Quitestrangely, those words (without the voice of course-It helped a great deal toforget the voice) stuck in my head and I quickly got to understand what they
meant. It became a yardstick for assessing every Judge I met and even appeared
before, moot Court Judges and real ones alike. As I got to know how important
those words are in a Judge's nature, I discovered much to my utter chagrin that
not many Judges, could pass for 'Not loquacious' or 'taciturn', in spite my
largely lax standards.
One
Judge whom effortlessly beat my erstwhile unsurpassed standards is Honourable
KUDIRAT MOTOMORI OLATOKUNBO KEKERE-EKUN JSC.
Then,
as a youth corp member, still green at the bar, appearing before a trio of
stern looking Court of Appeal Justices wasn't exactly far from the first time I
took the leap of asking a girl out- one older than me since I
was way too young to go for younger girls. Waiting to move a motion ( which of
course I had never drafted before, besides the fake Kayuba Ada and Crown
Kitchen ones at the Law School) in a case for which the facts were almost
totally unknown or vague to you, save for some verbal briefings by an
over expectant boss it felt like judgment day for a murder and Armed Robbery
suspect- in Adams Oshiomole’s Edo State. Just as the final pint of confidence
sipped out, in fast trickles, having heard your case mentioned, and the words "Appearances"
hit the Courtroom, I could feel my lungs inflate with a sudden revamp.'Most
respectfully My Lords....'
In 20
minutes the episode was over, but not thoughts of the raw, original and
complete features of a judge filled my mind.
With
priestly calmness, mastery of words, professional courtesy, polite firmness,
charisma, objectivity and patience Justice Kekere-Ekun was simply of the most
outstanding character and definitely an epitome of what every Judge should be.
Having appeared before quite a few others, I'm forced to conviction that my
assessment about His Lordship is hardly based on some random conclusion borne
out of a hasty and uncomprehensive study.
Turning
to judgments and delivery, His lordship's unique style of delivery is one to be
applauded in no small measure.
Taking
every fact and shredding it into tiny yarns and applying the most apt principle
of law, His Lordship made a fine art of judgments. As she read out her rulings,
the perfect sequence and harmony of the plot forced lawyers and litigants into
an unavoidable feat of suspense as the courtroom would always be dead silent,
waiting for the climax. Those judgments would surely fall nothing short of
several PhD theses I have seen.
Correcting
erring lawyers in the most courteous and professional manner, without deflating
their effervescent, fragile and well polished egos, Justice Kekere-Ekun
maintained the beauty of wearing a robe much to the admiration of the gallery.
With
such qualities of a Judge, its hard to see why Your Lordship won't be promoted
to grand level of a Supreme Court Justice not for any reason, but on the basis
of merit. In the words of Senator David Mark, “It
is a welcome development for the Supreme Court and I think emphasis should be
on merit and not on gender". These
few words no doubt says it all. Also, according to Professor Taiwo Osipitan SAN,
“I entertain no doubt that the Bar, The Bench, lovers of Justice, fair play and
transparency will benefit from the elevation of Justice Kekere-Ekun to the Apex
Court”
As an
advocate of substantial justice over technicality, His Lordship’s judgment in
ALHAJA AYO OMIDIRAN V. ETTEH PATRICIA OLUBUNMI AND ORS (2010)
LPELR-CA/I/EPT/NA/95/08 and, FATOKI V. BARUWA (2012)14 NWLR (PT.1319)P.3
amongst so many speaks loud.
I need
not say anything else but to wish this stoic of an Amazon the fruits of her
hard work, diligence, integrity, honesty and above all Justice. Your
achievements are far from over. Keep waxing stronger and onto greater heights.
NB;
THIS PIECE WAS SO CAPTIONED NOT TO RESTRICT THE READERSHIP OR AUDIENCE TO
LAWYERS ALONE BUT TO INNOCENTLY HARNESS THE BENEFITS OF REVERSE
PSYCHOLOGY ON THE INTELLIGENT MINDS OF MY READERS. BUT SINCE STOLEN WINE IS SWEETER, I'M SURE THEY WOULD WANT TO SATISFY THEIR CURIOSITY. SO, I GUESS IT WORKED!
BY
EHIWUOGWU ONYEKA for Zeus Telescope®
www.zeustelescope.blogspot.com