CROSS RIVER ( Sundiata Post) Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River has advised the three newly-appointed judges in the state High Court to strive to restore people’s faith in the judiciary.
Otu made the call on Monday in Calabar at the swearing-in ceremony of the judges in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the newly-inaugurated judges were: Justices Ama Ekpo, Theresa Agom and Jarlath Agim.
The governor, who urged the judges to live above board, noted that the principle of separation of powers among the three arms of government was purely for checks and balances rather than for opposition and friction.
“As you are sworn-in today as members of the bench at a time the judiciary nationwide is under unbridled public criticism, a lot of judicial expertise is expected from you.
“While the debate on the veracity or otherwise of the public claims rages on, the undisputed fact remains that the judiciary needs to re-invent itself through self-cleansing procedure.
“The National Judicial Council of Nigeria (NJCN) should not relent in banging the gavel on erring judicial officers.
“So the three judges sworn-in today must live above board to rekindle the trust of the common man in the judiciary,” he said.
The governor commended the current symbiotic relationship among the executive, the legislature and the judiciary in the state, saying it had enhanced a seamless movement of government’s machinery.
He said the new judges were carefully chosen among the legal practitioners in the state, describing them as an embodiment of hard work, sincerity and integrity, with firm knowledge of the law.
He added that the judiciary should assist the society in the decongestion of correctional centres through the effective use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) option.
Earlier in her remarks, the State Chief Judge, Justice Akon Ikpeme, advised the newly-elevated judges to discharge their duties with the fear of God and in accordance with the rule of the law.
“You are coming into an arena which requires integrity, impartiality and efficiency. I charge you to give judgments with fairness and according to the rule of law.
“As you take your oath this afternoon, don’t just recite it as anything; listen to the wordings of the oath and keep to it,” Ikpeme said. (NAN)
