The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, has warned Judges in the country against accepting juicy and irresistible gifts from corrupt people, especially politicians and businessmen, so as not to bring shame and disgrace to their families when caught.
The CJN said many high-profile cases would definitely come before Judges in the course of discharging their duties in the company of irresistible gifts, especially when they involve mouth-watery financial aid business transactions.
“I am making it clear to you now that you must flee from such disguised danger,” the CJN said while inaugurating six newly appointed Judges for the National Industrial Court on Monday at the Supreme Court Complex.
The six new Judges inaugurated are Justices Subilim Emmanuel Danjuma, Mohammad Adamu Hamza, Damachi-Onugba Joyce Agede, Hassan Mohammed Yakubu, Buhari Sami, and Sanda Audu Yelwa.
The CJN told the Judicial officers to conduct their affairs within the ambit of the law and the oath of office administered to them.
“If you were hitherto 50 percent under public scrutiny, I can confidently tell you now that it has automatically risen to 100 percent by virtue of this appointment”
Justice Ariwoola charged the Judges to redouble their efforts and dialogue with their conscience in order not to fall out of the grace of God and the Nigerian people.
“It absolutely takes nothing to join the crowd, but it takes quite a lot to stand alone with a good conscience,” he said and charged the new Judges to fasten their belts and roll up their sleeves to face the challenges head-on adding that they must double their pace to catch up with expectations of litigants.
“As Judicial officers, you have a divine mandate on earth that you must discharge with unveiled honesty and sincerity. You must give a good account of yourselves to justify your appointment. However, if you decide to do the contrary, the sledgehammer will, without hesitation, descend heavily on you.
“No judicial officers at any level of our Courts will be allowed to drag the reputation of the Nigerian Judiciary into the mud. We cannot come this far to fail. Take heed of this admonition by working rightly towards occupying an enviable space in the annals of the Nigerian Judiciary”, the CJN said.