CJN reiterates need for more Supreme Court justices
- Justice Walter Onnoghen calls for elevation of more qualified justices to the Supreme Court
- The Chief Justice made the remark in Abuja at the swearing-in of Mr Uwani Abba-Aji as justice of the Supreme Court
- Abba-Aji, until his elevation, was the presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Kaduna division
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, on Tuesday, January 8, reiterated the need to elevate more qualified justices to the Supreme Court to enhance the disposal of pending appeals.
Onnoghen made the remark in Abuja at the swearing-in of Mr Uwani Abba-Aji as justice of the Supreme Court.
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“I issued a statement to the effect that the Supreme Court diary is full with appeals set for hearing up to the year 2021.
“Accordingly, I explained the import of the warning to mean that any matter that is assigned a date must be heard and determined one way or the other on that date.
“For appeals that may be discovered to have defects, I advised counsels to take the necessary steps to amend such defects before the due hearing dates.
“This means that everyone, including the Justices, more than anyone else, must come to the court fully prepared for the business of the day.
“What that means is that there is a lot of work waiting to be done here, especially with pre-election and post-election matters that will arise from the 2019 general elections.’’
He noted that with the retirement of Justice Clara Bata Ogunbiyi in February 2018, the number of justices of the court had dropped to 16, inclusive of the CJN.
According to him, there will be at least one more retirement within the year, which will further put pressure on the Bench considering the workload.
Onnoghen said that the promotion of Justice Abba-Aji to the bench of the apex court was timely and positive.
He said that Abba-Aji’s elevation was due to his enviable work ethic and integrity, charging him to do more to leave his footprints on the sands of time in the court.
“I congratulate you on your appointment and I welcome you to the Bench of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
“After 14 years of outstanding service at the Court of Appeal, it is only befitting that you are elevated to offer your services to the nation at the highest court of the land,’’ he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Abba-Aji, until his elevation, was the presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Kaduna division.
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Justices and judges of the various courts, Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi, senior legal practitioners, officials of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) as well as other wishers attended the ceremony.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that with less than a week to the expiration of the two-month ultimatum given to Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe and two others who stood as sureties for the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, they are yet to pay the N100m bail bond they were ordered by the Federal High Court in Abuja to deposit in the court’s bank account in November 2018.
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