The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended appointment of more judges for the Supreme Court and other various courts.
A statement by the Director of Information at the NJC, Mr. Soji Oye, yesterday, stated that the council made the recommendation at its second virtual meeting held on August 11 and 12, 2020.
Oye said the council at the meeting presided by its chairman who is also the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, recommended a total of 22 judicial officers across various courts, including the Supreme Court, which has been seeing a steady decline in the number of its justices in the last two years.
The recommended candidates for the Supreme Court bench, which currently has 12 justices, will add to the list of four others whom the NJC had recommended to President Muhammadu Buhari, since last year.
The 22 judicial officers newly recommended by the NJC are for appointment as justices of the apex court, and as heads of other courts, judges of state High Courts, Kadis of state Sharia courts and judges of Customary Courts of Appeal.
The statement did not disclose the names of the nominees.
But it stated that their recommendation for appointment followed the council’s consideration of “the report of its interview committee.”
Their appointments are to take effect after the approval of either Buhari or the governors of the relevant states, as the case may be.
The statement added that the council also issued “a warning letter to Hon. Justice K. N. Ogbonnaya of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory following its findings on the petition written against him by Dr. Uchechukwu Samson Ogah, OON, that His Lordship refused to release a copy of judgment delivered to the petitioner within the constitutionally prescribed period of seven days.”
The statement, however, added that the council dismissed the petition sent against 17 judges.
“In the same vein, council also dismissed a petition written by Mrs. Ademujimi Adenike Nancy against Hon. Justice Sunday Olorundahunsi for want of merit.
“Council also considered the Report of Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committee on petitions written against the following 16 Judicial Officers and dismissed the allegations levelled against” them, on the grounds that the petitions were “either lacking in merit or being subjudice.”
The 16 other exonerated judges include, the Chief Judges of Ekiti and Kwara states, Justices Ayodele Daramola and Sulyman Kawu, respectively.
The rest include four judges of the Federal High Court, Justices I. N. Oweibo, Hadiza R. Shagari, Ijeoma L. Ojukwu, Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa; two Lagos State High Court judges – Justices B. A. Oke-Lawal, O. A. Ogala; a judge of the Cross River State High Court, Justice Augusta Uche Kingsley-Chukwu, a judge of the Nasarawa State High Court, Justice Mustapha A. Ramat; as well as two judges of the Kaduna State High Court, Justices M. M. Ladan and Muhammed Lawal Bello.
The rest are a judge of the Bauchi State High Court, Justice Adamu M. Kafin Madaki, a Bayelsa State High Court judge, Justice L. M. Boufini, as well as a Kadi of the Sharia Court of Appeal, Borno State, and Kadi Goni Kur.
According to the statement, the council “also received the final report of the Judicial Ethics Committee and other Ad-Hoc Committees set up.”
It added, “Council also received the notification of retirement of thirteen judges and notification of death of six judges of States High Courts and Sharia Court of Appeal.”

Rivers State Government, in conjunction with the World Bank/European Union (EU) has flagged off the construction of two micro projects in Omuisia, Elele in the Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The projects include, a 200-capacity civic centre and a water borehole.
The Director, Community Driven Development Social Project Implementation Unit (CDDS-PIU), Ministry of Chieftaincy/Community Affairs, State Employment and Expenditure for Results (SEEFOR) Project, Sir ThankGod Amaewhule, said SEEFOR Projects were meant to improve the lot of the poorest of the poor communities in the state.
Amaewhule, who represented both the Commissioner for Finance, Isaac Kamalu and his Chieftaincy/Community Affairs counterpart, said Omuisia Community in Elele was among the 350 communities that applied for the project.
“The SEEFOR Rivers CDDS- PIU (MCCA), which is an agency of the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Community Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, is saddled with the responsibility of putting smiles on the faces of the inhabitants of the remotest and poorest of the poor communities.
“It is believed that the micro projects we are launching today will definitely enhance the living standard of the rural dwellers in this remotest and poorest community when completed”, he said.
The CDDS-PIU Project director urged the people to reciprocate the gesture by ensuring the completion of the project on time.
Also speaking, the Paramount Ruler of Omuisia, Elele Community, Eze Mike Elechi, said the projects would enhance the living conditions of the people.
Elechi, who was represented at the occasion by Mr. Ugochukwu Enyindah, assured that the project would be completed within six weeks.
Earlier, the Chairman, Community Project Management Committee (CPMC), Omuisia, Elele, Mr. Wonah Iheanacho, thanked the state government and the World Bank for the project.
Highpoint of the event was the presentation of a cheque of N2,254,500,000.00, representing 30 per cent first trench payment for the project to the community.

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), yesterday, said it would commence punishment for any broadcast station that violates any of its code.
It warned that all broadcast stations should be guided by the ethics and code of the profession.
Citing the provisions of the Broadcasting Code: Section 3.1.: Professional Rules: 3.1.1: which states that, “No broadcast shall encourage or incite to crime, lead to public disorder or hate, be repugnant to public feelings or contain an offensive reference to any person or organization, alive or dead or generally be disrespectful to human dignity. And code: 3.1.19: The broadcast shall not transmit content that denigrates the social norms, values and culture of the society”, the Zonal Director of the NBC, Lagos Office, Chibuike Ogwumike, in his letter to newsmen, seized the opportunity to warn against messages that ‘insult’ Nigerian leaders.
He said, “Monitoring activities indicate that in the recent time, some broadcast stations have abdicated their editorial responsibilities such that guests and callers on programmes abuse and insult leaders and those in authority freely and without caution.
“To denigrate our elders and leaders in abusive terms is not our culture. We respect our leaders as a positive cultural value.
“We expect broadcasters, especially anchors to show professionalism in the handling of programmes such that guest or callers that exhibit such tendency are professionally handled.
“The recourse to abusing, denigrating and insulting the President, Governors, MPs and other leaders does not show us as cultured people.”
Meanwhile, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has fined a radio station, Nigeria Info, N5million, for a recent comment made by a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr Obadiah Mailaifa.
This was contained in a statement signed by the NBC management, yesterday titled, “The National Broadcasting Commission Fines Nigeria Info 99.3 for Unprofessional Broadcast”.
It would be recalled that the commission had recently unveiled its Reviewed Broadcasting Code in Lagos and raised the fine for hate speech from N500,000 to N5million.
Mailaifa was interviewed on Monday during one of the station’s programmes, ‘Morning Cross Fire’.
He had talked on the killings in Southern Kaduna, one of the parts of the North-West region worst hit by banditry.