Justice Chima Centus Nweze of the Supreme Court has eulogised the retiring Chief Judge of Enugu State, Ngozi Priscilla Emehelu for achievements she recorded in transforming the state judiciary.
Nweze spoke at a gala night organised by Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, in honour of the outgoing Chief Judge, yesterday.
He disclosed that Emehelu, whose retirement takes effect midnight of Tuesday, September 7, 2021, was able to record the feat because of the kind of governor under whose leadership she served.
He said: “My Lordship (Chief Judge), the Lord has blessed you. And part of this luck is serving under the leadership of His Excellency (Ugwuanyi). I am not saying this because His Excellency is here. Those of you who were here 20 years ago know what we went through. Those who were here 15 years ago know what we went through.
“You served as Chief Judge under His Excellency, the Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, peacefully and successfully. The good Lord will bless you. The God of lawyers will always bless you. We pray that the new Chief Judge of Enugu State will continue this good work.”
In his address, Ugwuanyi described Emehelu as an erudite lawyer and esteemed judicial officer, who bestrode the state’s justice sector as Attorney-General before her well-deserved appointment as a Judge and subsequent appointment as Chief Judge of the state.”
The governor acknowledged, with delight, the dedication and diligence with which Emehelu discharged her duties, pointing out: “Enugu State judiciary and indeed the entire state are happily reaping the fruits of the transformative reforms and innovations she engendered as Chief Judge.”
In her response, Emehelu thanked God for her successful career, adding: “Let me put it on record that, under Governor Ugwuanyi’s administration, we witnessed an unprecedented infrastructure development in the judiciary of Enugu State across all the judicial divisions and magisterial districts. Not only infrastructure development but also human development and other things we needed.”
She said the state judiciary was blessed to have Ugwuanyi, who she described as “a man that has the fear of God and has the milk of human kindness flowing in him”.
She added: “How did I get here, if not for somebody (Ugwuanyi) who has justice, equity and good conscience in him. Your Excellency, I am indebted to you. I have said it several times. If not that you stood your ground and that you wanted justice to prevail, I couldn’t have been there.”
Follow our socials Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Google News.
