From: Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The President of the Court of
Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa Thursday disclosed that the court
within the year delivered 3001 judgments and at the same time heard
about 6, 963 appeals.
Justice Bulkachuwa stated this during the opening of the 2017 Court
of Appeal Judges Conference at the headquarters of the Court in Abuja.
On the latest appointment of 14 justices to the court, she said: “I
would like to seize this opportunity to straighten the fact on the
ongoing process of elevation of judges to the Court of Appeal. It is
strictly based on merit with particular preference for judges who have
distinguished themselves by the quality of their Judgements in the lower
Courts and to fill in vacancies created by the death, retirement or
elevation to the Supreme Court of our former justices”.
The PCA further noted that annual Conference which takes place in
December every year is a tradition set aside to bring together, the
Justices of the Court of Appeal, to brainstorm on the successes so far
recorded with a view to highlighting and proffering solutions to the
issues raised.
“Sometimes back, the Judiciary came under heavy attacks on
allegation of corrupt practices. As judicial officers, it is not enough
to simply talk about corrupt practices but one must believe in the fight
against corruption and we must work at it together. I therefore, urge
us all to eschew corruption and uphold best practices that will rekindle
and bring back trust to the judicial arm of government. Let’s not ask
how corruption can be tackled; our main focus should be on what we can
do as individuals, or collectively as a body to address this plague.
“I would like to inform this auspicious gathering that during the
2016 /2017 Legal year, a pragmatic framework was set as an indicator to
clear backlog of appeals in the sixteen Judicial Divisions of the Court
of Appeal. It is against this backdrop that a special taskforce was set
up to clear this backlog. The rationale behind this initiative is for
Justices from less busy Divisions to move to and sit over pending
appeals in busier Divisions. This does not mean that they were not
sitting in their primary Divisions.
“This extraordinary feat by my brother Justices in all the 16
Divisions of the Court has recorded three thousand and one (3001)
Judgments as well as six thousand nine hundred and sixty three Motions
(6963).
“This is a praiseworthy achievement and I would like to commend
your Lordships’ commitment, hard work, resilience and diligence. I am
proud of all of you.
“At this juncture My Lords, I make bold to inform you today, that
we are working round the clock to introduce more measures that will not
only promote accountability and transparency but will also enhance
efficiency in Court administration, general administration of the Court
of Appeal expended mainly on the realization of the primary objectives
of the Institution”.
In his speech at the conference, the Chief Justice of Nigeria,
Justice Walter Onnoghen commended the Justices of the Court of
Appeal for keying into his vision to reform the Judiciary and
decongesting
the Courts by speedy conclusion of matters pending before various divisions.
According to him, “As you must be aware, the narrative and public perception of the Judiciary is changing.
This, to my mind, is an indication that the Judiciary remains the beacon of hope of any Society.
“It is not yet Uhuru, as we are not completely out of the woods. If anything, this is a call to more work.
It
is my desire, and I believe yours too, that at the end of my tenure, I
would be leaving a Judiciary that has been returned to it’s glory as a
noble and enviable institution in every sense of the word. When the
Nigerian Judiciary is mentioned anywhere in the world, it would evoke
courage, integrity and pride.
“As
you may be aware, the National Judicial Council at it’s just concluded
meeting, approved the elevation of fourteen (14) Judges to the Court of
Appeal to fill in vacancies that had existed hitherto in the Court.
“This
will certainly help to reduce the work load for the Justices of the
Court, as well as help in your preparations as we approach election year
in our Country.
“Your
level of preparation, coupled with the determination of Mr. President,
Mohammadu Buhari, GCFR to bequeath to Nigeria a legacy of credible
election process, will guarantee the peace and stability we all desire”.
The CJN however charged the Justices to be in absolute control of their Court and the information put in the public domain.
“That ensures that you do less of damage control, and more of pro-active dissemination of information.
“Let
me remind us that our salvation remains in our hands; so in the
approaching frenzied political activities leading to the 2019 General
Elections let us continue to watch the company we keep, the people we
open our doors to lest we unwittingly open ourselves to ridicule and
embarrassment as the politicians will do anything not necessarily legal,
to have their way including destroying our hard earned reputation and
integrity.
“I
therefore say to all of us, be strong, courageous, fair but firm. Stick
to the constitutional provisions, the Law and doctrine of precedents
(stare – decisis) and you cannot go wrong. Even when you are wrongly
accused, as we very much are, be patient and remain assured that “Truth
crushed to the earth shall rise again the eternal years of God are
hers, the CJN stated