IN a bid to further strengthen the nation’s judiciary, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, has sworn in six newly appointed judges of the National Industrial Court at the Supreme Court in Abuja.
Justice Ariwoola on Monday charged the judges to discharge their duties with utmost honour and integrity in line with their calling by shunning all forms of corruption.
He said the nation’s judiciary is in need of men and women of unquestionable character, who will dispense Justice to the citizens without the fear of external intimidation and manipulation.
In his address, he asked the newly appointed judges to expect “many” high-profile cases which he said may largely come with “juicy, irresistible temptations”, especially when they involve “mouthwatering” financial and business transactions.
“I’m making it clear to you now that you must flee from such disguised danger. Your reputation and integrity matter much, and it counts enormously in your rise to honour and fame in life,” the nation’s chief justice said.
“Let me point out unambiguously that the life, gifts, and wealth that are not worked for, which are by extension undeserving, are always wrapped in calamity and destruction. Flee from them and keep our heads high above the murky waters of corruption and favouritism.
“No judicial officer at any level of our courts will be allowed to drag the reputation of the Nigerian judiciary into the mud. We can’t come this far to fail. Take heed of this admonition by walking rightly towards occupying an enviable space in the annals of the Nigerian judiciary.”
