The Chief Judge of Kogi, Justice Henry Olusiyi, has urged judges in the state to see their jobs as divine calling to deliver justice to humanity.
Olusiyi stated this at a special court session in honour of four newly-appointed High Court judges on Monday in Lokoja.
Reports said that the four new judicial officers are: Justices Bamidele Aina, Aisha Mohammed, Ibrin Anajah and Levi Animoku of the Customary Court of Appeal.
According to Olusiyi, it is wrong for judges to see the profession as a means for economic survival and self- aggrandisement.
He urged the new judges to work hard and put in their best, stressing that their service was more a divine call than a mere profession.
“The work you are about to start is a calling for which you will be required to render account to God and that is why whoever does not have the calling may find the job hard.
“I have no doubt that you are going to do well. Though the work is enormous, don’t allow the stress to deter you.
“Cultivate the habit of resting; take a nap when necessary so that you can be more productive”, he said.
Olusiyi described the appointment and inauguration of the judges as a “milestone”, saying that it was not a tea party to come up with four judges in one fell swoop.
In his goodwill message, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mohammed Ibrahim, congratulated the new judges, adding that they should dispense justice without fear or favour.
He said that the judges were duly selected by the state Judicial Service Commission (JSC) before being recommended by the National Judicial Service Commission (NJC) to Gov. Yahaya Bello for appointment.
“I urge you to continue doing the good things which earned you this elevation and dispense justice without fear or favour.
“I also urge the judiciary to do more in the administration of justice, while the state, on its part, will do all within the resources available to support the judiciary”, Ibrahim, who was represented by the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs Hauwa Yusuf, said.
The Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Lokoja branch, Mr Sam Owoyomi, who spoke on behalf of other branches in the state, reminded the new judges that justice dispensation was a divine assignment to be carried out in line with scriptural injunctions.
“Let God use you to vindicate the just in our country”, he said.
Owoyomi advised the new judges to take a cue from their seniors and shun all forms of gratifications in the discharge of their duties.