Lagos CJ, Justice Oke Swears In 35 New Magistrates In Lagos

Justice Opeyemi Oke, the Chief Judge of Lagos State, who made the appointment recently therefore urged the Magistrates to see their appointment as a way of advancing the cause of common as well as the uncommon man She also advised them to be mindful of the trust reposed in the judiciary by members of the public. The Chief Judge gave the advice when she presided over the swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed magistrates of the Lagos State Judiciary at the High Court Foyer, Igbosere, Lagos. According to her, the faith of the society in the judiciary majorly fuels the relevance, authority and legitimacy of the judiciary, stressing that the trust in the judiciary would be lost once the confidence in the dispensation of justice is in doubt. She admonished them in the words of the former President of the Supreme Court of Israel Aharon Barak that “adjudication is not an attempt to please everyone but a firm insistence of values and principles; not surrender to or compromise with interest groups but an insistence on upholding the law; not making decisions according to temporary whims but progressing consistently on the basis of deeply held beliefs, fundamental values and of course, the rule of law.” Justice Oke encouraged the appointees to bring to bear all the knowledge and expertise required of them in the discharge of their duties and also acquaint themselves with the provisions of relevant laws that would aid their judicial competences. “As magistrates, you are responsible for the interpretation of the law in accordance with the provisions of the constitution as well as the mechanism for resolution of disputes for the purpose of ensuring equal justice, hence the need for you to constantly update your understanding of the law,” she said. She added that the deep knowledge of the law by the appointees and their background in the legal profession should translate into the promotion of the course of justice, maintaining a high standard of judicial conduct and abstinence from conducts unbecoming of an arbiter of justice.]]>