Ariwoola tells Judges to deliver justice amid without fear or favour
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Olukayode Ariwoola has counselled Judges to shed bias and deliver justice in all cases to help restore confidence in the judiciary whose image has been dented by several rulings the public perceives as the product of bribe.
Ariwoola spoke – to himself and other Judges, male and female – at the opening the Biennial Conference of the National Association of Women Judges in Nigeria (NAWJN) on the backdrop of petitions at election tribunals where candidates and voters hope Judges will deliver rulings to overturn rigged elections.
Indeed, the petitions against the declaration of Bola Tinubu as President-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are expected to end up at the Supreme Court headed by Ariwoola.
He stressed the judiciary, being the last hope of the common man, Judges must interpret the law without fear or favour.
“The Judiciary is saddled with the responsibility of upholding the Rule of Law by interpreting, construing and applying the relevant laws,” Ariwoola said.
“As women Judges in the 21st Century, I encourage you to interpret the law at all times without bias, affection and ill will.
“The judiciary is indeed the last hope of the common man and we as judicial officers must strive to preserve the confidence reposed in us by society.”
He said the objective of the conference is to reinforce the capacity of women Judges “who are vital stakeholders in the fight against numerous injustices in the polity.”
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Eradicating societal vices
“It is safe to say that certain vices in society have a greater impact on women and the girl-child and this forum allows for discourse along these lines,” Ariwoola added, per reporting by Vanguard.
“I must mention that violent crimes against the female gender include sexual slavery and human trafficking, rape and female genital mutilation which still persists despite efforts to eradicate same.
“As such, the forum avails us the opportunity to discuss salient issues arising from policy formation and recent legislations that have the potential of having an impact on women in the society.
“As we are all aware, trafficking in persons has become a cankerworm, which has eaten deep into the different spheres of our society.
“It is an issue which largely affects women and as such, the ongoing fight against human trafficking therefore remains a task that all stakeholders must close ranks to tackle, as it is the desire of most Nigerians that this hydra-headed monster be curbed.
“Towards this end; and in light of the foregoing, your conference has been designed to acquaint delegates with emerging developments on combating human trafficking as well as other key issues.
“It is my conviction that this forum will serve as an avenue to enlighten distinguished delegates on global best practices in confronting challenges arising from this special area of the law.”
NAWJN President Jummai Sankey stressed the theme of the conference, “Ending Violence Against Women and Children”, is in line with the goal of NAWJN to sensitise stakeholders in the criminal justice system to collaborate to end Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) as well as all forms of violence against women and children.
Sankey said although statistics show that women in the judiciary are closer than in other arms of government to the 35 per cent affirmative action – having produced a female CJN, two female Presidents of the Court of Appeal, as well as several Justices of the Supreme Court – there is still room for improvement.
“Women Judges should therefore not test on our oars. Rather, this should serve as a clarion call to your lordships to strike to excel in our various jurisdictions, continue to work diligently and serve with integrity in order to encourage more appointments of women Judges to the Bench and leadership positions in the judiciary.”
