The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, had warned the 22 newly sworn-in Judges of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, to refrain from anything that would bring them and the country into disrepute.
Tanko drummed it in that the newly sworn-in judges have entered a lifetime covenant with God and the Federal Republic of Nigeria and that whatever they do rightly would be counted and accordingly recorded in their favour.
“The Bench is neither for the prosaic, the greedy nor those with questionable character who can easily fall for a plate of porridge offered by desperate litigants”, and charged them to rise above temptations and trials that might obstruct or even halt their rise to the pinnacle of their
career.
“Appointment to the Bench is not an appointment to wealth, vainglory, dishonest disposition or ostentatious lifestyle through corrupt acquaintances”, he said and told them that the searchlight of the National Judicial Council (NJC) beams on all judicial officers across the country.
“Our radar is sophisticated enough to detect every form of corruption and wrongdoings. The remoteness of your location of adjudication can never blur our sight on you”, he told the judges and added that the NJC has a powerful lens to capture and document their conduct and urged them to be careful in their conduct to avoid regretting been appointed a judicial officer.
Going further in his speech, the CJN said the letters and words of the oath they have taken must reside in a prime place of their heart and be applied generously in their adjudications, even as he urged them to be impartial, fair to all and apply justice and equity in all their undertakings.
Concluding, he maintained that the country needs judicial officers who are calculative, honesty, objective, dispassionate and humble.