Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has sworn in Justice Adam Onum as the state’s new Chief Judge.
Onum is the first indigene from the Idoma speaking Benue south senatorial district to be appointed to the office of a Chief Judge in the state since its creation in 1976.
His appointment followed the last week retirement of Justice Iorhemen Hwande as Chief Judge of the state for 11 years.
The governor while performing the ceremony at the Government House in Makurdi, noted that the new Chief Judge has contributed immensely to the building of the judiciary in the state.
He said that Onum’s sacrifice to the legal profession has made the state judiciary one of the best in the country and called for unity of purpose among ethnic nationalities in the state so as to sustain progress.
"We have no other state than Benue and for us to make progress we must remain united. Selection of the Chief Judge in Benue and elsewhere in the country has always been guided by politics but I want to let you understand that Justice Onum did not lobby to get the position," Ortom added.
Responding, the New Chief Judge, Justice Onum commended the governor for finding him worthy to serve the state as he posited that the transition resulting to his appointed was the fastest that ever happened in the country.
