The State Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa has charged the Judiciary to devise means of delivering justice in an expeditious, transparent and equitable manner.
Governor Okowa who was represented by the Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Honourable Sheriff Oborevwori gave the advice at the Special Thanksgiving Mass to mark the opening of the 2020/2021 new Legal Year of the Delta State Judiciary held yesterday at Emmanuel the Saviour Catholic Church, Asaba
"As you prepare to enter the new year, what is clear is that the Judiciary has to continue to find ways to deliver justice in a timely, transparent, and equitable manner.
It behoves you men of the bench, wig and silk to, as a matter of exigency, interrogate the use of interlocutory injunctions and requests for adjournments so that they do not obstruct the course of justice. "
The Governor who observed that it may sound trite, stated that the reason for reiterating the point was because it was vital to the health of justice system and how it was perceived by the public, from which the Judiciary derived its authority.
He pointed out that the State Government, would on her part, continue to do the needful by consolidating the achievements of the past and present administration to put the Judiciary on a sound footing to enable it function optimally without encumbrance.
To match action with words, according to him, new five judges of the High Court in the course of the 2019/2020 legal year were appointed as part of Government's commitment to fill vacancies as quickly as possible so that the course of justice was not hindered through inadequate manpower, stressing that it underscored his administration's resolve to build capacity in the Judiciary to enhance the process of justice delivery, and provide a conducive working environment for Judges and support staff.
He frowned at mischief makers whose stock-in-trade was to cause confusion and fan the embers of disunity by wrongly accusing government of not appointing judges to man the various judicial divisions in the State, saying: " It is important that people get themselves properly informed so that they don't mislead the public and heat up the polity unnecessarily. "
High Court Judges, according to him, were appointed by the State Government as stipulated in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, but made it clear that appointment of Judges in the states was at the instance of the National Judicial Council, NJC.
The Governor disclosed that the current administration since her inception embarked on massive renovation of Courts and Judge's Quarters in the 2019/2020 Legal Year, which included renovation of Judge's Quarter in Oleh.
While in the 2020/2021 Legal Year, the Delta State Government has completed the construction of a Gate House, Generator House, reconstruction of parameter fence, and landscaping of Judge's Quarter in Sapele, adding that contracts had also been awarded for additional renovation works at Judge's Quarters, Ughelli; renovation of High Court buildings, Oghara and Orerokpe.
"As many of you here are aware, we have already awarded the contract for the renovation and construction of the new High Court Complex that was torched during the EndSARS protests. This and other projects will continue to receive priority attention from the administration. I assure you that this administration is determined to build a Judiciary that we can all be proud of," he stated.
In his homily, the Bishop of Issele-Uku Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Michael Elue enjoined Judges and members of the legal profession to draw close to God.
The Cleric described Judges as delegated authority of God, noting that even with best of intentions as human beings they were still deficient in terms of intellect, knowledge, intuition and comprehension.
He pointed out that the purpose of the ceremony was to draw close to God to express our dependency on Him who is the just, impartial and Incorruptible.
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