Flee From Temptation, CJN Charges New Appeal Court Justices

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, has advised nine newly sworn-in Justices of the Court of Appeal to flee from temptation.

Ariwoola said during their oath-taking at the Supreme Court that many high-profile cases would come and they may be accompanied by juicy and irresistible gifts that are often intended to dent their reputation and integrity.

“I admonish Your Lordships to flee from such disguised temptations because your reputation and integrity matter much and count enormously in your rise to honour and fame in life.

“However, the onus squarely rests on your lordships to fasten your belt and roll up your sleeves to face the challenges head-on.

“You must redouble your pace to catch up with the expectations of the litigants. As judicial officers, you have a divine mandate on earth that you must discharge with unveiled honesty and sincerity,” the CJN said.

He however bemoaned the rising political cases in Nigeria advising litigants to resolve their disputes so as not to overburden judges and the courts.

He added, “Political cases, especially, are taking a monumental toll on our dockets. Indeed, the times we are in are not pleasant, to say the least.

“No court in the land is spared of this. We are constantly on our toes and the dockets are ever rising in response to the challenges of the time.

“This underscores the undisputed fact that Nigeria continuously ranks among the most litigious countries in the world.

“I strongly believe it is high time we began to imbibe the culture of less litigation and more of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms so that our courts can be freed of unnecessary burden and depletion of both human and material resources.”

He maintained that the justices must give a good account of themselves to justify their elevation to the Court of Appeal so that they can subsequently earn elevations to the Supreme Court to further actualize their dreams.