A RETIRING JUSTICE TINUADE APPLAUDS GOV. WIKE

A retiring Justice of the court of the Appeal, Justice Tinuade Akomolafe-Wilson has commended Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, for appointing an Edo indigen as the Chief Judge of Rivers State.

Justice Akomolafe-Wilson said it was absurd to use state of Origin to deny married female Judges the opportunity to attain the peak of their judicial career.

She stated this during a valedictory court session held in her honour at the court of Appeal in Benin City, Edo state with Rivers State Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike also in attendance.

Justice Akomolafe-Wilson regretted that despite being married to an Edo husband and started her legal career in the former Mid-Western State in 1975, in 2009 when there was an opening for her to be appointed to the Court of Appeal; it was scuttled because she hails from Ekiti State.

She explained that when the next appointment window was announced in 2012, God opened new door for her, emphasizing the oblivious of the exercise for appointment of court of Appeal Justice, through God’s benevolent intervention, she was recommended by other Justice of the Appellete court.

Justice Akomolafe-Wilson noted that the appointment of judges ought to strictly be on merit, having regards to the person’s intelligence, integrity and not based on favouritism, Lobbying and worst of all, partisanship.

she opined that the judiciary has made enormous contribution to nation building and that the Nigerian Pubic has been most unfair to Judges both past and present, pointing out that it was time Nigerians begin to appreciate that the strength of a country can be determined by how strong the Judicial system is.

Observing that a week Judiciary means a normless society predicted on abuse of rule of law, injustice and inequqlity, Justice Akomolafe-Wilson used the occasion to advocate financial autonomy of the Judiciary and stretching of retirement age of judges to 75.

She thanked Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo state for his benevolence towards her and also lauded the Edo state Chief judge, Justice Esther Edigim for her co-operation.

Governor Wike was accompained to the valedictory court session by the Secretary to the State Goverment, Dr. Tammy Danagogo and the State commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Fred Kpako.