Lagos ex-CJ Oke bows out

The immediate past Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Opeyemi Olufunmilayo Oke, last Thursday successfully bowed out of the service of the Lagos State Judiciary having attained the mandatory retirement age of 65 years for High Court judges. At a valedictory court session in her honour which took place at the Foyer, High Court, Igbosere, […]

The immediate past Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Opeyemi Olufunmilayo Oke, last Thursday successfully bowed out of the service of the Lagos State Judiciary having attained the mandatory retirement age of 65 years for High Court judges.

At a valedictory court session in her honour which took place at the Foyer, High Court, Igbosere, Lagos, speaker after speaker praised the retired CJ for her hardwork, integrity and improving the administration of justice.

Justice Oke retired exactly 598 days after she was sworn in as the 16th Chief Judge of Lagos State.

Born to parents from Ogun State, Oke had her primary education from Methodist Primary School Surelere and Methodist Primary School, Ekotedo Ibadan.

She continued with her secondary studies at University of Ife Staff School Ibadan Campus before proceeding to Fiwasaiye Anglican Girls’ Grammar School, Akure then concluding her schooling at Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo.

Oke is an alumna of University of Ife. Between 1978 and 1979, she attended Nigerian Law School. Then got a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Coppin State College, Baltimore.

Speaking at the event, the first woman Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Folake Solanke, on the occasion urged members of the bar and the bench to be corruption free so as to restore the glory of the judiciary.

Solanke said for the common man to have hope in the administration of justice, the system must be free of corruption.

She said, “Every member of the profession must be involved in the restoration of the dignity and credibility of this profession and if all of us determine to be corruption free, there will be no corruption anywhere in the administration of justice.

“We have to restore the golden days that the administration of justice was enjoyed in the court. The bar and the bench must be corruption free.”

She described the retirement of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, as a tragedy.

Delivering his speech, the acting Chief Judge of the state, Justice Kazeem Alogba, described the retired CJ as an advocate of positive change in the administration of justice, adding that Justice Oke cherished her oath of office and her integrity.