Yearly Archive:2021

2021/2022 LEGAL YEAR CELEBRATION

HON. JUSTICE JOE ITSEBAGA ACHA SWORN-IN AS ACTING CHIEF JUDGE OF EDO STATE JUDICIARY

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has sworn in Hon. Justice Joe I. Acha as the acting Chief Judge of Edo State.

While reaffirming his support for rapid development of the state’s judiciary, Governor Obaseki stated that “the peaceful orderly and predictable transfer of power within the leadership of all arms of government is the single most important hallmark of a civilized working democracy”.

Governor Obaseki while congratulating his Lordship on his swearing in as Acting Chief Judge, urged him to always take to heart the solemn oath, which he has sworn to. The Governor also charged the Acting Chief Judge to carry out his duties with Justice, honesty and transparency as he had become the “custodian of an institution which represents the last vestige of hope in our common existence”.

In his remarks, the acting Chief Judge Hon. Justice Joe I. Acha maintained that he would continue to interact with other arms of Government as the Judiciary carries out her avowed duty of Justice delivery to the citizenry for the peace and progress of Edo State.

Hon. Justice Joe I. Acha further stated that as part of his vision and plans for the Judiciary, he would embark on training all the registrars and secretaries to enhance their productivity within the next few weeks.

Hon Justice Joe I. Acha’s swearing-in, which followed the retirement of Hon. Justice Esther Edigin as the 14^th Chief Judge from inception, was held at the New Festival hall in Government House.

Nwine, Nekpen Maureen

Senior Information Officer,

Edo State Judiciary

Obaseki celebrates outgoing Edo Chief Judge

ITINERARY/PROGRAMME FOR THE DISENGAGEMENT OF THE HONOURABLE CHIEF JUDGE AND SWEARING-IN OF THE INCOMING CHIEF JUDGE OF EDO STATE JUDICIARY

TRIBUTE TO HON. JUSTICE MORRISON IGHODALO OF THE EDO STATE HIGH COURT AS HE GOES HOME TO HIS FINAL RESTING PLACE .

By: Douglas Ogbankwa Esq.

*Death never takes the wise man by surprise, he is always ready to go*

• Jean de La Fontaine

The Honourable Justice Morrison Ighodalo’s demise came to many as a surprise, but just as the saying above surmises, he must be sojourning in the bosom of the Lord as he lived his life with so much equanimity and solemnity.

Humble to a fault, the Hon. Justice Morrison Ighodalo never lost his temperament in Court. Measured in character, he chose his words carefully. The Hon Justice Morrison Ighodalo in his stint as a High Court Judge of Edo State was a quintessential example of how a judicial officer should relate with counsel and the Public.

As a minister in the temple of justice, the temple (the Court) was never desecrated. Being a Judge is a sacred duty. It is akin to acting on behalf of God on earth and so a judge must like Caesar’s Wife be above board and not condescend to the arena of conflict, else he would be blinded by the dust of conflict. Whenever a Judge is Sitting, he  is actually on  trial in the eyes of the Public, what he says or do, will be counted for good or for bad by posterity . The Hon Justice Morrison Ighodalo was a trail blazer in depicting the mien of a Judge.

On the characteristics of a judge the Special Committee of the Minnesota Bar Association on the Appointment of Judges stated thus:

*A candidate should exhibit the following aspects of proper judicial temperament: patience, open-mindedness, courtesy, tact, courage, punctuality, firmness, understanding, compassion, humility and common sense.  Those qualities should be demonstrated consistently.  For applicants who already hold a judgeship, these qualities should have consistently manifested themselves to all the court’s “stakeholders” interacting with the judge regardless of station in life, profession, type of case, representation by counsel or lack thereof*

In actual fact, the Hon. Justice Morrison Ighodalo displayed the virtues indicated above in My Lord’s life time. This accounted for the grief and mourning that pervaded the Bar upon My Lord’s Demise.

In his tribute to My Lord the Hon Justice Morrison Ighodalo, on a condolence visit to My Lord, the Honourable, the Chief Judge of Edo State, the Hon Justice Esther Amenaghawon Edigin FICMC, the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Benin Branch, the Lion Bar, Pius Oiwoh AICMC stated thus:

 *My Lord ,the Hon Justice Morrison Ighodalo was   renowned as a quintessential Jurist, who had the demeanor worthy of commendation as he would address a young lawyer in the same manner he would address a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, a unique characteristic that stood him out in his scandal free and eventful career*

It was Abraham Lincoln the 16^th President of the United States that said:

*It is not the years in your life that matters, but the life in your years*

The Hon. Justice Morrison Ighodalo indeed lived a well fulfilled life, that is worthy of emulation. He will be sorely missed!

What will people say about you, when you die? Pause and ponder .

About the Author:

Douglas Ogbankwa Esq., is the immediate Past Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association Benin Branch and the Convener of the Vanguard for the Independence of the Judiciary.

Easter Recess for the Year 2021

Edo State Judiciary establishes “SETTLEMENT WEEK”

Edo State Judiciary has organized her first ever settlement week tagged “Settlement Week: An Effective Tool in Justice Delivery.”

Declaring the week-long event open, the Chief Judge, Edo State, Hon. Justice Esther Edigin, lauded the innovation of Settlement week which according to her is indeed an effective tool in Justice Delivery as it is a mechanism for achieving the Judiciary’s drive of bringing Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to the door steps of all Citizens of Edo State. Reiterating that the Settlement Week is a tried and tested means by which a huge bulk of cases could be speedily resolved to clear up the backlog of cases in the court dockets, Hon. Justice Edigin maintained that the event marks the beginning of even greater things to come for Edo State Judiciary as the Settlement Week is not a one-off event, but a recurring one which would be organized from time to time during each legal year.

In his remarks, Chairman, Settlement Week Committee, Hon. Justice E. O. Ahamioje said ADR is now ubiquitously acknowledged alternative to litigation in several countries all over the world, and is gradually gaining a strong foot in Nigeria.

He further made known that the primary goal of a settlement week is to commit to a set period of time, usually a week or more, to apply the ADR process to ongoing litigation regardless of the stage of the case.

Hon. Justice Ahamioje also said this first ever settlement week is sponsored by the Edo State Judiciary. This means that, once placed on the track for settlement week, the entire process of a case is cost free, serving as an incentive to parties to achieve a resolution of their disputes.

Earlier, while welcoming all to the maiden edition of the Edo State Settlement Week, organized by the Edo State Judiciary through the Multi-Door Court House, the Director, Edo State Multi-Door Court House, Mrs. Taiye Omoruyi made known that the Multi-Door Court House creates an avenue to combat the challenges associated with the Justice delivery system minimizing delays through the Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms in order to achieve more amenable outcome to parties.

Hence, the week has been set aside by the Honourable Chief Judge of Edo State for courts to clear the backlog of cases through referrals to the Multi-Door Court House for possible resolution through the ADR Processes.

According to the Multi-Door Court House Director, cases expected to come up at the settlement week includes: Land Matters, Matrimonial cases, Accident Claims, Banking, Energy, Contracts, Landlord & Tenancy. Others are Insurance, Employment and Labour related disputes, Recovery of debts, sports and so many others.

Mrs. Omoruyi further said that Settlement Week essentially helps to ensure that matters which remain in the court’s docket receives more attention. It also reduces the chance that people would take the law into their own hands out of frustration that may occur due to a prolonged litigation process.

Highlights of the event was the unveiling of the Settlement Week Practice Direction by the State’s Chief Judge.

Nwine, Nekpen Maureen

Senior Information Officer

Edo State Judiciary

Valedictory Court Session in Honour of Late Justice Morrison Ojabu Ighodalo

EDO STATE JUDICIARY SETTLEMENT WEEK 2021

This is to bring to the attention of Members of the Bar and Bench,  Litigants, critical Stake holders in the Justice Sector and the General Public, that from 15^th to 19^th March, 2021,  pursuant to Order 26 Rule 9 of the Edo State High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2018, the Edo State Judiciary is organizing its first ever, “SETTLEMENT WEEK,” which is a week  set aside to employ Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) options in the resolution of cases considered resolvable in Courts’ dockets.

1. OPENING CEREMONY

 DATE: 15^TH March, 2021

VENUE: Imaguero College Hall, Sapele road, Benin City

TIME: 10.00am prompt.

2. SETTLEMENT SESSIONS

Please Note that all subsequent Settlement Sessions throughout the week are scheduled to hold at various designated centres, being the New High Court Complex, Edo State Multi-door Court House and the NBA House, Benin City starting from 9.00am each day. All NCDC Covid- 19 protocols must be strictly observed, please.

SIGNED

BENSON OSAWARU ESQ.

Acting Chief Registrar

High Court of Justice, Benin City

EDO STATE JUDICIARY PARTNERS GIZ TO IMPROVE STATE INVESTMENT CLIMATE AND THE ECONOMY

The Edo State Judiciary is partnering with the Pro-Poor Growth and Promotion of Employment in Nigeria (SEDIN) Programme of the German Development Agency (GIZ). The objective of the programme is to improve the employment and income situation of MSMEs through access to finance and business services, strengthening entrepreneurial and managerial skills, and addressing key barriers in the business environment and investment climate of selected states in Nigeria. In line with this objective, SEDIN is partnering with Edo State Judiciary, being one of its focal states to improve the system for commercial dispute resolution and contract enforcement in the state.

One of the key indicators used by investors globally in assessing national and states economics across the world is the ease of enforcing contracts. This basically deals with how easy it is to enforce commercial or business contracts among entities in terms of number of processes, ease of the processes, cost, and predictability of the processes. As part of its contribution to the efforts of Edo State Government to improve the investment climate in Edo State and stimulate economic activities, the state judiciary has embarked on series of reforms including the establishment of Multi-Door Courthouse and small claim courts all of which has improved the contract enforcement system in Edo state especially for MSMEs.

To further strengthen the system, SEDIN is now supporting the Edo State Judiciary to train and certify panel of neutrals in mediation and conciliation. At the opening event for the training, the Chief Judge of Edo State, Hon Justice Esther Edigin stated that the Edo state judiciary believes this partnership will lead to effective and efficient commercial ADR which will fast track commercial dispute settlement which saves time and cost and an important reform for contract enforcement and improved business enabling environment in the state. The representative of SEDIN-GIZ, Akin Omoware Esq further explained that the beneficiaries of the SEDIN-GIZ Programme include the poor and vulnerable who do not have the wherewithal to enforce their contractual rights especially through the formal justice system that is technical, expensive and adversarial. As part of SEDIN’s inclusive business approach, this partnership will contribute to the efficient ADR system in the Edo state and give access to affordable system of commercial dispute resolutions for MSMEs including farmers who would not have been able to afford or access the regular court process to enforce their contractual rights.

EDO STATE JUDICIARY GETS EIGHT (8) NEW JUDGES

Edo State Judiciary has had eight (8) Judges sworn into the state’s High Court recently. The new Judges who are;

• Aziegbemhin Williams Idemudia
• Igho Patricia Braimoh
• Esohe Irene Bazuaye
• Etinosa Gloria Adekanmbi
• Hassana Garuba Oshione
• Theresa Irenonsen Eghe-Abe
• Ogbevoen Rachel Aiteseme
• Itsueli Mary Enoredia

Were tasked by the Governor of the State Mr. Godwin Obaseki to be impartial in their dispensation of Justice, while performing the swearing-in ceremony. The Governor promised his support in adopting the new technology in the dispensation of Justice in order to ease the burden of work on the Judges.

Governor Obaseki while promising to hand over the newly built quarters to the Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Esther Edigin, said his administration has plans of rebuilding courts and Judges quarters outside the State Capital this year as, according to him, the appropriate environment has to be provided for the Judges to work efficiently and smoothly.

The governor who was elated at the history making event, said, it was part of his administration’s avowed commitment to strengthen the Rule of Law by ensuring the Judiciary is one of the strongest arms of government as that would bring about a virile democracy. He further urged them to carry on their duties without fear or favour as their appointment is from God and not from any man.

In his response, on behalf of the newly sworn in Judges, Hon. Justice Williams Aziegbemhin, who until his appointment was the Chief Registrar, High Court, Edo State, thanked his Excellency, the Governor of the state and the Honourable Chief Judge of Edo State, Hon. Justice Esther Edigin for ensuring that the appointment process was transparent, fair and conclusive.

He also stated that the desires of the new Judges now is to abide by the Oath of Office, uphold the principles of Justice, the ethics of the profession and to dispense Justice to all without fear or favour.

Hon. Justice Aziegbemhin further used the opportunity to thank the Governor for the beautiful 12 new Court Halls/Complex at the High Court premises and also the employment of 100 trained Stenographers to ensure effective administration of Justice in Edo State.

Also present at the ceremony held in the New Festival Hall, Government House, Benin City, with strict observance of COVID-19 protocol, was the first female Chief Judge of the State, Justice Constance Momoh.

Nwine, Nekpen Maureen

Senior Information Officer

Edo State Judiciary