Oyo govt hosts CJN, promises judicial independence

• Leave politics for politicians, CJN warns judiciary
• APC commends Makinde for admitting governance failure

Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has said that his administration will continue to promote the independence of the judiciary in the state.

The governor said that his administration had created the enabling environment for the judicial arm of government to carry out its constitutional responsibilities as the bastion of hope for the common man.

Makinde, who spoke at a reception organised by the Oyo State Government in honour of Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, held at the Manhattan Hall, Eleiyele Road, Jericho, Ibadan, had in attendance four other state governors, justices of the Supreme Court, Oyo State judiciary, top lawyers and other eminent dignitaries.

The governor said that it was the first time in the history of Nigeria that Oyo State would produce the CJN, saying that the development has heralded many pacesetting achievements for the state.

In his remarks, Ariwoola, who pledged not to let Nigerians down, said that there was no way anybody would write about Makinde as governor of Oyo State and not write that a CJN came from the state during his tenure as governor.

He said: “I feel overwhelmed today and thank the governor. I want to assure Nigerians that we are ready and waiting and we shall not let down Nigerians.”

The CJN equally admonished politicians to allow the judiciary to perform its function, while he also warned the judiciary to leave politics for politicians.

IN another development, the Oyo State All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended Makinde for the open admission of failure by his administration to add value and meet the good people of the state in the last 41 months.

The party said that the Makinde-led administration had failed to deliver on some key sectors of the economy and general administration for reasons the governor could not explain.

In a statement, yesterday, by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the opposition party said that its critical assessment of the administration had been validated and inadvertently corroborated by the chief driver himself.