A retired justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and member, International Dispute Resolution Institute, Paul Adamu Galumje obtained Professional qualification in law from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and Nigerian Law School, Lagos; and was called to the Bar in July 1978. Over the years, he also benefitted from several conferences, workshops and seminars within and outside the country.
His career in legal practice began in 1974 as Assistant Registrar, North Eastern State Judiciary, Gongola; rising to Higher Registrar in 1977.
Appointed a Magistrate in 1979, he earned the rank of a High Court Judge in Taraba State in 1990. In this capacity, he displayed tremendous courage, for example, in Suit no. TRSJ/56/2000 HON. ABU ISA AJIYA & 9 ORS V. HON. JOLLY B.C. YERIMA & 10 ORS. In this case, Speaker and his deputy were wrongfully suspended by the House of Assembly who was unable to convince two-third of the members to carry out their wish. They suspended both the speaker and his deputy and went on to appoint one of them a pro tempo.
The suspended Speaker and His Deputy went on to file a case in court and the said case was assigned to Honourable Justice Galumje. .
A few days later pressure within and outside judiciary was exerted to persuade him to uphold the decision of the House of Assembly, but he did not succumb to the pressure.
However, at the end of the case, Justice Galumje found out that the members who suspended the Speaker were wrong and he pronounced so in his judgment.
For this and many others, he was subjected to all sorts of maltreatment by the state. He lived with such conditions until 2005 when he was promoted to Federal Judiciary as a Justice of the Court of Appeal. Here again, the case of Alhaji M.M. Dingyadi & annor. V. INEC & Ors. Justice Galumje also displayed exemplary courage when the case came to the court of Appeal, and he was a member of the panel that took the appeal. Thereafter, intrigues set in when he and some members of the panel refused to be bribed to do the wrong thing. For this, they were subjected to queries. Indeed, this was the case that led to the suspension of his lordship, Hon Justice Ayo Isa Salami, the then president of the court of Appeal for no just cause. It is also important to note that Judgement in that appeal has not been delivered till date. Eleven years later, he was elevated to the highest court in the land – the Supreme Court of Nigeria where he retired from full-time service in April 2020.
Honourable Justice Galumje has also served society in many other critical capacities. These include: Chairman of Commissions of Inquiry and of the Robbery & Firearms Tribunal, Taraba State.
A member of the International Dispute Resolution Institute, Honourable Justice Galumje has presented papers at many learned fora across the country.
He is happily married with children to Mrs. Zeporah Galumje.
Ladies & Gentlemen, it is a pleasure to invite Honourable Justice Paul Adamu Galumje to receive the Hallmarks of Labour Life-Time Achievement Award for Exemplary/Courageous Service to the Advancement of our Legal System.
Congratulations Sir.