Having queried the criticisms that usually trail the appointment of judges and justices to trial and appellate courts – in the piece titled “Appointment to the Bench – Much Ado about Nothing”, it is necessary to lend our thoughts on the qualities of a good judge or justice.

It was Francis Bacon, the English Lawyer, Philosopher, Statesman and father of the scientific method or empiricism, who said that “Judges ought to be more learned than witty, more relevant than plausible, and more advised than confident. Above all things, integrity is their portion and proper virtue.” Long before Bacon and, indeed, in every era of humanity, the question of what qualifies one to be a good judge has been discussed, debated and interrogated, but never resolved.

The question may never be given a universal answer because, besides their cultural and philosophical contexts, the expected qualities and virtues of a judge have always been inferences drawn from the duties and roles of the judge in the justice system. Under the adversarial system practiced by Nigeria and other common law countries, judges are usually lawyers with the legal ability and capacity to interpret laws and apply legal principles to factual situations fashioned and demonstrated before them by litigants.

Such judges excel and gain respect and traction within the legal community with the ability to grasp the cases and issues presented by litigants, sound knowledge of the law and courtroom criminal and civil procedures, sound legal reasoning, brilliant communication skills, humour, good listening skills, patience, courage to set aside personal prejudices, personal and partisan influences, integrity, a good balance of courtesy, humility, open-mindedness, good temperament, respect with confidence and firmness, good case management and, of course, good mental and physical health.

Public expectations are, in the main, influenced by the individual’s cultural sense of justice, and often go beyond such sterling qualities as the ones enumerated above. For example, to the Christian, the metaphor of the judge as the last hope of the common man is related to the role of God as the ultimate judge of all, who will judge sinners with condemnation and sentence to hellfire, and reward believers with the Rapture, whereby they will be identified, separated from sinners and taken to heaven to live an eternal life of glory.

The Biblical judge was also more than a mere settler of disputes. Judges in the Bible were leaders and protectors of their people. Samuel, Othniel, Deborah, Moses, Joshua, Solomon, Absalom, Chenaniah, Shamgar, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Abdon and Samson were judges who played differing roles in the lives of the people of their generations. Some were warriors who saved their people out of bondage, others were spiritual leaders, whilst others were judges with God’s mandate to dispense justice.

These latter judges are those enjoined to justify the righteous and condemn the wicked (Deuteronomy 25:1-2), to hear cases between fellow countrymen, and judge righteously between a man and his fellow countryman, or the alien who is with him (Deuteronomy 1:16), to consider what they do, for they do not judge for man but for the Lord who is with them when they render judgment, who should let the fear of the Lord be upon them; be very careful about what they do, who should know that the Lord our God will have no part in unrighteousness or partiality or the taking of a bribe (2 Chronicles 19:5-7), to know that being a judge to mankind means being capable of judging saints and angels (1 Corinthians 6:2-5), to be with the righteous judgment (Deuteronomy 16:18), to give justice to every man who has any suit or cause (2 Samuel 15:4), defy the spouse who would say “have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him” (Matthew 27:19); not to act on the bid of a false accuser by convicting and sentencing an innocent person (Matthew 5:25), to rise and render recompense to the proud (Psalm 94:2), to not show partiality in judgment; to hear the small and the great alike, not to fear man, for the judgment is God’s (Deuteronomy 1:17), to not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment (John 7:24 ), to open their mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute, to judge righteously, defending the rights of the poor and needy (Proverbs 31:8-9), to rescue those who are being taken away to death; and to hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter (Proverbs 24:11-12).

Viewed from another historical perspective, the judge has variously been likened to goddesses of justice like the Egyptian goddess Maat, who was a symbol of power and eternal life, the Greek goddess Themis, who symbolised authority and truth, or the Roman goddess Justitia, the blindfolded lady of justice who symbolised impartiality.

The image of a judge in the traditional African setting is not in any way different from the image of a judge in the Bible. Besides being able to communicate with the gods and interpret nature and its signs, the judge must be knowledgeable in the customary laws, traditions and practices of the communities and societies they operate in and must have in-depth knowledge of psychology, social phenomena and evolutionary trends.

By and large, the image of a judge is that of justice. Besides such intellectual qualities as the possession of a sharp mind that enhances the quick understanding of complex situations, issues and human phenomena, independent but open-mindedness, practical wisdom, hunger for knowledge, intellectual humility, good communication and listening skills, a good judge must possess such moral virtues as honesty, high integrity, courage and perseverance. A good judge must also be good and prudent in the management of personal and official time, which should reflect in the planning, management and prioritization of tasks and control of court proceedings. A good judge is one with innate and intuitive abilities to reduce case overhang or case overload.

A good judge must not be one lured to the bench for the power, influence and prestige that comes with the job. The motivation must be the boundless desire to serve humanity and the cause of justice. A judge must be courageous enough to face and live with such hazards of the job as adverse criticisms, unpopularity, loneliness and the possibility of being misunderstood and condemned for the best of judgments and intentions. The judge must, for the good of the justice system, engender confidence in the public and must fashion and dedicate personal life to the cause of justice.

Wike as an apostle of even development

When Governor Nyesom Wike declared on on Saturday, January 30, 2021, that discussions have been concluded to commence the construction of the Trans-Kalabari Road, which will ease transportation difficulties experienced by the people of Kalabari Ethnic Nationality, the announcement was greeted with mixed feelings.

The diverse feelings of hope, skepticism, disbelief, déjâ vú and forlon nostalgia were understandable for the simple reason that the Trans-Kalabari Road project has been one of the major talking points in the Rivers political calibration since 1999.

The nostalgia was even more poignant, as many Rivers people, especially the people of Kalabari will recall that in December 2012, the administration of the day had assured the people of Kalabari that the Road would be completed before the exit of that regime from office in 2015.

The so called assurance that the road remains top priority of that administration, had been made with boastful audacity, at a town hall meeting in Buguma, headquarters of Asari-Toru Local Government Area, in the following words, “The Trans-Kalabari road is coming and we have awarded the contract to Lubriks for the sum of N21billion. We have agreed to take it to Buguma so by January we will mobilise the contractor to site”.

Alas, just like the Karibi Whyte Memorial Hospital and the grotesque, daylight robbery monorail project that assaults the sensibilities, the Trans-Kalabari road joined other white elephant projects of that administration, which its spin doctors have been trying with frenzied misleading propaganda to re-present.

So, when Governor Wike declared, during the reception organised for the conferment of the special chieftaincy title, Eze Gbuwara Uzo1 of Ikwerre on Sir Celestine Omehia, former Governor of Rivers State, at Isiokpo Town in Ikwerre Local Government Area, on Saturday, January 30, 2021, the expectations also carried a tinge of real hope.

The reason was not far fetched. It was not only that the announcement had come on the heels of a marathon inauguration of quality projects across the state, but the faith and belief that Governor Wike had already pledged to complete legacy projects he started in every Local Government Area in the State, during his tenure.

Affirming the seriousness of the Rivers State Government to commence the Trans-Kalabari Road project, Governor Wike said: “I and the Deputy Governor, together with the Chairman of the Rivers State Elders Council, have agreed on how the Trans-kalabari Road will follow. Those who said we don’t want to do anything in the Kalabari area, today they are sending me text messages to thank me.”

To add the icing on the cake, the Governor said that with several projects inaugurated in the various local governmentsbof the State, most critics who accused him of being sectional with his development programme are now ashamed and silenced.

“So many people have said that I am discriminating in terms of projects. Now, when they saw us go to the various Local Governments to commission projects, they don’t say anything again,” he stated.

Two months later, on Wednesday, March 24, 2021, the Rivers State Executive Council approved the construction of the Trans-Kalabari and Saakpenwa-Bori-Kono Road projects at the cost of N27.6billion.

It will also be recalled that Governor Wike had, during the January 30 reception for Sir Celestine Omehia equally declared that: “When we were constructing Sakpeenwa -Bori Road, some politicians in our party were carrying propaganda. They were saying that we are not going to complete it.

“But, they now have one of the best roads in the state. Some of them were even ashamed to watch it on television. We have also agreed that from Sakpeenwa to Bori, we are awarding fresh contract to take it to Kono town.”

Little wonder therefore that an avalanche of encomiums, ranging from lyrical to poetic and the unrestrained outpouring of joy by top politicians, media gurus, statesmen and an appreciative community witnessing an infrastructure miracle they had only dared to dream about, greeted the commissioning of the the first phase, 16.06 kilometers, dual carriage Sakpenwa-Bori Highway by the Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Lawrence Ugwuanyi on Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Now, with the approval for the construction of Phase 2 and indeed the award of the Trans-Kalabari road, Rivers people have already concurred that these are two more promises made and kept by the promise keeping Governor who is building legacy projects all over Rivers State.

Elloka Tasie-Amadi, speaking at a Press Briefing on the approval for the construction of the Saakpenwa-Bori-Kono Phase 2 Road project said the project which starts from Bori to Kono, “is a 17 kilometer road and the cost of the project is N14 Billion. Construction time is 14 months. Payment will also be secured by an irrevocable payment standing order of N1 billion monthly drawn against the State Internal Revenue.”

The Works Commissioner further stated that the Saakpenwa-Bori-Kono contract will be executed by the same the company that executed the Phase 1 of the road , Chinese Civil and Engineering Construction Corporation, adding, for emphasis, that the reason the cost of the Trans-Kalabari road which is 13 kilometers long and 9.3 meters wide is almost the same as that of Bori- Kono 17.1 kilometers and 24 meters wide road with street light, is because the terrains are different.

“You see the cost of building in the riverine area is nothing less than twice the cost of building on solid soil. So the Government is going through huge trouble to see that these roads are built. People will wonder why the cost are like that, the terrain determines the cost. So, the Trans-Kalabari Road is far more expensive to build.”

Shedding more light on the Trans-Kalabari Road, Tasie-Amadi explained that the road will connect several communities amongst them Krakama, Omekwe-ama, Angula-ama, Mina-ama and some other communities in the Kalabari area of the State.

“The project will cost N13.6billion and will have 14 months duration, financed by an irrevocable standing payment order drawn against the State Internal Revenue, meaning that every month the contractor will be paid N1 Billon and there will be no delays.

“This will guarantee the project is not stalled and completed within the time frame stipulated and agreed with the State Government. This I believe will be useful to the people and open the area for economic activities,” he added.

There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever, that the award of the Trans-Kalabari Road by the Governor Wike’s administration is historic. Many will recall that the previous government awarded the road to indigenes of the area who later abandoned the project for inexplicable reasons.

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It had also been the most devious unique selling point in a completely dubious and misleading election propaganda of a political party, which had trumpeted the ethnic mantra that only a Riverine Governor would deliver the Trans-Kalabari Road, with their leader even audaciously foisting a business accomplice as the anointed messiah on the hapless followers. Now they will hide their heads in shame.

Finally, for those who have been shouting themselves hoarse with the broken chant that Governor Wike is only developing Port Harcourt and Obio Akpor, these two major road projects; the Trans-Kalabari and the Phase 2 of Saakpenwa-Bori-Kono Roads, are located outside the city centre and this is a further testimony that Governor Wike has remained steadfast in spreading development to all the nooks and crannies of the State.

Most importantly, the two legacy roads projects are expected to be completed within the next fourteen months and with the kind of payment plan already structured for its operations, these projects will not be abandoned, but will definitely be completed and commissioned with ample time to spare, before the administration’s tenure elapses.

This not only consolidates Governor Wike’s promise that no project will be abandoned in his tenure, it further reinforces the undeniable fact that the Wike administration is only desirous of delivering projects that will impact positively and ensure the betterment of Rivers State and her people.

Nsirim is the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Rivers State