The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba, has counseled judges against sacrificing their well-being on the job and encouraged them to retire if they find themselves unable to perform effectively on the bench.
During the public presentation of a book authored by the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Lawal Pedro (SAN), in Ikeja, Justice Alogba offered this advice. The book, titled ‘The Supreme Court of Nigeria; History, Establishment, Jurists and Speeches,’ was co-authored by Mr. Abdulrasheed Ibrahim.
Emphasizing the importance of judges’ health, Alogba stressed that if judges find themselves in a state of ill-health, they should consider retiring from the bench. He highlighted the significance of judges being able to enjoy the fruits of their labor, irrespective of retirement age.
He said: “When it comes to a time until death do you and service part, I do not agree.
“You must assess yourself when you are tired, do not wait, please go home and rest.
“There is nothing you want to do again which you could not have done on the bench before you got to the stage of being tired if you are really interested in the work
“You do not need to die and have a valedictory for you, so retire if you are no longer in good health.”
The chief judge said that the issue of retirement age should be an individual thing.
According to him, good health is by God’s grace and judges should retire when they no longer have it.
He said though the retirement benefit might be peanut, he did not think any judge who had been in practice for quite some time before coming to the bench, would be a poor man.
“Ostentation apart, but to live a simple, quiet, and reasonably comfortable life, any judge who has spent 10 to 15 years on the bench, should be able to do that.
“So why do you want to kill yourself on the job and then people will just collect your benefit after you have died?
“The law has spoken; speak for yourself and assess if you are mentally and physically capable of going on with the work, but if your answer is no, go back home,” the chief judge said.
(NAN)
