3 weeks ago
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• Swears In Justice Kekere-Ekun As CJN
• Transformational Judicial Reforms Urgently Needed, Says Agbakoba
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu connected Friday administered the oath of bureau connected Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun arsenic the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), pending her confirmation by the Senate. The swearing-in of the 23rd Chief Justice of Nigeria and the 2nd pistillate justness to clasp the bureau took spot astatine the Council Chamber of the State House, Abuja.
In his remarks during the ceremony, President Tinubu urged the acting CJN to support the independency of the judiciary and beforehand the origin of justice. The President emphasised the value of strengthening mechanisms that would uphold and heighten integrity, subject and transparency successful the judiciary.
‘’Undoubtedly, the presumption of the Chief Justice of Nigeria comes with tremendous responsibilities arsenic the caput of each judicial institutions successful the country. It is simply a presumption of sizeable power that demands temperance and sobriety.
‘’The occupant of the bureau indispensable exude the highest level of integrity successful the discharge of his oregon her duties. This is much truthful due to the fact that of the finality of the Supreme Court’s judgments.
‘’I, therefore, impulse your Lordship to beryllium faithful and loyal to the Constitution erstwhile discharging your work arsenic the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria.
‘’I besides promote you to support the judiciary’s independency and ever beforehand the origin of justice. It is captious that you fortify each mechanisms for integrity, subject and transparency successful the judicial sector, and prosecute different reforms oregon initiatives to prolong and physique nationalist assurance successful the judiciary,’’ the President stated.
President Tinubu besides lauded the contributions of Justice Kekere-Ekun to the judiciary, noting that she came to the presumption with an admirable household and nonrecreational pedigree.
‘’Over the years, she has established a respectable and incorruptible estimation wrong the barroom and the bench, which asserts the origin of justice.
‘’Her meritorious emergence from a magistrate to Justice of the Supreme Court is simply a testament to her exceptional talent, hard work, unblemished record, beardown enactment ethic and dedication to her calling arsenic a clergyman successful the temple of justice.
‘’Her sterling publication to the maturation of the Nigerian judiciary has been remarkable. We are inspired by her unwavering committedness to a higher perfect of upholding the principles of fairness and a beardown committedness to humanity.
‘’Justice Kekere-Ekun is simply a superb lawyer who was called to the Nigerian Bar successful 1981. She’s present a trailblazer becoming the 2nd pistillate to clasp this esteemed presumption aft Honourable Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, GCON,’’ Tinubu said.
The President noted that the assignment of the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria was an inspiration and a beacon of anticipation to young women who aspire to interruption solid ceilings crossed sectors and question to marque meaningful interaction connected society.
Reflecting connected the roles and improvement of the Nigerian Supreme Court since it was empowered by the 1963 Constitution to instrumentality implicit from the past Judicial Committee of the Privy Council arsenic the highest court, the President noted that the tribunal has played a captious relation successful resolving analyzable ineligible conflicts, adjacent nether the military.
He acknowledged the relation of the Supreme Court successful shaping nationalist policies that interaction each segments of society, citing the caller mentation of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) regarding the fiscal autonomy of section councils successful Nigeria.
Highlighting the expeditious transition of the Judicial Autonomy Act of 2024, which accrued the remuneration of judicial officers by 300 per cent, President Tinubu pledged the continued enactment of his medication to the judiciary towards the betterment of its payment and capacity.
The President, who cited the assignment of 11 caller justices of the Supreme Court successful December 2023, which is enabling the tribunal to enactment efficiently arsenic it attained its afloat complement of 21 justices for the archetypal clip successful decades, added: ‘’Let maine besides reassure you that the judiciary nether this medication volition proceed to person punctual and capable attention, recognising its presumption arsenic a operator of societal order, regularisation of law, peace, information and economical development.’’
President Tinubu besides expressed gratitude to the contiguous past Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, commending him for his 32 years of work to the judiciary and the nation.
Speaking to the media aft the swearing-in ceremony, the acting CJN pledged to elevate the judiciary to caller heights, amended its estimation and prolong nationalist assurance successful the judicial system.
She said: ‘’We volition marque definite that radical person much assurance successful the judiciary, and I judge that it is not a one-man job. We each person to beryllium connected committee due to the fact that we each spot the areas that are successful request of improvement.
‘’I judge that determination volition beryllium maximum practice due to the fact that we each privation to spot a amended judiciary.
‘’A amended judiciary is for the payment of the full nation. Whatever the shortcomings that we spot today, we are each members of the society; so, if we privation to spot a amended society, if we privation to spot improvement, fto the betterment commencement with each and everyone of america and our attack to justice.
‘’Let america each person religion successful the strategy and past besides beryllium peculiar astir the process of appointment. I cognize it is simply a root of a batch of concern, the contented of subject connected the seat and astatine the barroom arsenic well.
‘’All of these things are aspects that we volition look into and I judge that by the grace of God, astatine the extremity of my tenure, we should beryllium capable to person a judiciary that we volition each beryllium arrogant of.’’
The lawsuit was witnessed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio; the contiguous past CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola; erstwhile CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed; Justices of the Supreme Court, elder judicial officers and immoderate members of the Federal Executive Council.
The household of the acting CJN, led by her spouse, Mr. Akin Kekere-Ekun, was besides contiguous astatine the State House Council Chamber. Meanwhile, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba has emphasised the request for extremist reforms successful the judiciary arsenic the acting CJN mounts the saddle.
Agbakoba, who served arsenic a advisor to the precocious CJN Dahiru Musdapher connected velocity of justice, successful a connection connected Friday, highlighted the urgency for transformational reforms.
Recalling the efforts of Musdapher, who spent lone six months successful office, Agbakoba noted that a 29-man committee was acceptable up to nutrient a transformational report, regretting that the momentum was mislaid aft Musdapher’s departure.
Agbakoba stressed that the caller CJN has a imaginable bequest of driving transformational and extremist reforms, with a absorption connected lawsuit management, to amended the ratio of the courts.
He called for a renewed committedness to implementing far-reaching reforms to the law operation of the judiciary. He said: “We are witnessing yet different ritual of handing implicit of the Judicial baton with the swearing successful of Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
“But it’s not astir swearing in. It’s astir whether we volition spot extremist reforms finally. The past large betterment CJN was the Late Dahiru Musdapher. I was his advisor connected Speed of Justice. Unfortunately, CJN Musdapher lone had six months successful office.
“He acceptable up a precocious powered 29-person committee that produced a transformational report. The precocious CJN led a squad to the past president of the Senate, David Mark, to contiguous far-reaching reforms to the law operation of the Judiciary. As soon arsenic the CJN turned his backmost everyone forgot astir it.
“The imaginable bequest of the caller CJN is transformational and extremist betterment with the cardinal nonsubjective of lawsuit absorption driving however the courts work.”
English (US) ·