The Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has congratulated the immediate past Chief Judge, Justice Suleiman Kawu on his successful retirement and service to the state
Justice Kawu retired as the state’s Chief Judge (CJ) amid commendations for his forthrightness and good leadership qualities with which he ran the office.
Speaking at the event held in his honour, the Governor said; “I celebrate with my Lord on this momentous day. This is a day that every public servant would look forward to with joy; it is a day to cherish and to remember forever, your wealth of experience will continue to be of immense benefit to the state, I hope that the retired CJ will always be available to render the same support to the state and Nigeria as a whole even after retirement.
“I want to place on record that since assuming office as Governor, I have had a cordial working relationship with Justice Kawu. In the past three and a half years, I have enjoyed his forthrightness, his commitment to duty, and his readiness to serve,” he said.
“Today marks your Lordship’s official disengagement from service. Words alone cannot express my felicitations to you on your remarkable public service duty tour spanning nearly four decades.”
The Governor thereafter handed a car key to the retired Chief Judge, saying the former judicial officer deserved it.
Justice Suleiman Kawu thanked the Governor and appreciated him for the confidence to pull through a tough moment in the twilight of his career when several petitions were written to force him out of office.
“Talking about our working relationship, I remember there was an occasion when I requested for some things on behalf of the state judiciary, and Your Excellency said My Lord, please be sure that these things you are requesting for are captured in the state budget because you didn’t want to run foul of the Procurement Act, and I assured you that I would never bring anything outside the budget.
“There was also a time when, for some reasons, some issues cropped up and there were so many petitions written against me, It got to a time I was almost fed up and was ready to resign.
“And you asked me, My Lord, why did you ask this question? I replied that the petitions were too unbearable for me. I remember that you just opened your drawer and showed me some copies of the petitions, and also said, if I had not raised it, you would not have bothered to ask me. And you said ‘please my Lord, go on with your work’.
“Your action impacted me positively as it gave me the confidence that I was doing the right thing and that I could go on. May God Almighty continue to guide and protect you.”
Justice Suleiman Kawu became the Chief Judge in 2014.
In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Kawu granted amnesty to 46 inmates awaiting trial at Oke-Kura maximum and Mandala medium prisons in Ilorin now known as National Correctional Centre.
He also improved infrastructures at the various courtrooms across the State, while the welfare of judicial officers was well catered for.
The retired Chief Judge was also known for his zero tolerance for corruption.
PIAK
