The first female
President of the Court of Appeal, Zainab Bulkachuwa, Thursday, bowed out of the
Bench as she clocked the statutory mandatory retirement age of 70 years for
Justices of Appeal Court.
At the valedictory
session in honour of the outgoing Justice, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA)
President, Pual Usoro, SAN, said the life of Mrs Bulkachuwa reminded one of
what the Nigerian girl-child and indeed women can achieve if given the chance
and opportunity.
In his words, ” We
more often than not scoff at the idea that women are naturally gifted in
multi-tasking but before us today is one illustrative example.
” In celebrating
this gender champion, it helps to go down memory lane to appreciate how arduous
we have travelled in the road that leads to gender diversity in the court of
appeal.
” The first female
Justice of the Court of Appeal was Justice Aloma Mukhtar, elevated to supreme
court and Chief Justice of Nigeria.
” An illustration of
what the Nigerian girl -child and women can achieve when and if given the
chance and opportunity” he said.
Usoro recalled that
out of 86 Justices of the Court of Appeal only 23 are female, barely 30 per
cent.
The NBA president
said Mrs Bulkachuwa abandoned a secure and comfortable life of a Chief Judge of
a state and joined the ranks of Justices of the Court of Appeal.
He added that:
“These are those that their lives are filled with the tedium of reading endless
records of appeals, listening to submissions among others.
“It is only a very
high standard of patriotism and a sense of duty and service that would inform
and drive those choices.
” These are
qualities that appear to be in short supply amongst our public office holders
who pretend to pontificate against and lecture our judicial officers.
” It is our judicial
officers in the mild of Bulkachuwa who have the right to pontificate and
lecture public officers on patriotism and duty to country,” he said.
The NBA boss also
called for the appointment of more justices of the court of appeal saying,
those serving in busy divisions are being overworked.
In her speech, Mrs
Bulkachuwa, said if she could achieve all these in spite of the adversaries she
faced, every girl -child can aspire towards it.
“More than academic
success and career elevation, every girl has the potential to live in and make
her world a beautiful one.
” There is so much
love to spread to those whose language you speak and those you don’t even
understand,” she said.
Mrs Bulkachuwa was
appointed Acting President, Court of Appeal in 2012 and substantive President
of the Court in April 2014.
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