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NJC Recommends Four As Supreme Court Justices
The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended four Justices of the Court of Appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari for appointment as justices of the apex court.
They include Justice Adamu Jauro, from the North-East; Justice Emmanuel A. Agim, South-South; Justice C. Oseji, South-South and Justice Helen M. Ogunwumiju from the South-West.
Also recommended for appointment as substantive Chief Judge of the Federal High Court is Justice John Tsoho, who has been on acting capacity since July this year.
The recommendation, which was part of the resolution reached at the council’s meeting of October 22 and 23, 2019, have finally put to rest speculations in some quarters about the elevation of certain judges of the appellate court to the bench of the Supreme Court.
The four justices of the appellate court are part of 22 other members of the Judiciary recommended to Buhari for appointment into various positions.
Part of the statement made available to newsmen by the NJC’s Director of Information, Soji Oye, read: “The National Judicial Council under the Chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice I. T. Muhammad, at its meeting of October 22 and 23, 2019, considered the list of candidates presented by its Interview Committee and resolved to recommend to President Muhammadu Buhari, and the governors of Edo, Ondo, Akwa-Ibom, Kogi, Anambra, Taraba, Abia, Osun, Nasarawa and Jigawa states, 22 successful candidates for appointment as Justices of the Supreme Court, Heads of Courts and other Judicial Officers in Nigeria.”
The council also recommended Justice B. B. Kanyip as President of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, while Justice Esther Edigin was recommended for appointment as Chief Judge of Edo State High Court.
Also recommended is Justice Eunice Alade, as President of the Customary Court of Appeal, Ondo State.
While the quartet of Mathias Agboola, Sikiru Oke, Olorunfemi Ajanaku and Lawrence Arojo, were recommended for appointment as Judges of the Osun State High Court, Justice Bawa Baba and Nkeruwem Obot were equally recommended for appointment as Judges of the Nasarawa and Akwa Ibom states High Courts, respectively.
Others recommended for appointment as judges of the states’ High Court include Yahaya Adamu, Kogi; Onyinye Anumonye and Victoria Nwoye, Anambra; Goje Hamman, Taraba; and Benson Anya, Enyinnaya Okezie and Adiele Ogbonna, Abia.
Ibrahim Ya’u was, however, recommended for appointment as Kadi, Sharia Court of Appeal, Jigawa State.
According to the statement, all the appointed judges are expected to be sworn in after the approval of the president and their respective state governors and or confirmation by the Senate and state Houses of Assembly as the case may be.
“Council at the meeting deliberated on the report of its Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committee and decided to empanel eight committees to investigate eight judicial officers from amongst the 35 petitions written against 37 judges of the Federal and state High Courts.
“The remaining petitions were summarily dismissed for obvious and manifest lack of merit, being subjudice, concerning administrative matters, or that such petitions were matters for appeal.
“The dismissed petitions were against Justice Adamu Abdu-kafarati, the immediate past Chief Judge of the Federal High Court; Justices Anduwi Chikere, H. I. O. Oshoma, Ayo Emmanuel all of the Federal High Court; Justice J. D. Peters, National Industrial Court of Nigeria; Justice S. E. Aladetoyinbo (rtd) of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory; Justice Opeyemi Oke (rtd), Chief Judge of Lagos State; Justices K. A. Jose, S. S. Ogunsanya, T. A. Oyekan-Abdullahi, O. O. Femi-Adeniyi and D. T. Okuwobi, all of the Lagos State High Court of Justice. Justice Mojisola Idayat Sule, Oyo State High Court; Justices R. D. Harriman, A. O. Omamogbo, Michael Nduka Obi, High Court of Justice, Delta State; Justice E. N. Thompson, River State High Court; Justice Inaikende Eradiri, High Court, Bayelsa State; Justices N. B. Ukoha and B. C. Iheka of High Court of Justice, Imo State; Justices F. I. N. Ngwu, R. O. Odugu, Enugu State High Court; Justice Abdulkadir H. Suleiman, Bauchi State High Court; and Justice Garba Abdulkadir of the Katsina State High Court of Justice,” the statement read in part.
According to Oye, the NJC also approved the recommendation of two committees earlier set up to investigate Justice Winifred I. A. Effiong of Akwa-Ibom State High Court of Justice and Justice Bello Aliyu Gusau of High Court of Justice, Zamfara State which absolved them of any judicial misconduct.
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.