Wednesday saw the swearing-in of nine Justices of the Court of Appeal by Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kayode Ariwoola.
The new judges were given the oath of office by Ariwoola, who also made the following comment: “The amount of public scrutiny of your conduct will, henceforth, assume astronomical proportions since you have willingly accepted jobs that would strategically place you perpetually in the eye of the storm.
“Starting at this point, the pace and volume of the public’s evaluation of your behaviour and demeanour have both suddenly increased to an unheard-of level.
“To avoid losing the favour of the All-Powerful God and the interested Nigerians who are admiringly looking up to you, you must step up your efforts and have a meaningful conversation with your conscience.
“It takes nothing to join the crowd, but it takes a lot to stand alone with good conscience,” he cautioned.
According to him, the ceremony was a sign of the times because of the numerous unique crimes being committed in the nation, which have caused the number of lawsuits to steadily increase in recent years.
“Especially political cases are having a significant impact on our dockets; to put it mildly, the times are not good.
“This affects every court in the nation. Due to the current problems, we are continuously on our toes, and the to-do list is continually growing.
“This emphasises the undeniable reality that Nigeria consistently ranks among the nations with the highest rate of litigation.
“I firmly believe it is past time we started ingraining the culture of less litigation and more alternative dispute resolution mechanisms: so that our courts can be freed from unnecessary burden and depletion of both human and material resources.”
He asserted that the Lordships bear the whole responsibility for buckling down and putting on their work boots in order to meet the problems head-on.
They were tasked by the CJN with quickening their pace in order to meet the litigants’ demands.
You have a divine mission to carry out on earth as judges, and you must do it with utmost sincerity and honesty.
“You must provide a strong case for yourself in order to obtain promotion to the court of appeal and, later, promotion to the supreme court, which will allow you to further realise your dreams.
“Many high-profile cases would undoubtedly come your way on appeal, and they would possibly do so in some delicious and alluring packages that are frequently intended to tarnish your name and honesty.
“I implore Your Lordships to elude such disguised temptations, for your reputation and honesty matter much and count greatly in your ascent to respect and fame in life.
Binta Fatima Zubairu and Hannatu Azumi Laja-Balogun, both from Kaduna State, were appointed as new appellate court justices on October 31, 2001 and May 24, 1999, respectively.
Peter Obiora from Anambra, who was sworn in as a High Court Judge on January 17, 2005, and Justice Okon Abang from Akwa Ibom, who was appointed a High Court Judge on June 22, 2009, are two additional names.
Other high court judges include Asma’u Musa Mainoma of the Federal Capital Territory, who was appointed on February 1, 2013, Lateef Adebayo Ganiyu of Oyo State, who was appointed on June 26, 2014, and Jane Esienanwan Iyang of Cross River State, who was sworn in on February 12, 2015.
Hadiza Rabiu Shagari of Sokoto State, who was appointed to the High Court Bench on February 12, 2015, and Paul Ahmed Bassi of Borno State, who was chosen for the position on July 14, 2017, make up the remaining members.
