By Ayodele Popoola
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Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has called on the judiciary to retain the zeal and tenacity in transforming the state into a society of peace, civility and security; where laws reign supreme and our society loses none of its humanity.
He also thanked the judges for stabilizing the polity and keeping Nigeria’s democratic experience alive.
The governor gave the charge during the special Court session to usher in the year 2023/2024 Legal Year, held at the Ondo State High Court, Akure
Akeredolu, who was represented by the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Sir Charles Titiloye appreciated the the judiciary for their selfless service to humanity in the prompt dispensation of justice in the state.
He said, “The various judgments coming out of the election tribunals in the country have shown the judiciary as the real defender and vanguard of peace and democracy in our country.
“Your Lordships researched into the volume of facts and law presented before you and weighed it on the scale of justice, thereby ensuring that justice prevailed in electoral disputes arising from the General Elections held this year.”
“I beseech my Lords to continue to maintain the sanctity, credibility, and impartiality for which you are known as this will foster public confidence in the judgments and rulings emanating from our courts.”
The administration, the governor added, has taken giant steps to find a means of intervention aimed at improving the capacity of the Correctional Centres in the state as well as creating more courts.
Akeredolu, however, urged the judiciary to work towards the fortification of the rule of law in all aspects of the lives of the citizenry and ensure that justice prevails at all times
Speaking earlier, the Ondo State Chief Judge, Justice Olusegun Odusola, expressed his gratitude for the trust placed in him as the chief judge and promised to lead with integrity and unwavering commitment to the law.
He said four more judges have been appointed in the last year, raising the number of judges of the High Court to 20, to fill the gap created by the retirement of some.
Odusola added the judiciary is building a well-structured in-house training module to address practical issues and to expose Magistrates to the challenges of the trial court.
He said it has demolished the new Magistrate Court to pave the way for an ultra-modern complex and also commissioned a special environmental Court at Alagbaka.
In his remark, the Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Owo branch, Oladejo Oladele stressed the need to effect changes in the system as the judiciary cannot continue to do the same thing the same way and hopes to achieve different results.
In his sermon, during the Legal Year special church service at St. David’s Cathedral Akure, the Lord Bishop of Idoani Diocese, the Most Rev’d Adegoke Agara advised the judges to always seek divine wisdom from God in the discharge of their duties and to see their profession as partnering with God not a means of survival.
