Litigants in Nigeria have been assured of efforts to increase number of supreme court justices to ensure quick dispensation of Justice.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola gave the assurance at a special valedictory session marking the exit of Justice Musa Dattijo from the Apex court, after meeting the mandatory requirement age of seventy years.
The CJN revealed that the Supreme Court is now having the lowest number of Justices in its history.
According to him, the Apex Court is having only 10 Justices on its bench to tackle the heavy workload of pending cases.
The CJN however assured that efforts are on top gear to elevate a sizeable Justices to the bench of the Court.
“With Justices Musa Dattijo leaving us today after the retirement of Hon. Justice Adamu Amina Augie a few weeks ago, we are now left with just 10 Justices on the Supreme Court Bench; being the lowest we have ever had in contemporary history of the Court.”
Justice Ariwoola said, “I can confidently assure all the litigant public that efforts are in top gear to get on board a sizeable number of Justices to boost our rank and complement the tremendous effort we have been investing in the business of the Court.”
He described the retired justice Musa Dattijo as a revered jurists whose records of judgments will continue to resonates and be a reference point in the judiciary.
“We are here to identify with an accomplished jurisprudential iconoclast that has offered the best of his intellect to the advancement of the legal profession through his several years of unblemished and incontrovertible adjudications at different levels of Courts in Nigeria.”
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, has expressed the readiness of President Bola Tinubu to give expeditious approval of the recommendation of National judicial council of names to be appointed judges to the Apex court.
Fagbemi reiterated efforts of the ministry in reforming the justice sector in collaboration with judicial stakeholders at the state levels.
Also speaking on behalf of Body of senior Advocates of Nigeria, Mr. Joe-kyari Gadzama called for a quick appointment of justices to the Apex court as the number of justices continue to drop.
While commending the judiciary for the speedy dispensation of the Presidential Election Petitions, Gadzama called on politicians to accord the judiciary the desired respect as the oldest, smartest and the third arm of government.
Doing so, Gadzama added will help to reduce burden and cases at the dockets of the supreme court.
While congratulating justice Dottijo for a successful retirement, Gadzama described him as a pillar of motivation to the profession whose judgments will remain a reference point.
The President of Nigeria Bar Association, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau, decried the way and manner some members of the bar misinterpret cases before the court or judgments delivered for personal gains and promised to institute actions against such members.
While thanking Allah for the successful judicial career, retired justice Musa Dattijo also harped on the need fill in the vacuum of retired justices left at Apex court based on merit.
