Makinde swears in the new customary president of the Court of Appeal

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Monday administered the Oath of Allegiance and Judicial Oath to the newly appointed President, Oyo State Customary Court of Appeal, Justice Tajudeen Abdulganiyu, at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Agodi in Ibadan, the capital.

Makinde also reaffirmed his government’s continued commitment to work with and support the judiciary and legislature.

The Governor asserted that this would help the government maintain a functional system, noting that his administration has maintained a cordial relationship with the judiciary for the past five years.

He said the appointment of Judge Abdulganiyu followed due process and appropriate recommendations, without political, religious or ethnic bias, saying: “He is a Muslim. He is also not from Ibadan; he is from Igbeti. But we don’t care here in this state. We follow a fair process. Here we do what is right.

“The emergence of Judge Abdulganiyu was conducted according to due process. He was recommended to the NJC as President of the Customary Court of Appeals and was duly confirmed. So we have not short-circuited the process.

“We remain with our usual practice. We will give him all the support due to his office and our government has enjoyed a cordial relationship with the judiciary over the past five years.”

Makinde used the opportunity to advise the youths to pursue their dreams and not allow distractions in their life journey so that they can achieve greatness.

“My message for the younger generation is: don’t think that you have to make money quickly in life. If you want to achieve something that will last, it will take time and the process is usually very competitive,” the governor said.

Speaking to journalists after the swearing-in ceremony, Justice Abdulganiyu vowed to promote the common laws as they are also enforceable and not inferior to English laws.

He also assured the people of the state that he would put the functionality of the customary court more into practice, noting that it is a legacy that should not be allowed to die.

The dignitaries at the event were the Deputy Governor of the state, Bayo Lawal; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Adebo Ogundoyin; Chief Justice of the state, Justice Iyabo Yerima; Secretary to the state government, Olanike Adeyemo, among others.