Honour, Dignity Panacea for Sustainable Credibility in Legal Profession, Says Kogi CJ

Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja

The Chief Judge of Kogi State, Justice Josiah Majebi has described  maintenance  of  personal, professional honour and dignity by the judges and lawyers in the practice of the legal profession in Nigeria as panacea to sustenance of the credibility and value of the profession before litigants and the general public .
Justice Majebi made this known  when he received the new leadership of the Lokoja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Confluence Bar, in his office at the judiciary headquarters yesterday .

While  reacting to the expression of gratitude and appreciation by the Bar for the role played by Judges of the state judiciary in ensuring the successful marking of the association’s 2025 Law Week themed: Strengthening the Bar-Bench Synergy in the Effective Delivery of Justice and Nation Building.

The CJ stressed the need for the Bench and the Bar to be more synergetic in the discharge of their duties, noting that as ministers in the temple of justice, both judges and lawyers are products of the same profession who only found themselves on different faces of the same coin that is meant to efficiently procure one single item, the fair and effective administration of justice.

The Chairman of the branch, Barr. Sumaila Abbas, had particularly eulogized Hon. Justice Abdul Awulu of the High Court of Justice of the state, who stood in for the Chief Judge, for his excellent coordination of the activities of the Law Week when the Bench’s inputs were required.

He had said the choice of the theme was carefully made after deliberation with stakeholders and some unofficial complaints by some of his members over negative and unfair treatment by some Judges.

He however said the Judges and Senior Advocates of Nigeria who handled the topic did justice to it and the Bar was looking forward to putting the discourse into practice just as the NBA was prepared to deal with any member who derails from the ethics of the profession.

He said the Bar had instituted a policy to receive and appropriately handle official complaints from any of his member who feels aggrieved by the conduct(s) of any Judge and wished the same be extended to the Bench to ensure sanity and mutual respect between the Bar and the Bench in the administration of justice in the state without fear or favour.

“We’re committed to work hand-in-hand with judges in the state in any area the Chief Judge wants us to play vital role as the Exco is ready to work in unison with the Judiciary in Kogi State and beyond” said the Chairman.

Hinting, in his response, that the Judges of Kogi State judiciary have been found to live above board over the years, the CJ said it was important to note that the kind of cases handled by the Judges do not provide enabling environment for recklessness on the part of judicial officers in the state nor to be corrupt.

He indicated that the Judges were credible aside the fact that any bribe intended for any judge would have to be contributed by the communities, since they are majorly land or chieftaincy matters, and no Judge in the state would trade his reputation for such pot of porridge.