Akeredolu Harps On Independent Judicial System
Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has stressed the need for a good and an independent judicial system, saying the judiciary should represent hope for all and sundry.
Akeredolu who spoke yesterday when he sworn in Justice Williams Akintoroye as the acting chief judge of the State following the retirement of the former Chief Judge of the state, Justice Oluwatoyin Akeredolu, who retired at the age of 65years.
Akeredolu, who said the position of a judge was meant for a person that is fit and proper, charged the new Acting CJ to live up to the dictates of his calling.
The governor at the event held at the Cocoa Conference Hall of the Governor’s Office, Alagbaka, Akure, the state capital, stressed that nobody should be allowed to operate in a manner that suggests that the law is subject to his whims and caprices, even remotely.
Akeredolu said: “Both the rich and the poor, the high and the low, citizens, free from any legal entanglements, which delimit their fundamental rights, as well as those whose freedoms have been curtailed by judicial pronouncements, should feel the existence of a legal system, piloted by the judiciary.
“The beneficiary of an effective judicial system is the society itself. Every pronouncement emanating from the Bench should act as a balm on the bruises of the victims of infractions. A judgement should elicit appropriate feelings from litigants.”
“The direct victim of abuse should be convinced that the punishment meted to the aggressor is commensurate with the breach. The defendant should feel the full weight of justice to serve as deterrence.
“A judge occupies the most important public position. He is next to the almighty while he sits to adjudicate on matters brought before him. He can pronounce that a person be put to death for committing an offence and it will come to pass.’’
In his response, the acting chief judge, Justice Williams Akintoroye, appreciated the Governor for finding him worthy of the apportionment, just as he promised to put God first in all his decisions and form a synergy with the other two arms of government.
