Bauchi Gov Swears-in First Female Chief Judge

By Sule ALIYU, Bauchi

Justice Rabi Talatu Umar took over an office that had been vacant since 2014 after the retirement of Justice Ibrahim Zango.
The State Governor equally swore-in 5 Advisers reminding them of Code Conduct.
At a brief ceremony at the Government House Bauchi, the governor described the judge as a woman of “long records of uprightness, impartiality and incorruptible adjudication who has distinguished herself as a seasoned legal officer by the way she had been handling her official assignments”.
Governor Abubakar, a lawyer, said under the new CJ, he expected a judiciary that will “sustain its role of consolidating the rule of law without compromising its independence to the Executive arm”
The governor reaffirmed his confidence that the new chief judge would bring about all the qualities into play in discharging the duties of the State Chief Judge.
The appointment of Justice Umar was initially greeted by protests and petitions.
Critics said she was not the most senior judicial officer for the position.
Swearing-in the 5 new Special Advisers, Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar said the idea of appointing Special Advisers in any government is to give the chief executive of the state the “opportunity of making wide consultations thereby having variety of opinions on different aspects concerning the state”.
Governor Abubakar noted that “considering the economic realities in the country, the present position of things does not call for profligacy and merry-making. Unlike what obtained in the past, our appointments of political office holders are purely guided by merit, loyalty, competence and the need to reflect the geopolitical spread of the state”.
The Governor said because of the vast experiences of the appointees, those sworn-in are expected to add value to the system and help the administration in impacting positively on the lives of the citizens of the state “who overwhelmingly voted us to power.”
He stressed that the APC administration has come with a change agenda and is determined to effect positive change on the lives of the people who for nearly two decades were traumatized by corrupt and inept administration, but maintained that the “change we are bringing about is not only limited to economic or financial gain for the people. It is aimed at changing the mindset of the people and inculcating discipline in them so that they can be responsible citizens… and doing away with the bad habits of corruption, indolence and other negative tendencies which over years have major impediments to our development”.
The Governor however noted that “people should not expect change to come easy. For change to be successful, we need to make sacrifices and appreciate the difficulties we are in”, saying the administration is merely contending with huge debt profile and drop in the state’s allocation from the federation accounts. He however assured that in spite of the challenges, the administration is determined to forge ahead and provide meaningful development to the people.


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