The Federal Government has called on all well-meaning Nigerians, especially the elites and opinion leaders, to galvanize their intellectual energies in the direction of deepening an objective understanding of the workings of the judiciary in national development. While speaking at the commissioning of the Federal High Court in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo also “called on Your Lordships and other operators in the body of Benchers and Bar to pursue those eternal ethical codes that are the hallmarks of legal and judicial practice”.
He said, upholding the ethics of the profession “will dispel every form of unsavory perception regarding your line of duty, having sworn to uphold the letters and spirit of the Constitution, you cannot afford to fail at this time when we are posed to deliver in all spheres, especially on the rule of law and natural justice”.
While acknowledging the trying period in which the judiciary is operating, Sambo commended it for living up to the expectations and urged Nigerians to applaud the Judiciary for dispensing justice.
He stated that the Federal Government has recently presented a Mid-Term Report during the celebration of its two years in office and added that appreciable milestones have been achieved. “We are resolutely determined to fulfill our electoral promises as regard infrastructural development, job and wealth creation, economic stability, transparency, good governance and national security”, Sambo said.
The Vice President also inspected the Ochoudo State Secretariat and Ebonyi International Market, all in Abakaliki. Before leaving Ebonyi State, the Traditional Council of the State, led by its Chairman, HRH Dr. Eze Agom Eze, conferred on Vice President Sambo, the traditional title of “ENYI OHA 1” of Ebonyi, meaning Friend of All People of Ebonyi.
The traditional ruler said the gesture was in recognition of what this administration had done since it came on board, saying that it is in this regime that the State got Federal University, Federal Teaching Hospital, Federal High Court and ultimately, in recognition of the peaceful interaction with the Igbos when Sambo was the Governor of Kaduna State as well as his gentility and cordial relationship between him and President Jonathan. Earlier, the Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Martin N. Elechi, eulogized Vice President Sambo, saying, “From the assumption of office as Vice President, you manifested great qualities of leadership and trust….. ever since then, you have been a dependable ally and a great manager of difficult situations. Such has assisted your boss to steer the right course and bring stability to the fatherland”.
Elechi added that, before, Ebonyi State had nothing but the prison and Police as Federal Government’s presence; but since the inception of Jonathan/Sambo administration, the State has many Federal Government establishments such as Federal University, Federal Teaching Hospital, Federal High Court and several federal appointments.
In his remark, the Chief Judge of Federal High Court, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Ndahi Auta, commended the Federal Government for commissioning the Federal High Court in Ebonyi State, noting that new Federal High Court buildings in Akure, Owerri, Umuahia, Lokoja, Asaba and Lafia are waiting to be commissioned. He said, these buildings and other projects would have been completed before now but for the continuous cut of the budget allocation of the court by the National Assembly.
Hon. Auta asked the Presidency to appeal to National Assembly to stop further cut of their allocation as this has obviously and negatively impacted on their ability to carry on with their proposed infrastructural and institutional development. Governors of Anambra State, Chief Peter Obi and his Abia State counterpart, Chief Theodore Orji and other senior government officials attended the event.
Source: FMI*
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