REMARKS BY H.E. RT. HON. (DR) SIMON BAKO LALONG, KSGG AT THE SWEARING IN OF THE PRESIDENT, PLATEAU STATE CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL AND NEW JUDGES OF THE HIGH COURT/CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL HELD AT THE NEW GOVERNMENT HOUSE, LITTLE RAYFIELD JOS, 29TH JANUARY 2021.
Protocols
1. This is
yet another important day in the history of Plateau State and its judiciary as
we inject more Judges into the Temple of Justice to enhance the administration
of justice to the citizens.
2. It
therefore delights me to perform this crucial responsibility in swearing-in the
substantive President of the Customary Court of Appeal Hon. Justice Sati
Patrick Dapit who has been acting since July last year.
3. Similarly,
we are swearing in newly appointed Judges of the High Court and Customary Court
of Appeal of Plateau State. These appointments are intended to respond to the
inadequacy of Judicial Officers at these Courts.
4. I
congratulate the President of the Customary Court of Appeal and the new Judges
namely, Hon. Justice Naankwat Dawat Shaseet; Buetnaan Mandy Dongban Bassi,
(Plateau State High Court) Pauline Nanlep Njar, Edwin Sati Munlang, and
Georgina Dashe (Customary Court of Appeal).
5. It is a
known fact that over time, our Courts have struggled with shortage of man-power
and high case load which has greatly affected their ability to dispense with
cases on time. In 2020 alone, three Judicial Officers retired, two at the
Customary Court of Appeal and one at the High Court, thus creating vacancies
apart from the already overburdened Courts.
6. Such
development necessitated the efforts to fill these vacancies by the National
Judicial Council to enable the judiciary deal with the backlog of cases
including those returned by the retired Judges of the various Courts.
7. Today’s
swearing in of these new judges is therefore a positive development as it will
close the gap and improve access to Justice by all citizens and indeed all
those who seek justice in Plateau State.
8. Our
administration is totally committed to the rule of law and in ensuring that the
Judiciary operates in a manner that guarantees equity, Justice and fairness to
the citizens of the State irrespective of their ethnic, economic, religious,
political and other orientations.
9. I charge
the new judges to ensure that they live up to their oath of office in
dispensing justice without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. That is the
only way we can sustain the fabric of our society which we have chosen to
predicate on the Rule of Law with guarantee of equal treatment for citizens.
10. Therefore,
I advise you to be mindful of the attempts to compromise your integrity and
impartiality by people who will approach you with tempting proposals of all
sorts. As those who have the rare privilege to determine the fate of people
that appear before you, be careful not to abuse this precious trust.
11. In as much
as you have this privilege, you should also realise that you are not above
reproach and can be held responsible for your actions by both man and God. Therefore, I advise you to strive to write
your name in Gold by abiding to the ethos of your professional calling at all
times during your career.
12. Government
is very much aware that even with the swearing-in of these new Judges of the
High Court and the Customary Court of Appeal, the issue of insufficient number
of Judges in our Courts is yet to be resolved. We shall continue to make
conscious efforts to address the situation.
13. As much as
we expect Judicial Officers to do their best and be upright, it is our
responsibility to ensure that we make them comfortable by providing at least
the basic requirements for them to perform their functions.
14. In this
regard, despite dwindling resources available to Government on account of
falling oil revenues and dwindling IGR occasioned by the ravages of the
COVID-19 pandemic, we shall continue to do our best in providing office
accommodation and other equipment that will facilitate smooth operations. The
new Judges sworn in will receive keys to their official cars today.
15. Despite
the challenges which have delayed the completion of the new High Court
Headquarters Complex, we are determined to complete the facility as soon as
possible and by God’s grace before the end of our tenure. It is also our
intention to give other Court Buildings in the State the much needed face-lift
to improve the working conditions of Judges.
16. As a
member of the revered Legal Profession, I have always considered the welfare of
Judges to be very paramount and have done my best to address issues in that
area since assuming office. Shortly after coming to office, this administration
settled 2 years arrears of Judge’s entitlements for 2013 and 2014 that were
inherited from the immediate past administration alongside the about 8 Months arrears of unpaid Civil
Servants Salaries.
17. Thereafter,
in the face of excruciating paucity of funds, we have continued to within
available resources, address the payment of other statutory allowances accruing
to Judges of all Courts. As at today, all accrued arrears of housing allowances
of superior Court Judges, on account of which some Judges took the State
Government to court have been paid.
18. In order
to build the capacity of the Judiciary, we have always approved requests for
training of Judicial Officers, particularly Judges within and outside the
Country even in face of lean resources of Government. We hope to sustain this
initiative so that our judges will keep abreast with contemporary developments
in their profession.
19. We are
also mindful of the need for the judiciary to have a strong workforce which was
why despite the fact that the State has not lifted the Ban on employment,
Government granted approval for the Judiciary to recruit over 200 Staff
including relevant support Staff.
20. Because of
the desire to see that the three arms of Government in Plateau State operate in
a truly independent manner, we have already established the State Account
Allocation Committee (SAAC) laying ground work for the implementation of
financial autonomy.
21. This we
have done despite the fact that formal discussions on modalities for
implementing Financial Autonomy at the Federal and State levels are yet to be
concluded and the judiciary is being carried along in this process.
22. It is
important that I touch on some of these issues in order to reiterate the fact
that this administration under my Leadership has deep respect and passion for
the Judiciary which is my primary constituency as a Lawyer.
23. Therefore,
some of the insinuations out there suggesting that the Governor does not care
about the welfare of Judges or is denying them their entitlements are incorrect
and should be discountenanced.
24. I want to
re-assure the judiciary of my personal commitment to the welfare and well-being
of our Judges and indeed all Judicial Staff. Despite the major challenge of
lean financial resources of the State worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic,
Government is still very committed to addressing all obligations to this very
important arm of Government. All outstanding allowances shall be paid as soon
as resources are available.
25. Let me
also use this opportunity to touch on the issue of security which as you know
remains the first priority of our administration. We have continued to pay
attention to the security of lives and property by adopting various measures to
foster peaceful coexistence and also deal with crime and criminality.
26. The
incidences of kidnapping, cultism and other violent crimes in some parts of
Plateau State have constituted a major concern for the government and our
citizens in recent times. The Government is working hard with the security
agencies and stakeholders to ensure that the ugly incidences are tackled.
27. That is
why last month, I signed into law the Anti-kidnapping, Land grabbing, Cultism
and Violence-Related Matters Bill that was passed by the State House of
Assembly. By that law, anyone convicted of kidnapping in Plateau State will be
sentenced to death while cultism and other violent crimes attract various terms
of imprisonment.
28. When I met
with stakeholders recently, concerns were raised about prosecution of suspects
who are arrested for kidnapping. Some of them we understand do not get to be
arraigned as and when due and even get released without charge despite evidence
tendered to law enforcement agents. That perhaps emboldens the continuous
onslaught on the citizens by kidnappers.
29. While we
are addressing the issue with the police relating to arrest, investigation and
prosecution, I want to appeal to our Judges to be very firm in trying such
Cases when brought before them as Kidnapping is fast becoming an Industry with
no one immune from the menace.
30. As
Governor, I have promised to sign the Death Warrant in respect of anyone
convicted of kidnapping which is giving our people sleepless nights, driving
away prospective Investors and further impoverishing our people. Many of them
are forced to pay ransoms to secure the release of loved ones which is making
people afraid to pursue their legitimate businesses including farming.
31. Finally, I
commend the Plateau State Judicial Service Commission and the National Judicial
Council for facilitating the confirmation of the appointment of President,
Customary Court of Appeal Hon. Justice Sati Patrick Dapit and these new judges.
32. To the new
judges, I charge all of you to count this as a rare privilege to serve God and
humanity. Do not abuse it or throw it away even if you are promised silver and
gold. Like the Bible tells us, a good name is better than riches.
33. Thank you
and God bless Plateau state and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Rt. Hon. (Dr) Simon Bako Lalong, KSGG,
Executive Governor, Plateau State.
29th January 2021.
No comments:
Post a Comment