The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed, has ignored the 35th annual Federal High Court judges’ conference taking place in Abuja.

Justice Mohammed was billed to declare the event open at 10 a.m on Monday at Sheraton Hotel, Abuja.
However, at 11: 15 a.m, the CJN was nowhere to be found around the conference venue where judges and eminent lawyers had gathered for the programme.
As a face-saving measure, Justice Mohammed Shuaibu, of the Court of Appeal, stepped into the shoes of the CJN and declared the event open.
A source close to the Supreme Court confirmed the development that the CJN was not disposed to attending the conference.
“The CJN didn’t want to attend the conference. Otherwise, he would have sent any of his colleagues from the Supreme Court, but certainly not a Court of Appeal justice.
“Justice Shuaibu only stepped into the CJN’s shoes to save the day in terms of the embarrassment his absence would have caused the Federal High Court leadership,” the source disclosed.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the acting Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, pledged to take the court to higher heights.
He disclosed new judges would be appointed with a view to clearing the backlog of cases pending before the court.
“…Efforts will be made to see that new judges appointed to help achieve our goal; to quickly and efficiently adjudicate cases pending in our courts,” Justice Tsoho said.
He urged his colleagues to redouble their efforts in terms of “speedy adjudication.”