Unless there is aggressive review of the composition of the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC), emergence of judges who hold justice in trust for God may elude Nigeria.
This was said by Chairman, Body of Benchers, Chief WoleOlanipekun, SAN, in a paper entitled: “The Allegation Of Corruption In The Legal Profession: Who Is To Blame?”, delivered during the annual Alao Aka-Basorun memorial lecture, organised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch.
Chief Olanipekun, who held the audience spellbound for over an hour, called on stakeholders in the legal profession to look backward and retrace their steps so that they will find a common ground to build an incorruptible judicial system that will be a pride of all and sundry.
His words:”It is noteworthy that the theme of the Law Week is ‘Looking backwards to Move Forward’, and it is my candid view that except we look backwards and take stock of our beginning, starting from our cradle to adolescent as a professional, juxtaposition the past and the present, confessing and appreciating when and where we have made mistakes and when we have not lead to expectations or the bidding of our glorious and noble calling, we would not be able to march forward.
”It has always been my position that the legal profession, particularly our judges, hold justice in trust for God, who is the ultimate justice, and who, on the day of judgment, will judge all of us, be we lawyers, judges, court clerks, court registrars, court attendants, filing clerks, bailiffs, sheriffs – all of who are ministers and stakeholders in the temple of justice, and who cannot be dissociated from any allegation, real or otherwise, of corruption in legal profession.”
He noted that with what the profession is experiencing in recent years, the compositions should be completely rejigged, readjusted, retooled, recast and overhauled, to bring in independent people to perform the functions now vested in the two bodies, regarding recruitment, appointment, discipline and welfare of Judges and judicial officers.
Chief Olanipekun spoke against the background of the May 3 valedictory speech of a recently retired Justice of the Supreme Court; Justice Ejembi Eko Who suggested that budgetary allocation of the Judiciary be subjected to investigation by the anti-graft agencies.
Justice Eko also quoted the Director of Budget, Federal Ministry of Finance to have stated recently at the memorial lecture in honour of the late Abdullahi Ibrahim, SAN, at the Sheu Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja that “it is baffling that the welfare of Judges remains in abject state in spite of the increase of the budgetary allocation to the Judiciary under this regime. Why? The said Director of Budget suggested that the panacea to the often touted underfunding of the Judiciary would be for “the judiciary to allow its books to be opened” by the relevant authorities.
Chief Olanipekun described the development at the apex court as topical and unprecedented legal conundrum which has to be nipped in the bud.
