Be prepared to compete globally, Sanwo-Olu charges Lagos judiciary

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has charged the state judiciary to always be the best that can compete favourably with its counterpart across the globe.

Governor Sanwo-Olu gave the charge on Thursday while handing over certificate of appointment to the 13 newly appointed judges in the state, at an occasion held at the Governors Office Auditorium, Alausa Ikeja.

He urged the newly appointed judges to be fair, and uphold the rule of law, stressing that the judiciary in the state is excellent and should continue with the successes it had recorded by taking them to the next level.

“The judicial service in Lagos is comparable to the judicial system in any part of the world. The justice system remains at the global level we must try to compete globally by improving our judicial system,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu recalled that his administration had appointed 37 judges since he came on board in 2019, expressing his administration’s commitment to raise the bar of the judicial system in the state and equip it to meet the needs of the people of the state.

“There is something about the state, we must continue to raise the bar,” he said.

The Chief Judge of the state, Justice Kazeem Alogba, in his own remark, urged the newly appointed judges to distinguish themselves, saying that the new appointment they had taken demanded everything in them and from them.

“The office you have come to take demands everything in you, from you and you must be resilient. You must be ready to hit the ground running. All of you did exceedingly well that is why you are appointed. You must shun corruption like a plague.

“I will interfere in your affairs at all times. Be hardworking, be resilient, you have not learnt anything, you have just begun to learn. Petitions will come your way. The petition will be your baptism of fire,” he charged them.

Alogba, therefore, appealed to their friends and relatives to let them be, and not to interfere in the conduct of their job, pointing out that over 300 lawyers applied for the position of judge where 13 judges were required, adding that those chosen were the best.

He, however, expressed gratitude to the Nigeria Judicial Council (NJC) that conducted an examination for the judges for a job well done.

In her oath of assurance on behalf of other judges, one of the newly appointed judges, Simisola Augusta Azeez, assured that they would abide by the provisions of the constitution and the judicial oath, promising that they would not disappoint the state government in the discharge of their duties.

Present at the occasion were Oba Adedapo Tejuoso, the Osinle of Okeona of Egba land; the State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Lawal Pedro (SAN), Chief Sunny Kuku and a host of others.

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