He said: “I appeal to all judicial officers to bear in mind that every time they sit in judgment over their fellow human beings, they are to render justice and no other thing. “We must bear in mind that justice must not only be done but must manifestly be seen to be done.”
Justice Ajanah said the ceremony afforded the jurists the opportunity to renew their pledge to render justice to all manner of people through timely adjudication of disputes without discrimination. The Chief Judge hinted the state judiciary was gradually overcoming the shortage of halls and infrastructural decay in the courts through construction of more court houses. Speaking earlier, the state governor, Idris Wada, urged the judiciary to go the extra mile to earn the confidence of litigants and the general public by upholding justice in all circumstances.
The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Olugbemiro Jegede, commended the leadership of the state judiciary for prudent management of resources.
Wada, however, hinted that the state was in a period of dwindling resources and called for “belt tightening” on the part of other all stakeholders for the state to keep afloat. A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Abemi Mohammed, speaking on behalf of members of the Inner Bar, challenged the judiciary to rise up to its constitutional responsibility and be firm, courageous and steadfast in the dispensation of justice. Mohammed decried corruption in the system saying: “Some lawyers even act as couriers of money to the judges.”
