Retiring Justice of the Supreme Court, Dattijo Muhammad, at the valecdictory court session held in his honour in Abuja on Friday, criticised the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and systemic issues with the Nigerian judiciary.
bench with indelible remarks, criticising the Chief Justice of Nigeria , over-concentration of powers in the CJN office, and judicial corruption.
He made the remarks at the valedictory court session organised to mark his retirement, an event that is characteristically a forum for exiting judges to air their deepest feelings and recommendations about the affairs of the judiciary. In his sober reflection over how the judiciary had lost its integrity and prestige, with rampant corruption and malfeasances often reported by the institution, he said the public confidence in the Nigerian courts had never sunk to the level it now found itself.SPEECH DELIVERED BY HON.
Why, then,the subsequent reconsideration and the fact of today’s event? This is indeed a pertinent and legitimate question to ask. Appreciable efforts have been made by earlier speakers in telling you who I am. May it please you to hear it from the horse’s mouth! My maternal grandparents were of the Fulani stock that accompanied the Dan Fodio Jihadists to Nupe land.
Through the years, I rose to become the second most senior Justice of the country’s apex Court and Deputy Chairperson of the National Judicial Council. Considering the number of years I have spent in judicial service and the position I have attained by the grace of the Almighty, I feel obligated to continue the struggle for reforms for a better Judiciary and would be leaning on the earlier submissions of those who had exited before me.
The same applies to NJI and LPPC. Such enormous powers are effortlessly abused. This needs to change. Continued denial of the existence of this threatening anomaly weakens effective judicial oversight in the country. We are in an election season where the Election Tribunals and appellate courts are inundated with all manner of petitions and appeals. The Supreme Court is the final court in the Presidential, Governorship and National Assembly election appeals. Yet, there are only 10 justices left to determine these matters. Constitutionally, each of these appeals requires a panel of seven justices to sit on them.
To ensure justice and transparency in presidential appeals from the lower court, all geo-political zones are required to participate in the hearing. It is therefore dangerous for democracy and equity for two entire regions to be left out in the decisions that will affect the generality of Nigerians. This is not what our laws envisage. Although it can be posited that no one expected the sudden passing of Hon.
In 2015 when President Muhammadu Buhari became the president, the budgetary allocation to the judiciary was N70 billion.In the 2018 Appropriation Bill submitted to the National Assembly,the President allocated N100 billion to the judiciary. That the unjust and embarrassing salary difference between the justices and the Chief Registrar still abides remains intriguing to say the least.Valedictory session after valedictory session lapses and challenges that should be nipped are restated to no avail. Why the silence and seeming contentment?A couple of years ago, appointment to the bench was strictly on merit. Sound knowledge of the law, integrity, honour, and hard work distinguished those who were elevated. Lobbying was unheard of.
There must be a rethink and a hard reset. If the people we have sworn to defend have lost confidence, there is a problem that must be addressed.”. President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016 ordered the forceful entry into the houses and the arrest of justices some of whom were serving at the apex court. Not done, in 2019 the government accosted, arrested and arraigned the incumbent Chief Justice before the Code of Conduct Tribunal for alleged underhand conduct.With his retirement apparently negotiated,he was eventually left off the hook.
Chapter 9 verse 71 further requires that believers, both men and women, enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil.“This is how a society goes down the drain really quickly first overlook evil,then it permits evil, then it legalizes evil, then it promotes evil, then it celebrates it and then persecutes those that still call it evil.”“When you follow a concept, consider what would lead you to withdraw your support. If the answer is nothing, your integrity is in jeopardy.
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