Barely a month after he received members of the bench on a courtesy visit to his office, Governor Bassey Otu, has presented brand new Ford Edge vehicles to senior justices in the state.
Otu made the presentation on Wednesday, in Calabar, where he bemoaned the hardship that the senior benchers have been exposed to over the years. He assured them of rewriting the wrongs to make that arm of government more vibrant.
“A few weeks ago when my Lord the Chief Judge led a team of upper benchers to my office, the issue of transportation was mentioned to me, alongside a plethora of other problems that are inherent in the judiciary, I am glad to say that the season of sweetness has started with the judiciary at this moment.
“I do so because this is an important arm of government that we should not joke with. Any society where there is no justice cannot move forward; investment cannot thrive where people don’t trust the justice system.
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“This particular arm of government is one my administration will take special interest in because we are bringing investors across the globe to invest in our economy and for them to have the confidence of investing here, we must demonstrate to them that there is a just and fair society where if rules are breached, punishment follows immediately.
“Once they understand the existence of this equality before the law and that justice can be dispensed without any fear or favour, then you can be rest assured that the economy will thrive,” the governor said.
Otu also informed of plans to embark on a working tour of all courts across the state with a view to carrying out a comprehensive renovation and upgrading of facilities in line with current realities.
On the physical decay observed in other institutions of government, the governor assured that “We are gradually looking into the fabrics of the service and will tackle the challenges confronting other institutions of government based on our financial power.
Earlier, Akon Ikpeme, the chief judge of Cross River State, decried the hardship judges have gone through over the years, describing Otu as a perfect gentleman and promised keeper.
Ikpeme said the judges have been using their cars to discharge their day-to-day assignments, admitting that this gesture will ameliorate their transportation challenges.
A beneficiary, Justice Edem Koofreh, thanked Governor Out for the gesture and promised that his team would make judicious use of the official vehicles.
