From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad charged the 22 newly sworn-in Judges of the High Court of the
Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, to refrain from acts that would smear their names or bring the legal profession into disrepute.
The CJN, gave the admonition on Tuesday while administering the oath of office on them at the Supreme Court complex.
Some of the new Judges of the FCT High Court are; Nwabulu Chineze (Anambra state); Aliyu Ahmed (Adamawa state); Mimi Anne Katsina-Alu-Apene (Benue state); Agashieze Odinaka (Enugu state); Madugu Alhaji (Oyo state); Agunloye Kayode (Ondo state); Enenche Eleojo (Kogi state); Aminu Abdullahi (Kano state); Nwecheonwu Elewe (Rivers state); Fatima Aliyu (Gombe state); Ibrahim Mohammed (Jigawa state); Aliyu Shafa (Nasarawa state) and Kanyip Indinya (Taraba state).
While charging the judicial officers to rise above temptations and trials that might bring their careers into disrepute, Justice Muhammad said;
“The Bench is neither for the prosaic, the greedy nor those with
questionable character who can easily fall for a plate of porridge offered by desperate litigants.”
According to the CJN, the newly sworn-in judges have entered a lifetime convenant with God and the Federal Republic of Nigeria and that whatever
they do rightly would be counted and accordingly recorded in their favour.
“Appointment to the Bench is not an appointment to wealth, vain glory, dishonest disposition or ostentatious lifestyle through corrupt acquaintances”, he said and told them that the searchlight of the National Judicial Council (NJC) beams on all judicial officers across the country.
“Our radar is sophisticated enough to detect every form of corruption and wrong doings. The remoteness of your location of adjudication can never blur our sight on you”, he told the judges and added that the NJC has powerful lens to capture and document their conduct and urged them to be careful in their conduct to avoid regretting been appointed a judicial officer.
The CJN said the letters and words of the oath they have taken must reside in a prime place of their heart and be applied generously in their adjudications, even as he urged them to be impartial, fair to all and apply justice and equity in all their undertakings.
He said what the country needs now are judicial officers who are
calculating, honesty, objective, dispassionate and humble.
“By virtue of the oath you have just taken, you have, automatically, assumed new status and responsibilities in life. A new blank page in the book of life has just been opened for you. The pen is right there in your hand to write whatever you desire to be the content of the new page.
For your information, most of the writings you do on this new page would be done either consciously, subconsciously or unconsciously. The fact is that your conduct, your conscience, the fear of God in you, will collectively determine the likely content of this new page, as you may not entirely be in control of your actions, inactions and general dispositions. But like it is often said, a clear conscience fears no accusation. He who comes to equity must come with clean hands; so flee from anything that will smear your hands and bring you into disrepute in the course of your new assignment.
Though judicial officers are not spirits or superhuman beings, yet so much impossible things are expected from them by the society they live in. I rejoice with you on this very important and strategic appointment, but at the same time, I sympathize with you for the landmines that are likely to lay your ways in the course of your adjudication, especially if your conscience doesn’t control your conduct.
