President Bola Tinubu has honoured Justice Mary Odili, a retired Supreme Court judge, on her 72nd birthday.
According to a statement from presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale, Justice Odili, a respected jurist, was the deputy chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC), reporting to the chairman (Chief Justice of the Federation) at the nation’s highest court.
She was also president of the National Association of Women Judges of Nigeria (NAWJN) and chairperson of the Body of Benchers, where she spearheaded groundbreaking reforms, such as retooling the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee by forming three panels, thereby expediting their processes and ensuring efficiency, and reviving the Body of Benchers’ mentoring programme for all young lawyers (0-7 years post call), among others.
Tinubu praised the legal expert for her great accomplishments in her field and for her work in uplifting the downtrodden and providing assistance to the poor.
The president fondly remembered Odili’s many community development programmes and relief efforts as Rivers State’s First Lady, including The Adolescent Project (TAP), which provided education, health improvement, social rehabilitation, and empowerment services to vulnerable adolescent girls, directly impacting over 500,000 citizens and winning the Global Health Council Award for Safe Motherhood in Washington, D.C. in May 2001.
As Justice Odili celebrates her birthday, Tinubu wishes her and the Odilis many more years of service to the nation in good health.
