“Go the extra mile to justify your appointments and do not create loopholes that could tarnish the image and reputation of the Court..” These are some of the cautionary words of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, on Wednesday at the opening of the 2023 Conference of Federal High Court Judges held at the Court’s headquarters in Abuja.
Charging them to stick to laws and rules of court, Chief Justice Ariwoola warned against taking their appointments for granted.
“Always write judgments that the Court of Appeal will have no option but to affirm. Being a judge is not child’s play, particularly in your court, where you don’t sit on a panel. You sit all alone.
“Go the extra mile to justify the appointments and do not create loopholes that could tarnish the image and reputation of the court.
“For the reasons I have just enumerated, I charge you not to take your appointments for granted. You must work harder to justify the appointments by always coming up with judgments and decisions that would not be rejected by the Appellate Courts,” he said.
Chief Judge of the court, Hon. Justice John Tsoho, recalled the establishment of the court 50 years ago with a single courtroom and five Judges in Lagos but has grown to 37 Divisions and 95 Judges at the moment.
His Lordship said that the 23 Judges recently appointed to beef up the performance of the court have since been inducted and deployed to various Divisions.
The PUNCH
