Below is the speech delivered by His Lordship Justice Paul Addah at the maiden edition of the National Students Justices’ Conference held at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) on Saturday, February 7, 2015.
Mr. Chairman, your Lordships Justices of the nation’s superior courts of judicature, your Excellency the National President of NUGS and other NUGS executives herein present. Student Justices from various member institutions across the country. SRC and local NUGS executives present. Fellow Students. Ladies and Gentlemen. All protocols duly and conscientiously observed.
I feel highly honoured and privileged for this glorious opportunity accorded me to address this august gathering of intellectuals across the country on this momentous occasion of the maiden edition of national students justices’ conference which is being anchored on the theme “Empowering the Student Judiciary for an Effective and Efficient Judicial and Electioneering Processes.”
This is an initiative of the current judicial board of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) with support from the National Officers of NUGS which seeks to bring together student justices in the nation’s tertiary institutions and acquaint them with the modern art and science of jurisprudence in order to increase their appreciation of the nation’s judicial regime and thus guide them in the proper administration of justice in their respective institutions and beyond.
Our decision to rollout this novel project is premised on the fact that my colleagues and I in the judicial committee of NUGS hold a strong contention that the dispensation of justice is the single most important factor that has the tendency to make or unmake any society and for that matter educational establishments where most often than not, election related issues sometimes overwhelm us as a people.
It is no more newsworthy nowadays to hear of litigation cases characterising student elections in this country. In fact, disputed elections remain the number one source of conflicts in most of our tertiary institutions today. It is my reckoning that the judicial systems in our educational institutions have not been able to properly check this rising worrying trend hence the need for a more concerted efforts if we are to make the necessary progress in this regard.
This is because many of us do not seem to appreciate the ‘inherent intricacies’ that are associated with the dispensation of justice and for that matter how to amicably settle our differences without any cause for concern. It is in acknowledgement of this impregnable fact that we thought it expedient to for the first time in the history of NUGS, create a platform like this and invite the relevant stakeholders especially the crèmes de la crèmes of our legal milieu who are mainly justices of the nation’s superior court of judicature to educate us on what we need to know as far as this most important enterprise is concerned.
“You would all agree with me that as we strive to attract investments into Ghana, the Judiciary must lead in that effort. Economic development cannot thrive in a regime in which there is scant or no respect for rule of law. Respect for contracts can only be enforced if parties can count on the just and expeditious enforcement of mutual and reciprocal rights. Where we fail in this regard, we create and augment the prevalence of uncertainty and chaos. Our forebears bequeathed an institution which was respected for its competence and commitment to principles. Thus, not only are we obliged to continue in that track, we indeed have a higher calling to do more. The needs of our time are greater and the opportunities for excellence are equally good.”
This quote which is attributed to the Ghanaian Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Mrs. Georgina Wood is a further testament of the indispensability of any judicial system as far as societal progress is concerned.
You and I cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the many reservations and complaints against both the bench and the bar. The painful menace of delay in the administration of justice stemming from rampant adjournments and stagnation in the development of cases has led to the frustration of many genuine litigants.
We are all “student lawyers and justices”, a profession that calls itself noble. But if I may ask, wherein lies our nobility if our overarching consideration in our professional life is money? Wherein lies our nobility if the litmus test of our success is the financial reward we stand to gain from every little or drop of service we render? Nelson Mandela of blessed memory, noted this when he said, “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the
life we lead.”
Finally, the strengthening of any organisation starts with the individual members and other components of the organisation. I therefore wish to implore all of us to imbibe the virtue of self-discipline and industry in all our legitimate undertakings as underpinned by the mission statement of the nation’s judicial service which I quote verbatim “The Judiciary is an independent arm of the State created to resolve legal conflicts according to law, impartially and efficiently to all persons without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. We do this by the true and proper interpretation, application and implementation of the laws of Ghana”.
Ordinarily, as a learner in jurisprudence, it shouldn’t have taken me more than a minute to make my presentations because our learned resource persons are here who are competent enough to effectively dispense justice to the theme for this occasion and the other related issues that matter to us. I however felt compelled to make the observations that I made because of how passionate I feel about them.
Thank you very much for your audience and may we have a worthwhile learning experience.
Long live NUGS! Long live all Ghanaian students. Long live Ghana. Aluta Continua !!! Victoria Acerta!!!
Paul Addah
Chief Justice of NUGS
0278892000
