The Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has hailed the election of Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji as the President of the International Criminal Court, ICC, as an honour for Nigeria and the entire Africa.
He stated this in a congratulatory message to the jurist on Monday.
The former Speaker of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS Parliament, however, said Eboe-Osuji’s emergence as President of the Court did not come as a surprise, given the jurist’s pedigree and wealth of experience.
Ekweremadu said: “I congratulate you most warmly on this well deserved honour done to you and indeed Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
“Your emergence is indeed a boost to the determination of the ICC and the global community to end genocides, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression as well as help the victims to find justice.
“You were well prepared for the elevation and onerous task by your sound education and experience as you distinguished yourself both as a prosecution counsel at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and also as a senior legal officer to the Tribunal’s judges.
“You also excelled in your service at the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Legal Advisor to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in addition to the high profile cases you sat over since assuming office as a judge of the Court in 2012”.
The Senator described the Imo State-born jurist, the first Nigerian to be elected as an ICC judge, as a worthy ambassador of the Nigerian legal and judicial system, urging him to remain on the path of excellence and justice.