A section of legal practitioners has warned that Nigerians may have lost confidence in the judiciary following recent controversial decisions by judges and questionable actions of lawyers whose pursuit for money had eroded their quest for justice.
Speaking in Lagos at the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law, NBA-SPIDEL, the lawyers called for a holistic reform of the judiciary which must include severe sanctions for corrupt judges and lawyers so as to restore confidence in the sector which is considered as the last hope of the common man.
In a panel session with the topic, “The 2023 Nigerian Election and Lessons from the field:” Will the Judiciary Save the Day,” immediate past President of NBA, Mr Olumide said the general perception of the citizens keenly watching the actions of judicial officers including lawyers is that the judiciary is deeply corrupt.
Akpata made reference to the recent revelation by Senator Bulkachuwa on the floor of the National Assembly of how his wife, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa helped swayed justice for his colleagues, the revelation by former Senate President, Ahmad Lawan of how the court assisted his return to the Senate, and said such revelations has given the judiciary a bad reputation.
He pointed out that both lawyers and judges are complicit in the matter and added that a drastic reform of the judicial process, including the process of appointment of judges, remuneration and sanctions is urgently needed to sanitize the justice sector.
Akpata added that aware of the corruption in the judiciary, Nigerians are fast exploring alternative avenues of settling their disputes since they have completely lost confidence in the judiciary.
“Reform of the judiciary cannot take place on the inside. We need reforms but I don’t think the judiciary as it stands now can pivot that reform. I believe it has to come from outside,” he said.
On his part, the Executive Director, YIAGA Africa, Mr. Samson Itodo, said the Nigerian public has lost confidence in the judiciary and the evidence is clear with their disposition to the pronouncement by the courts. If we don’t as a sector address it squarely, then the legitimacy that we seem to have, we will loss it with time.
He said: “People have lost confidence in the judiciary but we must help to salvage that lost confidence. Lawyers need to call out judges who are corrupting the system. There also needs to be an effective sanction system for lawyers who corrupt the system. Citizens also need to rise up to the occasion and call out judges and lawyers who are corrupting the judiciary. “
The National Coordinator, Exalt Nigeria, Ekine Stronghold cited the case of Imo state which is presently in a state of chaos as a result of a perceived injustice foisted on the state by the judiciary.
He warned that the country cannot afford to have the Imo state scenario on a national scaled and called for an all-encompassing reform. “The onus is on us lawyers to save this country from anarchy and we must not fail in this duty,” he said.
On his part, Mr Aderemi Oguntoye said that judges and lawyers are on trial and must find a way to heal themselves to salvage the bad reputation that the public has about them.
“People are looking for alternative ways to settle their disputes because they no longer have confidence in the judiciary. This is a bad trend that must stop. Beyond the need to examine the actions of judges and lawyers, there is also the need to encourage those that are doing well. There is also the need to fully embrace technology and fix a stiff sanction for electoral offenders,” he said.
Earlier in his address, the Chairman of NBA-SPIDEL, Dr Monday Ubani said that the judiciary must rise up to the occasion to restore the dwindling confidence in the justice sector.
(Source: Vanguard)
