My life before, during and after career in judiciary – Justice Cudjoe

Weekly Trust: You are the first female indigenous lawyer from Kaduna state, which then included Katsina. Did you feel any pressure to succeed then?Justice Rahila Cudjoe: I was constantly the only woman or one of the few women amongst men, so I discovered very early in my legal career that if you want to succeed […]

Weekly Trust: You are the first female indigenous lawyer from Kaduna state, which then included Katsina. Did you feel any pressure to succeed then?
Justice Rahila Cudjoe: I was constantly the only woman or one of the few women amongst men, so I discovered very early in my legal career that if you want to succeed like the men, you have to work even harder than them. For the simple reason that when you are a lady and you are in a man’s world, especially then, people wonder whether you’ll succeed. I guess in that sense, there was pressure to succeed. But what I also discovered very early was, as soon as you show them that you can do it, they become very comfortable with you and you will not have any problem.
I remember very early in my legal career in the Ministry of Justice when, apart from going to court and defending or prosecuting cases for the government then, sometimes I find myself as the legal adviser of a Board, or when there is a meeting and I am sent to attend. Very early, I discovered that when I walk into a boardroom for the first time, you could see the look on the faces of the men, like ‘who’s this girl…?’ I was very young then, anyway (laughs). But as soon as they get to find out that whatever it is you are there for, you can do it, they come to respect you.
I remember way back at that time the Ministry of Justice was under-staffed and I found myself rising very fast and covering important issues very early in my legal career. Ordinarily, it would have taken someone more time to cover. For instance, I remember one of my bosses, Honourable Justice Umaru Abdullahi, who was Attorney-General in the Ministry of Justice. Whenever he is travelling outside the state for any meeting and the Executive Council Meeting in Kaduna is coming up, he would ask me to go and represent him. So I found myself representing the state at those meetings.
I also remember walking into a function at the State House, Kawo, Kaduna and the only lady there was the wife of the British Deputy High Commissioner. As soon as I got there, she walked up to me and said, ‘thank God, I thought I would be the only lady here as usual’. That shows you how few women there were then in public service, unlike now.
WT: Do you think women are better-off now in society?
Cudjoe: Definitely. Now we have more educated women taking up important positions and strategic responsibilities. You see them in offices, commerce, etc. doing virtually everything men do and pretty well, too.
WT: Your tenure as Chief Judge of Kaduna is scandal-free, something of a rarity these days. How did you achieve that?
Cudjoe: I think it’s simple. When you’re in a responsible position, you should do the right thing. You are in charge, so you should try to be fair to people and do things based on merit and not on favouritism. For instance, the government has a policy of giving seats for pilgrimage to Christians or Muslims. And when they give these seats, I always try to distribute to those who ordinarily cannot afford them. So, we have guards, cleaners, messengers and so on who have been able to go on pilgrimage because of that. 
And when it comes to medical care of the staff, I try to be fair. You cannot say because you are high up in the system, out of whatever money is being voted for healthcare you should have the lion’s share. Let me give you an example: One day somebody came and said to me that one of our gardeners’ children got badly scalded by hot water. I asked where the child was and was told the child was at home because the father could not afford the treatment. I called the Chief Registrar and said he should make sure that child is taken to the hospital and I made sure all the bills were paid.
I’m also quite interested in staff training, which is something that some people do not seem to think about. After I became the Chief Judge, I went round all the courts and I discovered that we had some very intelligent workers, clerks, registrars and so on. Talking to them, I’d ask them why they’re not furthering their education. Being in Kaduna, we have a lot of educational institutions around. Quite a number of them seized the opportunity and developed their skills. I think by the time I retired, twenty five of them became fully qualified lawyers. I also ensured that the judiciary paid their tuition if they had been given permission to attend.
At a higher level, I worked with very senior judicial officers in Abuja. Also, at the state level, I worked with three military administrators and four civilian governors during the seventeen years I was Chief Judge. All the civilian governors of Kaduna State since 1999, I swore them in.
Sometimes in the judiciary you find that when cases are decided, judgement might not go down well with some. But because of my approach to things, I have not had military administrators or politicians trying to interfere with or influence anything.
WT: Unlike many of your colleagues, you are known to be apolitical. Why the aversion to politics?                                     
Cudjoe: Probably because the way politics is being practiced is not attractive to me. It’s not even in this country alone, it is everywhere.  
WT: Of all the landmark cases you have tackled, which would you say is the most memorable to you?
Cudjoe: That is a difficult question because I have done so many cases. I have treated civil matters, criminal matters, fundamental rights cases and so many others. All these cases are quite important to me. I think the important thing is that at the end of each case, I felt satisfied that I’d done justice. I went into law because I wanted to be a lawyer. I wanted to be a judge and fortunately I became one very early, as soon as I clocked ten at the bar which was the minimum requirement. Whatever it is I have achieved, I did because I loved my job, and I think that has been my saving grace.
WT: How was it like growing up? Any particular childhood memory you would like to share?    
Cudjoe: I had a really interesting childhood because my father was a civil servant. He started working with the Northern Nigerian government, now the nineteen Northern states, so he was transferred to different places and that meant I went to different schools. The nice memories I have are those of schools I went to, where you would find children from all over Nigeria. That was very good for this country, as children grew up with others who had different cultures and understood those cultures. That was very good for the unity of the country. Unlike today, when you find children are restricted to their own areas and mainly to their own people.
I found myself growing up with people from the South-South, Western and Eastern parts of the country. In that way, you find yourself more open to peoples’ views, you understand people more and become more accommodating. I also have fond memories of playing ‘Tafa-Tafa’ or ‘Ten-Ten’. I do not know what children call that game now, but it sure was fun in my day.
My father, Venerable Archdeacon H.O Mohammed, MBE, was first generation Christian and the family name, which is my maiden one as well, was Mohammed. At one time when my father was in Kano working for the judiciary, our house was in Fagge in Kano and most of our neighbours, if not all, were Muslims and we lived together peacefully. During Sallah, they would send us Tuwon Shinkafa and at Christmas my mother would cook rice and stew and we would take to them. My childhood memories, at home and at school are really good ones. I thank God.
WT: How are you coping with life after retirement, with both of your children all grown up and settled?
Cudjoe: With the mobile phone, it’s like I talk with my children wherever they are in the world, every day. Selene, my elder daughter is a doctor of medicine who specialized in Critical Care Anaesthesiology and lives in the United States, while Charles is an airline pilot based in Lagos and I have a wonderful relationship with both of them. As for retirement, I enjoy it. In fact, to be honest, I do not want to hear anything about work now. It’s so nice to go to bed and not have to put on your alarm clock.