The Supreme Court on Thursday, May 12, 2022, held a valedictory session in honour of Mary Odili, who retired after clocking 70.
At the event, the Chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), Ibrahim Muhammad, described the retiring justice as an epitome of “jurisprudential finesse with an irrepressible voice in the temple of justice”.
The CJN also said Mary Odili has entered the revered history books of the country’s judiciary as the third woman to rise to the apex court, adding that she held sway in the discharge of her judicial functions.
The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, described Justice Mary Odili as a true image of a renowned jurist and African heroine.
The retiring Supreme Court judge, Justice Odili in her remarks, spoke on the issue of state of origin and residency as it affects Nigerians, especially women.
According to her, “The issue should be given immediate attention, lest we ignore the matter at the risk of a lost opportunity to set the ship of state on the right course.”
“The follow-up on this matter of state of origin or residency and the import thereto have thrown up the fact that the women have seen themselves taking the short end of the stick on account of marriage outside the state of their birth.
“These are matters that need urgent attention in our journey of nationhood and building and sustaining thereof”, she said.
