After clocking 70 years old, Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour retired from the Supreme Court during a valedictory court session on Monday.
The apex court Justice retired out of the bench after attaining 70 years on Monday while maintaining in his remarks that corruption must be tackled headlong through genuine efforts to make life more meaningful for the citizenry.
The retirement of Justice Rhodes-Vivour has reduced the number of justices in the Supreme Court to 18 as Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili emerges as the second most senior justice of the apex court.
During the valedictory session, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, said, the retired justice is “Physically energetic and never gets frightened by any form of challenges.
Ibrahim Muhammad also maintains that “His amiable disposition and reticent outlook have made him a gentle tiger in the temple of justice.
Ibrahim Tanko also described Rhodes-Vivour as “Affable brother Justice” who diligently and meticulously offered unquantifiable services to Nigeria and humanity.
He said, “We are all here today to felicitate with an accomplished jurisprudential iconoclast that has offered the best of his intellect to the advancement of the legal profession through his several years of inimitable adjudications”,
He said, “His Lordship is a rare gem and unblemished symbol of humility and piety. His proficiency in the dispensation of justice, which is anchored on his mastery of the law, presents him as a man of honor and scholarship.
He also said “His judgments are not only incisive but also analytical and opulent by all standards. His robust contributions to the development of our jurisprudence are inviolable and fascinating. Adding that, “His impeccable attention to details in every matter before him is alluring and salutary as well.”
On his part, the retired Supreme Court Justice, Rhodes-Vivour expressed satisfaction stating that he has a testimony to make, according to him, he has never been absent from work as a judge due to illness. He said, I did have health challenges, but they were resolved during vacation, all medical procedures were uneventful.
He said in his words, “It is with humility that I have and will continue to give thanks praise, and glory to the almighty God. The Lord has been good to me, and I will forever be thankful.”
Justice Rhodes-Vivour also expressed concern over the rate of corruption which, he said, was still deeply rooted in Nigeria like any other country in the world.
He, however, maintains that concerted efforts must be put in place to reduce it to the barest minimum.
According to him, “Corruption exists in all the countries of the world. Nigeria is no exception. What should be done is to reduce it drastically thereby making our dear country an exception by building a credible and transparent system.”
The jurist also faulted the conduct of elections in the country, lamenting they are protracted because the stakes are too high.
Justice Rhodes-Vivour said that most elections are usually resolved by the courts simply because most politicians are never satisfied with the results announced by the electoral umpire.
However, he renewed his appeal that the country’s Electoral Act be amended to shift the burden of proof to the Independent National Electoral Commission that it conducted a fair and reasonable election.
According to information available on the Supreme Court’s website, between 1963 and 1968, Honourable Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour attended St. Gregory’s College, Lagos. In 1970, he wrote and passed his Advanced Level Certificate Examinations and proceeded to the University of Lagos for his undergraduate studies.
He graduated from the University of Lagos in 1974 with honors, and thereafter he was admitted into the Nigerian Law School, and was called to the Bar in 1975.
On the 18th of February 1994, Rhodes-Vivour was appointed to the Bench as a High Court Judge. After many years of experience on the Bench at the High Court, he was elevated to the Bench of the Court of Appeal on the 25th of April 2005.
In 2008 on secondment by the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he was posted to Sierra Leone Judiciary as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone.
On his return to Nigeria, after this posting, he was appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on the 16th of September 2010.

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