Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, has said that since the judiciary is under what he described as unbridled public criticism, it needs to re-invent through self-cleansing.

He made the call, yesterday, in his office, in Calabar, during the swearing-in of three newly appointed High Court Judges in the state, Justice Ama Edet Ekpo, Justice Theresa Ansa Agom, and Justice Jarlath Ogar Agim.

Otu said: “As they are sworn-in today as members of the full bench at a time the judiciary nationwide is under unbridled public criticism, a lot of judicial expertise is expected from them.

“While the debate on the veracity or otherwise of public claims rages on, the undisputed fact remains that the judiciary needs to re-invent itself through self-cleansing procedure. The National Judicial Council of Nigeria (NJCN) should not relent in banging the gavel on erring judicial officers.
“The three judges sworn-in today must, therefore, live above board to rekindle the faith and trust of the common man in the judiciary.

The governor further noted that the current symbiotic relationship between the executive, legislature and the judiciary in the state is, therefore, worthy of commendation, as it has facilitated seamless movement of the machinery of government. The resultant effect is the accelerated growth and development of the state. May I, therefore, sue for more of this cooperation for the good of the state.”

While commending the three elevated judges for their hard work, the governor stressed that the principle of separation of powers between the three arms of government was purely for checks and balances and not for opposition and friction.

“The three judges so elevated today are carefully chosen among the legal luminaries in the state judiciary. They are, therefore, found to be an embodiment of hard-work, sincerity, integrity and with a firm knowledge, as well as understanding of the law.”

Otu, however, charged the judiciary to work towards decongesting correctional centres through effective use of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) option.