The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, has administered the oath of office to 11 new justices of the Supreme Court.
The newly sworn-in justices include Jummai Sankey, Chidiebere Uwa, Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Haruna Tsammani, and Moore Adumein.
Others are Obande Ogbuinya, Stephen Adah, Habeeb Abiru, Jamilu Tukur, Abubakar Umar, and Mohammed Idris.
These appointments to the apex court mark the first significant additions since 2020. With the swearing-in of the new justices, the Supreme Court has reached its full complement of 21 members as mandated by the constitution.
During his speech on Monday, the CJN advised the newly sworn-in justices to let their consciences serve as a guiding principle and filter for their actions.
Acknowledging the elevated expectations placed on justices of the highest court in the land, where appellants’ hopes are consistently lofty, Ariwoola cautioned the incoming justices to prepare themselves for potential verbal abuse or criticism from litigants, who may be unsuccessful in their cases.
He said: “There is no way you can please human beings, especially litigants. The easiest way to fail in life is by trying to please everyone. The only deity you can fear is the Almighty God”, he said.
“Once your judgment is in consonance with what God expects from you, and is also in accordance with the constitution, you should consider yourself the happiest and freest person on earth
Your moral uprightness, integrity and respect for the constitution and other extant laws in operation, must be unwavering and unassailable.
“Any judgment given at this level can only be upturned in heaven.” CJN remarked.
