in Ilesha, Osun State. He had a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Law from the Trinity College in London. Describing his death as a great loss to the family and Nigeria, Venerable Ladipo Eso, younger brother to the late jurist, said: “He stood for truth, lived for truth and this permeated through his life in the family and in his chosen career both as a lawyer and also as a judge, and through his life as a Supreme Court judge.” Speaking with The Nation inhis Lagos home, Ven. Eso said the late Justice Kayode Eso, as the head of the Eso family, ensured love and harmony among the family members. He said: “We will miss him because of his love for the family. He was the head of the Eso dynasty of Ilesa for 40 years. He brought us together in love and made us to grow together in love. Since the death of our father, he led us and saw to our fears. “With him as the leader of the family, you would hardlyknow that this child belongsto this father. Everybody sees himself as a member ofthe Eso dynasty. We thank God for his life because he lived a very fulfilled life.” On the probable cause of the jurist’s death, the younger Eso said: “It’s just general elderly ailment. It’s abit of shock to us, but also not a shock because an elderly man of 87 years, anything could happen to him. “He was alright for his age. He was a very strong man. He just developed a sudden ailment. We were together in London.” Ven. Eso said he last spoke with his elder brother last week in England, during which the foremost jurist lamented the state of affairsin Nigeria. According to Ven. Eso, the late justice expressed sadness that people are now getting rich without working, and that criminals are no longer punished for their crimes. He was said to have described a society where crimes go unpunished as a confused society. He said: “We were together less than a week ago in England, where we were holidaying. He was an open-minded person. He spoke on different issues of life. He spoke about the state of the country and how sad he had always been looking back on this country. “He regretted that people are now getting rich without working, and that no crime is punished as such. He said when you have a society where crime is not punished, it is a very confused society. He was really sad about all this. He did his best to stand againstcorruption. “He had always been very brilliant. He loved music to the core and also loved Latinin those days when we were studying Latin in school. He was the head of the grammar school as a senior prefect. He made many marks in his entire life. He did a lot to excel. “When he went to study Law, he came out with distinction. He started law practice when he came backto the country in 1954. His first practice was in northern Nigeria, Jos to be specific. He came to the West later and joined the judiciary where he eventually rose to be the chief judge of Oyo State. “From there, he was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court and all through he showed his brilliance and the purposefulness to the law practice and the judiciary. Till he died, his knowledge was still intact. “He was a Christian to the core. He was a real Christian,one who believed in life, death, resurrection and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. He beats his chest about God. He was the chancellor of the Diocese of Ilesa for 33 years before he relinquished the post because of old age. “He had just completed a church behind his house in Ilesa. He built the church and gave it to the Diocese ofIlesa. The church is called Anglican Church of the RisenChrist.” An Associate Professor at the Federal University of Technology (FUTO), Owerri, who is Eso’s niece, AbimbolaUzomah, described the late jurist as a father. “My mum was his younger sister and they were very close. He was a father to me.He was always concerned and caring. He cared for us as though we were his children, and that was the kind of care that existed between him and mum. “When mum died, it was so painful to him, but he survived the pain. He was always telling me that I look so much like his sister. He also extended the same loveto my children. “When I wanted to marry my husband, an Igbo man, he stood solidly behind me. His house is a second home for us, even in London. It was home away from home.We never referred to him as an uncle. We called him Grandpa.”