By Ikechukwu Nnochiri


ABUJA – The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, Friday, swore in Justice John Inyang Okoro as a Justice of the Supreme Court.

Inyang who hails from Akwa Ibom State increased the number of justices on the apex court bench to eighteen.

Performing the swearing-in ceremony at the Supreme Court yesterday, the CJN, urged Justice Okoro to ensure that he remained above board, saying, “As I felicitate with you, let me point out that you have a very heavy responsibility on your shoulders.”

“The public perception of the judiciary as we are well aware is central to its existence especially in a democratic society as Nigeria. It follows therefore that the judiciary is a democratic society cannot remain aloof of the realities of the operating environment even if only for the pragmatic necessity to maintain its relevance in the society.

“It has a critical role in mediating conflicts and upholding human rights through a robust interpretation of law. This is particularly so in societies like Nigeria, where the judiciary has been previously implicated in validating authoritarian rule and thus undermining the rule of law.

SOURCE: www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/cjn-swears-inyang-justice-supreme-court/