The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Tanko Mohammad, Tuesday urged Judges in the country to redouble their effort and ensure that cases pending before their various courts were speedily disposed off.
While declaring open the 2019/2020 Annual Judges Conference of the Federal High Court in Abuja, the CJN, who was represented by Justice Mohammed Shuaibu of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, said he was optimistic that most of the pending cases would get deserved attention now that judges have returned from their annual vacation.
“Having rested for over two months; we are expecting much more from all of you. You must redouble your efforts in discharging your judicial functions in this legal year,” the CJN stated.
However, in his opening speech, Justice John Tsoho, the acting Chief Judge of the High Court, re-echoed his plea for the recruitment of more judges to handle over 116,623 cases currently pending for adjudication.
Justice Tsoho, who earlier bemoaned the fact that there was no budgetary provision for the appointment of more Judges, said he would, however, push for more hands to join the Bench.
“As I stated earlier in the speech at Special Court session marking the New Legal Year, efforts will be made to see that new Judges are appointed to help achieve our goal to quickly and efficiently adjudicate cases pending in our courts.
“While we await the time for this to materialize, I urge my brother Judges and the staff to put in more efforts to reduce the burden that the obvious shortfall would have caused the court in terms of speedy adjudication,” he said.
Justice Tsoho said the court deserved commendation on the way it handled plethora of pre-election cases brought before it, disclosing that the erstwhile CJ had categorically banned Judges from granting ex-parte injunctions to parties.
He said: “I wish to use this opportunity to congratulate your lordships on the way and manner most of the pre-election matters were handled. Most of the cases were adjudicated without rancour.
”The credit as well goes to the former Chief Judge, who directed that no injunctive relief must be granted ex-parte. That directive and the adherence to it by Hon. Judges helped to remove us from the critical eyes of the public”.
He further stated that experts in various fields were engaged “to talk to the Judges and to probably bring us up to date in certain areas in our chosen profession and also the subject of health, which has been of paramount importance to all heads of this court. ‘
“In this regard, practitioners are drawn from diverse areas of medicine to speak, with intent to ensure that their lordships keep healthy lifestyles,” the Acting CJ added.
Among special guests at the opening session of the 35th Annual Judges Conference was Mr. Ibrahim Magu, the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
