Conviviality, High Hopes and Joy as Hon Justice Daniel Iyobosa Okungbowa is Sworn in as the Honourable, the Chief Judge of Edo State

By: Douglas Ogbankwa Esq @ douglasogbankwa@gmail.com.

For the very astute and brilliant Hon Justice Daniel Iyobosa Okungbowa,the newest Chief Judge of Edo State , Friday the 14th of July , 2023 ,is a watershed.This is because that is the day My Noble Lord effectively took substantive charge of the Edo State Judiciary.

My Noble Lord,the Hon Justice Daniel Iyobosa Okungbowa has served the Edo State Legal Community ,all his life .First as a Counsel in the Edo State Ministry of Justice, where with distinction My Lord handled very many sensitive matters , with so much verve and vigour and also with attendant successes .

My Lord joined the Golden Set of Edo State Judiciary Judges ,from which the set is producing its third Chief Judge in a row .First was the perfect of the set -My Lord , the Hon Justice Esther Amenaghamwon , FCIARB and My Lord , the Hon Justice Joe Itsabaga Acha .

My Lord, the Hon. Justice Daniel Iyobosa Okungbowa has had a very successful and scandal free career , in the very thorny milieu of Edo State Judiciary, coming out unscathed as a fearless , courageous and incorruptible Judge .

My Lord has with so much equanimity ,with out affection and ill will , churned out one landmark Judgment to another , most of which has stood as a rock of Gibraltar in the eagle eyes scrutiny of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

My Lord is indeed a national treasure and a good example of how a Judex should conduct himself in private and in public.

The very fascinating thing of My Noble Lord is My Noble Lord ‘s knack to say it they way it is, no caring whose ox is gored.My Lord’s trajectory as a judge is subsumed in the honoured Aphorism that Justice is a three way Traffic, Justice for the Plaintiff/Complainant, Justice for the Defendant and Justice for the Society. My Lord has over the years dispensed justice in the real sense. The appellation *My Lord*, is reserved only for the *Almighty God*.For a Judge to bear that appellation ,He must realise that he is a representative of the Almighty God.My Lord by My Lord’s conduct and pronouncements , has shown that My Lord is not oblivious of the fact that My Lord is indeed a representative of the Almighty God.I have no doubt that the Almighty God is delighted ,that He indeed has a representative , making him proud on earth .

We wish My Noble Lord a fruitful stint as the Chief Judge of Edo State.The reputation of My Lord precedes My Noble Lord and there is no doubt that My Noble Lord will make a good Chief Judge .

About the Author:

Douglas Ogbankwa Esq,Lawyer , Writer and Policy Analyst,a former Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association Benin Branch, is the Convener of the Vanguard for the Independence of the Judiciary.