Justice Ishaq Bello and the Hague

Sir, your failure to gather enough votes for your nomination to scale through as Nigeria’s representative and one of the judges at the International Court of Justice in Hague is the will of God. I have read many reactions since the outcome of the voting process was made public. Some were disappointing, some were encouraging. […]

Justice Ishaq Bello and the Hague

Justice Ishaq Bello, FCT Chief Judge

Sir, your failure to gather enough votes for your nomination to scale through as Nigeria’s representative and one of the judges at the International Court of Justice in Hague is the will of God.

I have read many reactions since the outcome of the voting process was made public.

Some were disappointing, some were encouraging.

While those who were celebrating and even calling you names and calling President Buhari, who nominated you, all sorts of names are bigots, criminals who you delivered deserved judgments on them and are the ones now taking their toll but they cannot go beyond the social media pages to call you names.

I have confidence that as Chief Judge of the FCT you have done your best and I know you to be a contented person, ICJ or not.

For over 20 years since we know you as a judge, you have been making the profession proud.

All I have to do and all those reasonable Nigerians have to do is to pray for you. It is not you that lost, it is Nigeria that lost.

Madam Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was also nominated by the same President Buhari to vie for the post of Director-General of World Trade Organisation.

She got 98 percent of the votes but only one country said they did not accept her emergence.

Ironically, these same people calling you names did not go after the U.S. who rejected her simply because they reside there.

They did not also call her names for her failure to be DG, at least for now. Many of us are confident even before the voting is concluded that she will be the next DG. We still pray and hope she will still be.

My disappointment and anger is why should some people celebrate your failure to be an ICJ Judge?

Like I said, you have made your mark as a legal luminary and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

May God continue to increase your wisdom and protect you. Every disappointment is a blessing.

 

Ahmed Shu’aibu Gara Gombe