A judge of the Supreme Court, Maria Pedro-Odilihe retired after reaching the retirement age of 70 on Thursday.
Speaking at the court’s farewell session held in her honour, Ms Peter-Odili lamented the wave of violent crime in Nigeria, which she blamed on youth unemployment.
At the event held at the High Court in Abuja, the retiring high court judge, who is the wife of Peter Odili, former Governor of Rivers State, warned that the “urgency of what we all face at this time demands the need to address them.
“The mass unemployment of tertiary institution graduates is just the tip of the iceberg.
“The millions of idle young people are no strangers to insecurity on the ground,” he said.
She said that the current strike by public university professors, which has lasted more than three months, has aggravated the unease of young people.
“The situation is not helped by the perennial strikes that leave students lazing around.”
Addressing the issue, Ms. Peter-Odili suggested that “the Head of State should take over as Minister for Youth, Employment and Social Welfare”.
Drawing on her experience as a former first lady in Rivers State, Ms. Peter-Odili said that if the president were to take on the role of employment minister, he would lead “the implementation of whatever is implemented without intermediaries” taking over the process.
He advised state governors to adopt the same strategies to tackle youth unemployment.
Furthermore, Ms. Peter-Odili in her farewell speech called for the urgent “restructuring” of Nigeria.
“My humble opinion is that the issue (of restructuring) should receive immediate attention.”
Recalling her judicial career spanning more than four decades, she thanked her husband, Mr. Odili, and his colleagues for their support.
praise
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad, praised Ms. Peter-Odili for her “irrepressible voice in the temple of justice”.
Muhammad described the retiring jurist as the “epitome of jurisprudential finesse”.
“We are honoring a gracious lady of seductive qualities and excellence that transcend the legal profession,” he said.
The CJN noted that Ms. Peter-Odili “offered the best of her intellect to the advancement of the legal profession through her several years of inimitable adjudications at different levels of courts in Nigeria.
“She is a specimen of hard work, industry, discipline and high moral rectitude,” Muhammad said.
Similarly, Wole Olanipekun, Senior Advocate for Nigeria (SAN), praised the retiring judge for her contribution to the Nigerian judicial system.
However, Mr. Olanipekun, speaking on behalf of the Nigerian Senior Lawyers Corps, said that “the legal profession today faces many problems”.
“Political cases are responsible for labeling the judiciary a ‘supermarket’.”
He pointed out that the Supreme Court cannot be “insular”.
“When the Supreme Court makes a ruling by mistake, it should be reversed,” adding that “the search for forums” where lawyers seek favorable court decisions “has to be addressed.”
Olanipekun urged the executive arm of government to “stop harassing the judiciary. The judiciary can never be inferior to any other arm of government.”
For his part, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami, represented by Beatrice Jedy-Agba, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Justice, pointed out that Mrs. Peter-Odili followed the path of honor during her time as a magistrate on the bench. of the Supreme Court.
However, he urged the judiciary to embrace technological innovation to ensure a more effective and efficient justice administration system.
Profile
Ms. Peter-Odili retired from the service after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70 years.
He was born on May 12, 1952 into the royal family of Bernard Nzenwa in a highly commercial community of Amudi Obizi, Ezinihitte-Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State.
He made headlines in October last year after 15 suspected burglars, including a suspected police officer, broke into his home to allegedly execute a search warrant.
The suspects are currently on trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.