By Kayode Adeoti
In order to ensure efficiency of service delivery and to bring justice down to the door step of the people, the Kwara State Judiciary promoted no fewer than 35 Legal Research Assistant to the bench cadre last week.
Many of the legal practitioners who received appointment letters could not hold back their joy as they were seen jubilating, saying, it was a dream come true.
Some of them who spoke with this medium anonymously stressed that the appointment was long awaited, adding that they expected it to have come earlier.
One of them said, “I have been in the judiciary for some years now expecting the promotion, we thought we will be promoted last years, in fact, I’ve lost hope thinking we’ve been forgotten. Our appointment is a good omen for the state judiciary.
“It will go down well with the judiciary especially on the administration of justice, but some of our colleagues were not elevated and they equally deserve the appointment.โ
In the same, a magistrate who also begged not to have her name in print maintained that the appointment is a great relief on the serving judges and the magistrates.
“The appointment will ease the workload greatly among the serving judges and the magistrates, My Lord, honurable Justice Kawu has made many achievements which he would always be remembered for even after he might have bowed out of active service,” she said.
The Permanent Secretary and the Solicitor General of the Ministry of Justice, Barrister Funsho Lawal who spoke with this medium over the development stressed that the appointment of members of the bench was a good one.
She however noted that those appointed were elevated from Legal Research Assistant to magistrate who have been in the judiciary for more than a year.
“Those appointed were Legal Research Assistant to magistrates, theyโve been serving in the judiciary for a year or two, they are not new in the terrain at all, it is a good achievement the Judicial Service Commission and the Honorable CJ,” she added.
In the same vein, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Barrister Mumini Adebimpe described the appointment as a healthy development for the judiciary. He added that it would strengthen the system.
“It was meant to strengthen the judiciary, that is what My Lord wants to achieve. It will also make justice available to the people because cases can be attended to promptly.
Speaking on the allegation thatย ย courtrooms are inadequate for magistratesโ use, the DPP said the State Government has promised to release some buildings for the judiciary.
“It is meant to strengthen the judiciary, that is the essence of the appointment, to bring justice down to the people, a lot of progress has been made in this regards. On the allegation that there are no courtrooms where they could function, government has promised to released some blocks of building to us.
“My Lord has made so much achievements as the helmsman of the state judiciary and I think this recent appointment is another one that must be commended,” DPP said.
The chairman of the Young Lawyers’ Forum (YLF) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Barrister Olayinka Dauda Jimoh also commended the CJ for the appointment.
He said, “the new Magistrates are men of honour and integrity. Our judges often timesย ย bombarded with cases and our magistrates were not equally spared too. This sometimes caused delay appointment of the dispensation of Justice. For total dispensation of Justice, speedy trial of cases, particularly,ย ย criminal matters which according to the constitution must be dispensed expeditiously, more magistrates are needed.
“It is therefore safe to say that the appointment of these new magistrates came at the right time.
“My worry however is the fact that there isย ย inadequate courtrooms for the new magistrates.โ
This medium reliably learnt yesterday night that another six persons making the number of new magistrates 41.
A serving magistrate who spoke to this medium anonymously said, โwe learnt that six more names have been added to make the list 41. It may be announced tomorrow (today). We expect the JSC to publish the list in a newspaper so as to give it credibility.
Efforts to get the Chief Registrar, Barrister Lekan Adegbite to speak on the issue, however proved abortive as calls made to his MTN line were not picked and messages sent to the same line was not acknowledged as at the time this paper went to bed.
Recall that this medium had reported that on April 25th, 2018, the Judiciary Service Commission (JSC) under the chairmanship released an advertorial, pursuant to Rule 3 (3) (a) (i) of the 2014 Revised Guidelines for the appointment of four (4) judicial officers into the state High Court and Sharia Court of Appeal, respectively.
Until the close of the advertisement on 9th May, 2018, Pilot Law gathered that no fewer than 45 legal practitioners, including magistrates applied for the noble seat in the legal profession.
However, till now, no appointment has been made into the High Court or Sharia Court of Appeal.
List of some of the legal practitioners appointed
Ibitoye Ibukun
Atoyebi John Kehinde
Mohammed Adam
Abayomi Olaolu
Ajayi Tinuola
Ajia Abdulganiy
Yahaya Rashidat
Salako Adejoke
Oyedepo Ayodele
Bamigbola Bukola
Ajayi Tinuola
Omolara Idiagbon
Mrs. Olaitan
Mr. Ajetumobi
Ronke Olaitan
Balogun Olubunmi
Laaro Tomiwa
Agbetola Aminat
Elena Biola
Mrs. Abiola Nurat
Mrs. Eleja
Isau Mufuliat
Bamidele Bukola
Shaaba Florence
Bewaji Folake
Mohammed Ganiyat
Adekeye Funmilola
Aisha Musa
Yusuf Kibbe
ย Imam Aliyu and others
