Be Of Good Conduct, CJN Charges 22 New FCT Judges

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad on Tuesday, charged the 22 newly sworn-in Judges of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory to refrain from anything that would smear their name or bring them into disrepute.

The CJN, while swearing in the judges at the Supreme Court in Abuja said, “The Bench is neither for the prosaic, the greedy nor those with questionable character who can easily fall for a plate of porridge offered by desperate litigants”, and charged them to rise above temptations and trials that might obstruct or even halt their rise to the pinnacle of their career.

According to the CJN, the newly sworn-in judges have entered a lifetime convenant with God and the Federal Republic of Nigeria and that whatever they do rightly would be counted and accordingly recorded in their favour.

“Appointment to the Bench is not an appointment to wealth, vain glory, dishonest disposition or ostentatious lifestyle through corrupt acquaintances,” he said and told them that the searchlight of the National Judicial Council (NJC) beams on all judicial officers across the country.

“Our radar is sophisticated enough to detect every form of corruption and wrong doings. The remoteness of your location of adjudication can never blur our sight on you”, he told the judges and added that the NJC has powerful lens to capture and document their conduct and urged them to be careful in their conduct to avoid regretting been appointed a judicial officer.

The CJN said the letters and words of the oath they have taken must reside in a prime place of their heart and be applied generously in their adjudications, even as he urged them to be impartial, fair to all and apply justice and equity in all their undertakings.

He said what the country needs now are judicial officers who are calculating, honesty, objective, dispassionate and humble.