Okowa lauds Delta Judiciary for contributions to development.

By Ifeanyi Olannye

Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta  on Monday commended the judiciary for its contributions to the development of the state, saying it had been remarkable.

Okowa gave the commendation at a valedictory court session in honour of the retired President of Customary Court of Appeal, Justice Patience Elumeze, at the new High Court Complex, Asaba.

He expressed appreciation to the judiciary for the great support it had given to his administration since 2015, noting that he had a very cordial working relationship with the arm of government.

Okowa said that whatever his administration achieved  was due to the peaceful and cordial working relationship among the three arms of government in the state.

He congratulated Justice Elumeze for having a successful career in the legal profession and implored her to devote her retirement life to the service of God and humanity.

The governor congratulated her on her 65th birth anniversary.

“I want to appreciate you and thank God for your live. I also truly want to appreciate the works that you have done and I feel very proud of His Lordship that is retiring.

“In the words of the Chief Judge of Delta State, she has described His Lordship, Hon. Justice Onuwa Elumeze, as somebody who is truly amazing, disciplined and hard working.

“The only thing I found not so interesting was that she was afraid to take up her duties when it came to the issue of Judicial autonomy. This is because at several times, she would come to me for approvals.

“And, I will say to her that the judiciary is already autonomous and that she has the powers to manage the funds of the judiciary now in our state.

“But, we thank God that we are all getting use to it now,” Okowa said.

He wished Justice Elumeze success in her future endeavours.

On the low number of Judges in the state, the governor said that he was told that there was a rule restricting the number  not to be more than 40 per state.

“We are trying to cause an amendment to be made in our laws, to enable us request for more judges in our courts. I hope that in the course of time, we would be able to get more judges appointed for our courts,” he said.

On the state High Court Complex, the governor said that the project was no longer under the supervision of the Executive, but with the judiciary.

“It was my desire that this project was completed by December 2022, but it is lingering and l do not know whether it will be completed before l leave office.

“I believe that the fault is neither that of the Chief Judge nor that of my office. We hope that the contractor will quickly finish it,” he said.

He disclosed that his administration remained one of the first to operationalise the judicial autonomy in the country and sued for symbiotic relationship among the three arms of government for maximum performance.

In their separate remarks, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Isaiah Bozimo, the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Theresa Diai and others, noted that Justice Elumeze had made invaluable contributions.

They described the retired President of Customary Court of Appeal as an asset in the nation’s judiciary, while wishing her a happy retirement life.

In her speech, Elumeze said she was glad to bow out of service after a sterling career in the bench since 1983 and pledged to use the remaining years of her life for the service of God and humanity.

​She commended Gov. Okowa, Justice Roseline Bozimo, Justice Stella Ogene and Justice Marshal Umukoro for their support in her legal career while also x-raying the reforms, human capital and infrastructure transformation that she brought into the state judiciary in her tenure.

She advocated for improved welfare package for judges, and harped on the need for seniority and respect to be maintained among judges.

(NAN)