Nigeria Needs Honest Judges – CJN

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, has said that Nigeria is at the crossroad and needs the service of honest judges who would promote the rule of law.

The CJN expressed the desire for fresh judicial officers on Friday during the swearing-in ceremony of the acting President of the Customary Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory, Justice Stanley Adekunle Lawal, at the Supreme Court, Abuja.

“At the crossroads we have found ourselves in Nigeria today, we are earnestly and passionately looking for a crop of judicial officers who will be role models that can confidently hoist the banner of honesty, integrity and uprightness,” Ariwoola said after Lawal took his oath of office.

Advising all serving and retired judicial officers present at the occasion, the CJN decried the current state of affairs in Nigeria but urged the Customary Court president and others to prove their adjudicatory and administrative ingenuity to earn a lasting reputation in the annals of the Nigerian judiciary.

“We hear of corruptions of various forms, killings, kidnappings, armed robbery, banditry, and forms of terrorism against the state and individual citizens.

“Most often, these cases find their way to the court for the right and proper adjudication,” he said.

Regarding the Customary Court as the “lower rung of the judicial ladder”, Ariwoola explained that judges at that level “represent our interest and crystalize the image of the Nigerian Judiciary by doing justice to all matters that come before your lordship.”

He warned judges to be wary of “unmerited material possessions” because it could weaken their reputation and impair their sense of judgement.

The Customary Court of Appeal has jurisdiction on issues relating to customs.