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By Lukman Olabiyi
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and the Chairman, Body of Benchers, Chief Wole Olanipekun, has called for a review of the composition of the National Judicial Council (NJC) and Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC).
Olanipekun made the call in a paper titled: “The Allegation of Corruption in the Legal Profession: Who is to Blame,” which he delivered at the 2022 Annual Alao Aka-Bashorun Memorial Lecture organised by thẹ Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja branch, held at Marriot Hotel, GRA, Ikeja.
His words: “My sincere position is that with what we have been experiencing in recent years, their 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. This is what operate sin other climes.”
Olanipekun made this submission 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.
Chief Olanipekun described the development at the apex court as “topical and unprecedented legal conundrum which has to be nipped in the bud.”
He, therefore, urged stakeholders in the nation’s Judiciary to wade into the row as quickly as possible.
One of the discussants, Yemi Candide-Johnson, SAN, said the function of the legal system could not be achieved if practitioners continue to destroy it with lies.
According to him, if the system is corrupted with money, it will be difficult to get justice. He expressed regrets that some justices of the apex court had failed in the description of the character of an upright judge.
“When you take an oath as a judge, it is not a game. If you can’t do it, leave it.”
A life bencher, Dele Adesina, SAN, said lawyers should be courageous enough to reject forum shopping from clients. He stressed the need for the Disciplinary Committee of the NBA to be able to sanction members as appropriate.
Dr Muiz Banire, SAN, remarked that lawyers themselves were the cause of the problems in the Judiciary saying, “if we don’t regulate ourselves now, it will give room for external body to regulate us.”
