Ariwoola Warns Federal High Court Judges

The Chief Justice of Nigeria CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola has warned Judges of the Federal High Court against taking their appointments for granted for whatever reason.

He warned them not to attempt to convince anybody no matter how highly placed but to always consult with laws and rules before writing their judgments and rulings.

The CJN issued the warning on Wednesday while declaring open the 2023 Conference of Judges of the Federal High Court held at the Court’s headquarters in Abuja.

He warned that being a judge and the lord of courts was not a child’s play and as such, judges must always strive to come up with judgments that would stand the test of time, especially those that would not be overturned by the Appellate Court.

Justice Ariwoola reminded the Judges that the Federal High Court is not only the largest and best in the country but also the only Court that has exclusive originating jurisdiction over election-related matters in the country.

“For these reasons, I have just enumerated, I charge you not to take your appointments for granted. You must work hard to justify your appointments.

“Go the extra mile to justify the appointments and do not create loopholes that could tarnish the image and reputation of the Court”.

He congratulated the Judges for the opportunity to witness the Conference and the 50th existence of the court.

The Chief Judge of the Court, Justice John Tsoho had earlier recalled the establishment of the Court 50 years ago with a single courtroom and five Judges in Lagos, noting that the sector has grown to 37 Divisions and 95 Judges at the moment.

Justice Tsoho said the 23 Judges recently appointed to beef up the performance of the court have since been inducted and deployed to various divisions.

On the reason for the conference, he said it was aimed at critically discussing issues confronting the court and proffering solutions to the challenges.