By Eric Ikhilae, Abuja
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called for the appointment of more Justices for the Court of Appeal to ensure that serving ones do not continue to be overworked.
The NBA also advocated an amendment to the Court of Appeal Act to allow a division of the court has a minimum of six Justices at a time.
Its President, Paul Usoro (SAN) said these while speaking in Abuja on Thursday at a valedictory court session held in honour of the retiring President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bukalchuwa, who turns 70 on Friday (March 6, 2020).
Usoro hailed Justice Bulkachuwa’s contribution to the Judiciary and the effective manner she managed her court as the president.
“The NBA calls for the immediate appointment of additional Justices of the Court of Appeal, not just for the extremely busy divisions.
“To pave way for those appointments, we call for a concomitant amendment of the provisions of the Court of Appeal Act to allow for the appointment of sufficient number of Justices that would ensure that no division of the Court of Appeal would have less than six Justices posted thereto and the particularly overworked and overloaded divisions like Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt would have no less than 10 to 15 Justices posted thereto,” Usoro said.
Looking back on her journey through life, Justice Bulkachuwa said her success was aided by the contributions of three men – her late father (Alhaji Abubakar Gidado El-Nafaty), her first husband and cousin. (The late Dr. Abubakar Yaya Aliyu) and her second and current husband (Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa).
Justice Bulkachuwa said the death of her father and first husband affected her greatly, because they shaped her life in no small measure.
“I was very close to my father. He shaped me to be what I am today. He wrote long letters to me while I was at school and encouraged me and my siblings to be focused in life and concentrate on our studies.
“His death affected me greatly. I grew up fast, knowing I had to leave my comfort world, and being the eldest, I subconsciously took up the whole responsibility of ensuring that my sisters and brothers are brought up in the manner our father would have brought them up.
“In January 1970 I was married to my cousin, Abubakar Yaya Aliyu. He promised my father, on my father’s death bed, that he would allow me to continue with my education.
“My husband became the pillar of my life, he embraced. He embraced all that I cherished. He was humble, very kind and had many good virtues,” she said.
Justice Bulkackuwa, who recalled that she had her last child (Dada Aisha) three weeks after her late husband’s death, noted that he died while serving as a renowned professor, a Special Adviser on Political Matters to then President, General Ibrahim Babangida and Director, the Institute of Administration.
She added: “The death of my husband tore my world apart. I scaled through the moment of despair with the help of my extended family and friends. The deep scars of his death will forever follow me for the rest of my life.
“I was only 41 in 1991 when I remarried my second husband, Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa.
“Alhaji Adamu became yet, another towering figure in my life. He cared for my children and treated them like his own. At last, Nana and Dada (her two last children), who did not know their biological father had found a father figure they could lean on.”
Justice Bulkachuwa, who began her career on the bench with her appointment as Grade 1 Magistrate in 1980, became the first Chief Judge of Gombe State in January 1997.
On December 9, 1998, she was elevated to the Court of Appeal; appointed Acting President of the court on November 2012, following which she became the substantive President in April 2014.
Justice Bulkachuwa said she has been in the legal profession for 43 years, 40 of which she spent as a judicial officer.
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