By Our Correspondent
Sylvanus Nsofor, Nigeria’s Ambassador to US, is dead. Nsofor was a retired justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He was 85.
His death was confirmed by the presidency in a statement by President Buhari made available to The Lagosian. According to the statement, President Muhammadu Buhari “expressed heartfelt commiserations with the family, friends and associates of Nigeria’s Out-going Ambassador to the United States, Justice Sylvanus Adiewere Nsofor over his demise.â€
Below is the full statement from the presidency.
President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed heartfelt commiserations with the family, friends and associates of Nigeria’s Out-going Ambassador to the United States, Justice Sylvanus Adiewere Nsofor over his demise.
In a telephone call to Jane, the widow of the retired justice in New York on Friday, the President described Amb. Nsofor as “an outstanding judge of rare courage and truth who is not afraid to give justice to whom justice is due.â€
It would be recalled that during the litigation that followed the 2003 presidential election, Justice Nsofor delivered a minority judgment as a member of the Election Appeal Panel in favour of Gen. Buhari as candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). His appointment as ambassador in 2017 was regarded by some as payback for Nsofor’s courage. The President was also criticized by some for appointing a man they considered too old for a post as sensitive as Nigeria’s ambassador to Washington.
