… as Ambode swears in three
Chief Judge (CJ) of Lagos State, Olufunmilayo Atilade, says the state judiciary is in dire need of judges to handle increased volume of cases and reduce the current level of pressure on the body of benchers in the state.
Atilade stated this on Wednesday as the state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, swore in three newly appointed judges in the state judiciary, with a charge to pursue professional excellence, integrity and justice for all. The new judges are Idowu Alakija, former director of the state’s Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP); Olugbemiga Ogundare, former chief registrar, High Court of Lagos State, and Serifat Solebo, former deputy registrar of the court.
According to the Lagos CJ, on the average, a judge in Lagos has 500 to 600 cases in his or her docket, a development that puts the bench under intense pressure compared with their counterparts in other states.
“I was talking with the Chief Judge of Ekiti State the other time and I was told that the whole of the judiciary of the state has just 400 cases. So, I like to renew my call to Justice Walter Onnoghen, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to approve more judges for us and I also urge Governor Ambode to approve another appointment process,” Atilade said.
The CJ said the Lagos judiciary being the busiest in the country was in urgent need of judges to fast track the dispensation of justice to the people.
Ambode on his part said the appointment of the new judges was a milestone in his administration’s effort to enhance the quality of life of the people through a judicial process of justice and fairness. He urged them to dispense justice to all manners of people without fear or favour, affection or ill will.
He said over the years, the state judiciary, apart from being the busiest had established a reputation for itself with intellectual judicial pronouncements that had stood the test of time at appellate courts; hence, the new judges must also contribute positively to the advancement of administration of justice.
He promised that his administration would further initiate key reforms in the sector, especially in areas of infrastructure, technology, people and processes and improved welfare for the judiciary.
According to Ambode, the reforms will be based on the recommendations of the recently held Justice Summit by the state’s ministry of justice.
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