By Charles Igbo
On Saturday, February 7, 2026, the Government and people of Imo State rolled out the red carpet for the Honourable Justice Chioma Egondu Nwosu-Iheme, a Justice of the Supreme Court, and a distinguished daughter of the State.
It was the grand finale of a week long activities by the State Government to mark the 50th anniversary of the creation of the State.
So, Governor Hope Uzodinma, on the recommendation on the Committee he set up, decided to honour 50 of the indigenes of the State, out of many, who had, in one way or the other, contributed to the progress and upliftment of the State in one way or the other.
Those honoured in the different categories of the awards include past Governors of the State – military and civilian – and the incumbent, Senator Hope Uzodinma.
Two former Civilian Governors – Achike Udenwa and Rochas Okorocha – were absent at the high profile event attended by Nigeria’s Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima. The surprise physically-present was, however, The Rt. Honourable Emeka Ihedioha, Governor Uzodinma’s immediate predecessor in office.
Given the circumstances which surrounded his exit from office and the bitter politics in the State, not a few people, including Vice President Shettima, were excited that he rose above all that to attend.
However, one of those honoured for whom everybody chorused “deservedly”, is the Honourable Justice Chioma Egondu Nwosu-Iheme a Justice of the Supreme Court.
Nwosu-Iheme, a no- nonsense Jurist, incorruptible all those who had come across her say, is a combination of many things – courageous, bold, brilliant, hardworking, committed to fairness and rule of law.
Her reputation is so well known that even when she was kidnapped, once her abductors, found out who they had unknowingly kidnapped, treated her with reverence – new bedsheets, new wrappers, hot water for her bath, and dubbed her “Madam Justice”.
To top it all, she capped her enviable carriage with academic prowess.
She does not flaunt it, but Justice Nwosu-Iheme is the first Nigerian female Judge to acquire a PhD in Law.
Born on February 2, 1959, she was first appointed a Judge of the Imo State High Court in 1995 on which position she handled some of very difficult cases, including the infamous, notorious “Otokoto saga” which shook the State to its foundation.
Expectedly, because of her grasp of law, she was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2018. And, on February 26, 2024, she was elevated to the Supreme Court.
With her elevation, the Honourable Justice Nwosu-Iheme became the second Imo State daughter to be elevated to the position of a Justice of the Supreme Court. The first was the Honourable Justice Mary Peter-Odili, rtd, an Mbaise daughter, who is married to a former Rivers State Governor, Dr. Peter Odili.
Nwosu-Iheme, a native of Nkwerre, Imo State, is married to a distinguished gentleman, businessman and entrepreneur, Chief Uzoma Nwosu-Iheme, also from Nkwerre, to whom she has been married for decades, and with whom she has successful children.
It is no wonder, then, that her appreciative State, on its 50th anniversary, honoured her with the award of the Grand Service Star of Imo State, GSSI, second only to the one awarded to the first civilian governor of the State, Chief Samuel Mbakwe, PhD, and the incumbent Governor, Senator Uzodinma.
In giving her the award, the Government and people of Imo State are confident that she would continue to make the State proud, and be its exemplary Ambassador within and outside State.
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