From: Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Retired Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta has said his only regret as head of the court was inability to complete the seven storey court building in Lagos Division.
Auta retired from the bench after attaining the mandatory retirement age of 65 years.
He said during his tenure as chief judge, he vigourously pursued institutional and infractural development of the court.
Auta said his leadership commenced the seven storey court edifice, to ease accommodation challenges judges encounter in Lagos, and also, to specifically make the court’s impact felt in the state.
In his valedictory speech, the retired justice told the gathering that the court building project could not be completed due to sharp decline in financial allocation to the court.
“I had, during my tenure, vigourously pursued institutional and structural development of the federal high court. We commenced the seven storey court building in Lagos, which could have been completed by now if sufficient funds were available.
“My only regret, therefore, is that I was unable to complete the edifice in Lagos, which was not really my fault but because we did not get sufficient funds from government to complete the building which is now on the fifth floor”
Meanwhile, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) has called on stakeholders to work hard to retain the integrity, credibility and the impartiality of the judiciary, which he described as the anchor on which civilised society rests.
He made the call yesterday at Auta’s valedictory session.
Malami acknowledged the role of the Federal High Court in resolving, among others, knotty constitutional and political matters which are constantly brought before it as our democracy continues to evolve.
The minister called on the court to continue to play a crucial role in fostering a higher level of confidence, by all citizens, in the judiciary, through emphasis on discipline and credibility of judicial personnel and a committed defence of the rule of law.
“The judicial arm of government is the anchor on which our claim to civilised society rests. We must all work hard, therefore, to ensure that it retains the integrity, the credibility and the impartiality that makes it truly the last hope of all men.
In his speech, President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abubakar Mahmoud, noted that the exposure of the judiciary to elements which seeks to tear it apart must be corrected.
Mahmoud, who was represented by the secretary of the bar, Mr Isiaka Abiola Olagunju, said the judiciary and the legal profession should remain standing, even if other arms of government lay prostrate
The NBA disclosed that the legal profession is facing legal, institutional and regulatory constraints.
“The result is that the profession is not properly regulated.
One of my four point agenda as President of the Bar relates to regulation of the legal profession.
To tackle these regulatory constraints, we set up the NBA Regulation of the legal Profession Committee.
That Committee has since presented its final report and a draft Bill for regulating the legal profession in Nigeria.
“We are currently sending copies to all stakeholders including the heads of courts in the judiciary for their input before formal presentation to the National Assembly.
The NBA will very shortly convene a policy dialogue to discuss on regulation of the legal profession in Nigeria.
Part of the agenda of the policy dialogue shall be to discuss the final report of the NBA Legal Profession Regulation Review Committee. “
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Retired Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta has said his only regret as head of the court was inability to complete the seven storey court building in Lagos Division.
Auta said during his tenure as chief judge, he vigourously pursued institutional and infractural development of the court.
Auta said his leadership commenced the seven storey court edifice, to ease accommodation challenges judges encounter in Lagos, and also, to specifically make the court’s impact felt in the state.
In his valedictory speech,the retired justice told the gathering that the court building project could not be completed due to sharp decline in financial allocation to the court.
“I had, during my tenure, vigourously pursued institutional and structural development of the federal high court. We commenced the seven storey court building in Lagos, which could have been completed by now if sufficient funds were available.
“My only regret, therefore, is that I was unable to complete the edifice in Lagos, which was not really my fault but because we did not get sufficient funds from government to complete the building which is now on the fifth floor”
Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.
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