Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has sworn in new Chief Judge, Grand Khadi and President of Customary Court of Appeal, for the state.
Those inaugurated are Hon. Justice Hafsat Abdulrahman (Chief Judge), Hon. Justice Ibrahim Sudi (Grand Khadi) and Hon. Justice Audu Balami (President of the Customary Court of Appeal).
At the oath-taking ceremony on Monday, 8th- May, 2023, Governor Fintiri said “The three Justices are people I have worked with in their acting capacities and can attest to their capabilities and competence to honourably head our respective temples of justice.
“While upholding the fundamentals of this testament with a confirmation today, I congratulate them all for reaching this merited point in their individual careers.
“The Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Hafsat Abdulrahman, is a consummate judge who rose through the ranks with unblemished record in her years of service and substantive judgements to her belt.
“We are making history as a government by having the first female Chief Judge in the history of the State. Her emergence is therefore, a watershed development in gender mainstreaming and a testament that the girl-child is at liberty to rise and become anything with merit, devoid of any man-made barriers in Adamawa State.
“To parents, I must say, if we are looking for a role model for our daughters, this is a perfect place to come to merit, right, truth, hard work, dedication, fairness and justice.
“Hon. Justice Ibrahim Sudi and Hon. Justice Audu Balami, Grand Khadi and President of the Customary Court of Appeal respectively, are equally cutting-edge judges in their own rights.
“The appointments of their Lordships are based on our recommendation to the National Judicial Council (NJC).
“This recommendation is equally hinged on our assessment of their suitability and performance which meets the NJC’ criteria for Appointment of Judges.
“These criteria include seniority, integrity, competency, having a good moral personality, impartiality, assertiveness, ability to make timely judgments, hard work and the ability to manage cases well.
“I am happy to note that their Lordships have made Adamawa State proud by scaling through all the criteria successfully.”
He added that “The administration of the Oath of Allegiance and that of Office in public is not just a matter of formal procedure but a public witnessing of the making of two solemn promises for the performance of which the oath-taker will be responsible, on the one hand, to the people and be accountable, on the other, to his Creator.
“Even though, as judicial officers, you are expectedly grounded in the business of the administration of oath, like clergies who would never get tired of preaching against sins, I have decided to never give up on the need to remind every public officer on the weight of oath in service. It is indeed a heavy duty on our individual shoulders.
“How we dispense it truly matters a lot. Lordships, yours is heavier as heads of your various courts and the leaders of our judiciary, you can save the judiciary and build more confidence in the justice system if only you and your colleagues are reminded of the dictates of your oaths in the courts and in every day’s conducts”.
He said “The judiciary in Nigeria, is sadly in need of deliberate image-saving. A situation where citizens flagrantly violate the law and arrogantly tell you to “go to the courts”, all because he/she is sure of manipulating the law to tilt the course of justice does not only make the innocent a victim, but robes the judiciary off of its integrity and sanctity as the historical last hope of the common man.
“This is arrogance taken too far and we must collectively fight it. It is important to emphasise that the Judiciary is the last line of defence in any constitutional democracy and there must never be a time when citizens begin to habour any suspicion that the Judiciary is captured. Under no circumstances should you falter.
“The integrity of the justice system and the independence of the Judiciary can never be compromised under any circumstances. Come what may, you must remain strong and resilient and be steadfast in upholding the Rule of Law.”
