CJN promises independent, efficient Judiciary

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, has promised to ensure that an independent and efficient Judiciary was in place in his about two years tenure.Justice Mohammed spoke in Abuja at a dinner held in his honour by former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Umaru Abdullahi.He said, with his understanding of the workings and challenges of the judiciary, he  was willing to ensure that a functional judiciary capable of meeting the people’s needs was in place.He added that with the support of good minds in the National Judicial Council he would build on the structure left by his immediate predecessor, Justice Aloma Mukhtar, in achieving his set objectives.The CJN recalled his past working relationship with Justice Abudullahi, who he described as his mentor.He said, “Throughout our years together, particularly during the military, he was an inspiration to me. I learnt a lot from him. He is a person whose integrity cannot be questioned. During the military era, when all the courts were subjected to a lot of pressure; sometimes, Justice Umaru Abdullahi would look an official in the face and say: ‘look you cannot interfere with our judicial works, keep off.’ That is the kind of person he is. “That is how I learnt to also be upright in the discharge of my responsibilities as a judicial officer. I have stayed a long time in the system. I will build on the structure left by my predecessor to ensure smooth running of the Nigerian Judiciary.”A former schoolmate of the CJN, Justice John Fabiyi of the Supreme Court and Justice Abdullahi expressed confidence in the CJN’s ability to deliver on his promises in view of what they know of him.Justice Fabiyi said, “I have known him since 1967 at the Ahmadu Bello University. He is a very humble person and easy going. He is very articulate and firm in his decisions. He has the support of all the Justices at the Supreme Court. Next year appears a little frightening, but by the grace of God, we shall overcome.”Justice Abdullahi said though the appointment of Justice Mohammed as the CJN was a good development, it came with huge responsibilities, which require wisdom and God’s guidance. He called for constant prayers for the CJN. The former President of the Court of Appeal said, “Those of us, who know him very well, knowthat he is capable and also going to be a very successful CJN, because he has been part of the Nigerian Judiciary for more than a decade. He knows the various stages of judicial functions.  “We have no fear that he will make a success of his office, but at the same time, he still needsa lot of prayers from us.”