Chukwuemeka Njoku, Abuja
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, has sworn in Mrs Uwani Musa Abba Aji as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Justice Aji, before her elevation to the apex court bench, had served for 14 years at the Court of Appeal, where she rose to become the Presiding Justice of the Kaduna Division.Speaking on Tuesday, shortly after the oath of office and allegiance had been administered on the latest Supreme Court Justice, the CJN said, considering the way and manner in which Justice Aji had discharged her duties at the lower court, “It is only befitting that you are elevated to offer your services to the nation at the highest court of the land, the Supreme Court of Nigeria.”You have journeyed through thick and thin to get here. I personally was part of the panel that earlier interviewed you for elevation to this Court. “You have worked very hard to earn elevation to the Supreme Court, but as you must know already, the reward for hard work is even more hard work” the CJN said. Meanwhile, Onnoghen reminded Justice Aji and other Justices that sometime in September, 2018, he issued a statement to the effect that the Supreme Court diary was full with appeals set down for hearing up to the year 2021. Accordingly, the CJN explained the import of the warning to mean that any matter that is assigned a date must be heard and determined one way or the other on that date.”For appeals that may be discovered to have defects, I advised Counsel to take necessary steps to amend such defects before the due hearing date. “This means that everyone must come to the Court fully prepared for the business of the day, including the Justices, more than anyone else. “What that means is that there is a lot of work waiting to be done here, especially with pre-election and post-election matters that will arise from the 2019 general elections.”Following the retirement of Hon. Mr. Justice Clara Bata Ogunbiyi in February, 2018, the number of Justices of the Court became 16, inclusive of the Chief Justice of Nigeria. “Within the year, there will be at least one more retirement which will further put pressure on the Bench considering the workload I have already outlined.”Therefore, your elevation to the Bench of Nigeria’s apex court is timely and positive” the CJN stated. Onnoghen told Justice Aji that her work ethic and integrity got her here and urged her to do even more to leave her footprints on the sands of time in this Court.
