Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo on Wednesday swore in Justice Joe Acha as the new Chief Judge of the state.

Justice Acha has been acting in that capacity for more than four months.

Performing the ceremony Obaseki stressed the need for the three arms of government to collaborate with one another to deliver good governance.

The governor said Justice Acha’s appointment was in recognition of his illustrious and unblemished career at the bar and at the bench.

“I am certain that Your Lordship will live up to the highest ideals of your illustrious predecessors at the helm of the judicial arm of government in our state.

“Our state has been blessed over the years with titans of the judicial space and this appointment will surely follow in that long-established tradition.

“This government has always considered itself to be Judiciary-friendly with the knowledge that our efforts to make Edo great will come to nothing without the solid foundation of law and order and the rule of law.

“I enjoin Your Lordship to embrace the same institutional reforms that would ensure that our judiciary is fit for purpose and meets with international best practices in all respects.

“We look forward to collaborating with the Judiciary as led by Your Lordship in pursuing the goal of ensuring the greatest good for the greatest number of people through modernisation, digitisation and efficient management resources.

“This government stands ready to provide all the support required to ensure that our judicial officers and the entire bureaucracy that supports them, are provided with all necessary modern tools, technology and welfare that would ensure optimal performance.

“We hope to be handing over the newly-built judges’ quarters and the modular courts being rolled out in all the local government areas across the state.

“We hope in return that the Judiciary will provide support for the efforts of government particularly in revenue generation and the prevention of lawlessness and impunity manifested in various facets of our public and private lives,’’ the governor said.

Responding, Justice Acha said that Gov. Obaseki and the Executive were not in any way responsible for the delay in his confirmation as the substantive chief judge of Edo.

“The unusual delay in bringing today to bear led to so much insinuations, speculations and even assertions that Gov. Obaseki was not disposed to my appointment as the Chief Judge of Edo.

“Stories were fabricated, created and weaved together to give credence to this claim,’’ he noted. (NAN)