Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, on Tuesday, swore in Justice Foluke Eunice Awolalu as the new President of the Osun State Customary Court of Appeal.
Awolalu’s appointment came following the death of the former President of the court, Justice Gloria Oladoke, in September last year.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony held at the Multipurpose Hall of the Local Government Service Commission, State Secretariat, Abere Osogbo, Governor Oyetola urged Awolalu to continue from where her predecessor left off by upholding ”the tenets of her office and to discharge her responsibilities with the highest level of integrity, equity, discipline and justice”.
Oyetola maintained that the best way to immortalise the late President of the court was to continue to seek justice for the good people of the state.
He described the former President of the court as “a Justice of Justices who was an epitome of character, industry, professionalism and leadership”.
He said with Justice Awolalu’s pedigree as an incorruptible, fearless and courageous Judge, he had no doubt in her ability to sustain the existing trust that people have in the judiciary as the purveyor of justice in the state.
“Hon. Justice Awolalu is coming into the office at a time when The State of Osun still remains the most peaceful state in Nigeria and a period when the three arms of government in the state are enjoying peaceful coexistence without compromising their exclusive roles. It is also a time when the people have implicit confidence in the state judiciary.
”The judiciary is described as the last hope of the common man. Common men constitute a huge population in the state and the major clients of the Customary Court and the Customary Court of Appeal by virtue of the fact that they are mostly illiterates, indigent and consequently benefit from native laws, tradition and customs.
”Both Courts handle cases such as marriages, property ownership, inheritance and such laws which are critical to their lives, are predominantly unwritten and are therefore subject to abuse.
“The President of the Customary Court of Appeal must therefore drive its court to perform its role with the highest level of responsibility and fairness to ensure justice and peace for the people
“I congratulate Hon. Justice Awolalu on her appointment as the new helmsperson at this court. By the grace of Almighty God, Hon. Justice Awolalu will ably take off where her predecessor left off and end up with grace and in peace,” Governor Oyetola added.
Earlier in her acceptance speech, the newly-sworn-in President, Justice Foluke Awolalu thanked the governor for approving her appointment just as she promised to justify the confidence reposed in her by being fair and just in the ajudication of justice.
“I see this as an opportunity for me to build and consolidate on the good work of those that have served in this position as I am committed to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in the administration of justice. I will ensure that every man gets justice in accordance with the Constitution and judicial system, ” she added.
