The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Hon. Justice Kazeem Alogba, has admonished lawyers to always resolve their differences with Judicial officers with utmost ethical standards devoid of vulgar language and abusive words.
Speaking when the leadership of Eti-Osa Lawyers’ Forum paid him a courtesy visit On Tuesday, 8 September, 2020, Justice Alogba, who had the company of the Chief Registrar, Deputy Chief Registrar Admin, Deputy Chief Registrar Special Duties and other Principal officers of the State Judiciary, maintains that members of the Bar and Bench must protect the image of the noble profession, no matter the provocation.
Responding to the clarification from the chairman of Eti-Osa Lawyers’ Forum, Mr. M M A Sanni as regards the status of the Christopher Olatunde Segun Court House Eti-Osa, Justice Alogba explained that the Eti-Osa Court is currently under the Lagos Judicial Division until necessary facilities and manpower for the registry and probate are ready to make it a full fledged judicial division.
He assures that efforts and resources are being deployed to that at the moment.
The Chief Judge went further to state that he is poised to creating more courts and Judicial Division, especially in parts of the state where the need for such is evident and pressing. According to him, such will ease the stress associated with transportation and bring justice closer to the people. He stated that this will however depend on availability of resources, adding that such additional courts will lead to cost reduction for lawyers and litigants.
Justice Alogba further noted that the Eti-Osa court shall commence sitting after the vacation, adding that two Judges and three Magistrates have been posted to the Court House and that he will be willing to post more judges to the Court House based on the traffic of cases brought to the court.
He, however, expressed his displeasure at the attitude of some Lawyers who instead of seeking clarity from his office as to why certain actions were taken, especially during the COVID-19 period, would rather sensationalise such matters on the pages of Newspaper and Television stations, stating that the job of a Lawyer is not done on television or radio, as his office is open to all stakeholders who seek answers and clarity from it.
In his closing remarks, M M A Sanni thanked the Chief Judge for the completion of the Eti-Osa Court, which had earlier been abandoned, within such a short period of the CJ’s assumption of office. He further stated that the court will bring justice closer to the people of Eti-Osa and its environs.
He reiterated that the completion has brought to fruition the long term engagement of Eti-Osa Lawyers’ Forum with the State Government spanning the last ten years regarding the demand for the Court. While praising the splendid facilities provided in the Courthouse including the NBA office, he pledged the cooperation of the Eti-Osa Lawyers’ Forum and other legal practitioners to the development stride of Justice Alogba while urging the CJ to complete the final process for the actualisation of Eti-Osa Judicial Division as promised.
The Forum’s delegation included M M A Sanni the Chairman, Abiye Tam-George Vice chairman, Abioye Akerele General Secretary, Chinyere Nwaogu Financial Secretary, Saheed Sanni Treasurer, Bernard Onigah, Publicity Secretary. Others were Bola Animashaun, former Vice Chairman of NBA Lagos Branch, Chief Ademola Sadipe, Rotimi Vaughan and Ndidiamaka Ogunfuyi amongst others.
