Justice Chima Nweze

The Nigerian Senate has confirmed the appointment of Justice Chima Nweze as Justice of the Supreme Court following his screening by the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.

He is the 17th judge to be appointed into the court, headed by Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar

The senate, on receipt of the letter of nomination from President Goodluck Jonathan, referred the nominee to its Committee on Judiciary for scrutiny.

The president, in conformity with Section 231 (2) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, has powers to appoint a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

This is on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC) and subject to confirmation by the senate.

Nweze had served in the Calabar division of the Federal Court of Appeal and in Lagos before his elevation.

Some of his recent pronouncements was on the FOI Act, where he criticised the Lagos State government for insisting it wants to domesticate the law, already enacted by the Federal parliament.

He said the Lagos position was not in accordance with the provisions of the law.

Speaking at a one day seminar organised by the Lagos based human rights group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in conjunction with MacArthur Foundation on the role of lawyers and judges in the implementation of FOI Act, Justice Nweze maintained that it was an abuse of language for a state government to claim that it cannot implement FOI Act until it is domesticated in such state.

The Appeal Court judge held that domestication relates to international treaties and agreements signed by the Federal Government, and that it was improper for a state government to hide under such to avoid implementing the FOI Act.

In May last year, Nweze, as an appeal court judge in Lagos had upturned the N25million damage awarded by a lower court against the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency, over the 24-day detention of Babatunde Omidina, alias Baba Suwe, on suspicion of drug trafficking.