Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ikeazor Ajovi Akaraiwe, has strongly defended Hon. Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim, JSC, highlighting his distinguished legal career and calling for better protocol management for Supreme Court justices to avoid unnecessary controversies.
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In a statement, Akaraiwe recounted Justice Agim’s illustrious judicial service beyond Nigeria, emphasizing his integrity and intellectual contributions. “Hon. Justice Agim acquitted himself—and Nigeria—honourably as Chief Justice of our West African neighbors, The Gambia, and as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Swaziland,” Akaraiwe noted. He also acknowledged Agim’s academic contributions as a Professor of Law at the University of The Gambia and a lecturer at The Gambia Law School.
Akaraiwe highlighted Justice Agim’s tenure as Chief Justice of The Gambia, describing it as unparalleled in the country’s history. He recalled how Agim’s fearless and nuanced judgments earned him the grudging admiration of former Gambian military ruler, Yahya Jammeh. Upon his return to Nigeria, Agim was appointed to the Court of Appeal and stationed in Enugu, where his legal scholarship, intellectual rigor, and moral excellence became widely recognized.
“Since his elevation to the Supreme Court of Nigeria, it is unarguable that if there is only one legal philosopher at the Supreme Court, it is Agim. If there are two, Agim is one of them. If there are three, Agim is certainly among them,” Akaraiwe stated, underscoring Agim’s unique jurisprudential approach.
Addressing the controversy surrounding a viral photograph from the 50th-anniversary convocation of the University of Calabar, which placed Justice Agim next to a politically exposed litigant, Akaraiwe warned against hasty conclusions. While not asserting deliberate manipulation, he noted that politicians could exploit such events for strategic positioning and media optics.
“This is political season, and it is not impossible for politicians to manipulate seating arrangements at public events and ensure that the press captures strategic photos,” he cautioned.
To prevent such incidents in the future, Akaraiwe urged the Supreme Court to establish or enhance a dedicated protocol team for its justices. “The protocol team should be notified of ceremonial movements of Supreme Court Justices and ensure that inappropriate seating arrangements, like the one that placed Justice Agim in this controversy, never happen again,” he advised.
As debates continue over whether judges should receive awards from institutions that may one day appear before them, Akaraiwe emphasized that justices of exceptional integrity and scholarship, like Agim, should not be unfairly vilified. He stressed the importance of measured criticism, urging that judges should only be scrutinized when there is genuine cause.
He further referenced a keynote lecture delivered by Justice Agim while serving as a Court of Appeal Justice at the NBA Ogoja Branch Law Week. The lecture, titled “The Role of the Lawyer in Stopping Impunity for Government Office Corruption, Dismantling Kleptocracy, and Promoting Genuine Democratic Governance,” reflects Agim’s firm stance on justice and accountability, Akaraiwe said.
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