At her inauguration last October as the 16th
Chief Judge (CJ) of Lagos State, Justice Opeyemi Oke, promised that
the judiciary would uphold the rule of law, stamp out
corruption and ensure the speedy dispensation of justice.
Justice Oke promised improved public access, transparency and
accountability to boost confidence of the public in the judiciary.
In addition, she promised to key into the vision of the governor to
transform the Judiciary, such that it would stand shoulder to
shoulder with any other in any part of the world. She
said it was a new dawn.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who swore in the Chief Judge, had
called for more reforms aimed at fast-tracking justice delivery
without necessarily compromising the fundamental principle of fair
hearing and the rule of law in the judiciary.
On areas requiring improvement, Ambode called for a Judicial
system that would improve speed of justice delivery so that the
wheel of justice can roll faster without having to compromise
the fundamental principle of fair hearing and the rule of law. The
governor charged the CJ to sustain and improve on the reputation
that the state Judiciary had built over the years.
About 100 days down the line, how has the Judiciary fared under
her watch?
Assumption of office
The first task of Justice Oke, on assumption of duty, was to
herald the 2017/2018 new Legal year tagged: the Golden
Jubilee of the Lagos Judiciary. The five-day event had notable
legal personnels, including members of the bar and the bench, in
attendance. Highlight of the new Legal Year programme was a seminar
held to determine the way forward and achieving a desirable
judiciary system in Lagos.
On corruption
One issue stands Justice Oke out among her peers: her resolve to
rid the state judiciary of corruption. Upon her assumption of duty,
Justice Oke used the platform of the new legal year, her first
official outing, to announce that it was no longer going to be
business as usual. In her address, she warned the bar against
unnecessary adjournments, saying that any lawyer caught in such
unholy practice stands the risk of losing his practice licence.
Arraignment of workers for
alleged corrupt practices
To match her words with action, Justice Oke disclosed plans to
arraign some workers of the judiciary for alleged corruption.
They include three workers in the Litigation Registry of the
Lagos State Judiciary and a youth corper (names with held) arrested
for alleged corrupt practices November. Also to be arraigned
alongside the staff of the state judiciary was a tout who has been
in the habit of impersonating as a staff of judiciary and
defrauding court users.
She said another court registrar is also going to appear before
the Judiciary Service Commission soon for alleged corrupt
practices.
She said the magistrate the registrar was working with filed a
report against him that he asked a party in a suit to pay him
N50,000 to get the court to make an order in his favour.
Justice Oke said the workers had appeared before the Lagos State
Judiciary Staff Commission, which looked into the matter against
them, adding that the incident marked the end of their career.
“The bar is also determined to fight corruption with us. The
members of the bar are the users of the court. They too have
promised to report back to us”, she said.
Justice Oke said the bar had also resolved to flush out “
accidental lawyers” in their midst in their determination to fight
corruption in the Judiciary.
Commitment statement
As part of her efforts to change the face of the judiciary in
the state, Justice Oke came up with a commitment statement which
today has become a guiding principle of effective service delivery
in the judiciary. It stated:
“ We the staff of the Lagos State Judiciary are committed to
Lagos State and the Community.
“Our mission is to provide quality and professional service in a
knowledgeable manner.
“We take pride in our work and hold ourselves accountable to the
highest standard of performance. “Our goals are achieved through
mutual co-operation, a strong sense of integrity, a positive
attitude and team work”.
The commitment statement was unveiled last November at Ikeja,
Igbosere and Ikorodu high courts’ premises, Justice Taylor
Magistrate’s court house, Igbosere, Botanical gardens, Ebute Metta
Magistrate’s court premises and Yaba Magistrate’s court premises
respectively and is hung in every court room.
Justice Oke said the Commitment Statement being inaugurated was
intended to embolden the public to challenge any worker of
the Judiciary who asked to be paid before serving them and to make
formal report against such staff.
“We don’t want anybody to destroy the Lagos State Judiciary. The
Judges are fully in support of the fight we are waging against
corruption in the system”, she stated.
Visit to Badagry Prison
On November 9, Justice Oke was in Badagry, with Governor
Akinwunmi Ambode for the inauguration of the Justice Thomas Court
House. She took advantage of the event to pay an unscheduled visit
to Badagry Prison, which has become famous for having children as
inmates.
The visit paid off as she freed four sick inmates who were being
held in custody after being convicted for “having no visible means
of livelihood”. Justice Oke had then questioned where such offence
existed in the laws of the state and admonished the police to stop
charging children to court for non-existing laws and magistrates to
stop sending children to prisons.
Workshop for service delivery
On November 28, the Chief Judge organised a four-day
workshop for workers of the judiciary which has as its
theme: Towards an efficient and effective administration
of justice system in Lagos State.
Justice Oke emphasised that it was a new dawn in the
Judiciary as her administration would not tolerate any vices
from any worker. The CJ restated her commitment to
fighting corruption in the judiciary to a standstill.
She urged judiciary worker to key into her commitment statement
designed to ensure efficient and effective service delivery
as stated in her new legal year address or be shown the way out of
the system.
“Let me state emphatically that it is a new dawn in the Lagos
State Judiciary as this administration will not tolerate such vices
from any member of staff. This administration will by the grace of
God Almighty have zero tolerance for corruption in whatever form.
The new Lagos State Judiciary must epitomise
discip-line, honesty, hard work. integrity, credence, dignity,
honour and zeal for results and excellence”.
She said:”The essence of this workshop again is to promote a new
ethical orientation into the consciousness of all staff. It has
become necessary to do away with the old spirit of doing things and
for a new spirit which will give positive image to the Lagos State
Judiciary.
Courts visits
Last December, Justice Oke visited court premises across
the states to examine the state of the facilities and the
challenges and rehabilitate them into structures befitting status
of courts.
New dawn in the judiciary
On January 2, Justice Oke introduced oath of secrecy and
allegiance for supporting staff of judges who she said are bound by
the same rules as the judges they serve. She emphasised the need
for judiciary staff working directly with the judges to swore to
the oaths and be part of the oath regime to ensure accountability
and transparency within the system.
Committee to review High Court
of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules
2012
On January 22, the Chief Judge set up a 15-man committee to
review the High Court of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules 2012
to eradicate delay in justice administration, ensure
efficient justice delivery and enforcement of judgement.The
committee has Justice Kazeem Alogba as its chairman.
The chief judge charged the committee to, for instance, “look
into stipulation of timeline for handling of specific matters”. The
committee is also “to consider the viability of extending
timeliness to probate, sexual offences and land related matters” to
facilitate speedy dispensation of justice in these areas.
Special Courts
Most important event within the period under review was the
inauguration of Special Courts for corruption, economic
crimes and sexual offences.
Justice Opeyemi Oke said four courts had been set aside as
special courts.
“We believe strongly that the special courts shall fast track
the trial of these types of cases and encouraged the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other relevant bodies like
ICPC to expedite the investigation and prosecution of such cases,”
she said.
Lawyers’ view of Justice Oke’s 100
days in office
Nigerian Bar Assocuation (NBA) Chairman, Mr A. S. Abimbola said
the first 100 days in office of Justice Oke, as Chief Judge of
Lagos State has been one full of activities, the most notable being
her anti-corruption stance and her efforts to reposition the Lagos
State Judiciary to be more used friendly to court users.
“I applaud, particularly, the crafting of a mission statement
for the Lagos State Judiciary (LASJ) as well as the conscious
efforts to interface with the public. While lauding the
achievements of her Lordship in these 100 days, I urge that she
sustains the tempo”, he advised
Chairman, NBA Ikorodu Mr Levi Adakwaone said Oke’s decision and
resolve to root out corruption from the state judiciary has earned
her a place in the history book: her focus, doggedness, consistency
in the fight is quite strange and incredible!
Adakwaone said the CJ within her few months in office has
emboldened the confidence of lawyers in the state, and beyond in
the fight against corruption.
“Officially, I followed her when she launched her pet project:
vision, mission and commitment statement against corruption in the
judiciary in all the courts in the state and the impact of this
innovation and cause is so incredible: the judges, the magistrates,
the litigants, the support staff, the paralegals, the lawyers and
anti- corruption crusaders are better for it. On February 14, she
executed a sting operation at the Probate Registry, Lagos and the
exercise is something the lawyers would forever be grateful
for.
“One unique quality about the Hon.Chief Judge is her ability to
harness the resources around her: she has formed a strong synergy
with the office of the governor, the Ministry of Justice, her
professional colleagues (especially the Administrative judges), the
leadership of the Bar in the state, the press and the people: I
have no doubt in my mind that if she continues the way she is
going, she would leave behind gargantuan legacies that would be
very difficult to obliterate,” he said.
Adakwaone however, urged the chief judge to focus on
infrastructure development: ‘’The judges and the magistrates must
have a conducive environment to do their jobs. They should be
provided with quarters not too far from their place of work. There
is need to ensure that prosecutors in the state judiciary are all
lawyers, the Probate Registry at Igbosere needs as a matter of
urgency, a better office space with modern gadgets, ditto for its
counterpart at Ikeja.”
Former Chairman, Lagos NUJ and Chairman, Egbe Amofin ni Eko, Mr
Martin Ogunleye also noted that the few months the chief judge has
spent in office has been one full of activities, the most notable
being her anti-corruption stance and her efforts to reposition the
Lagos State Judiciary to be more used friendly to court users.
Said Ogunleye: “I applaud, particularly, the crafting of a
mission statement for the LASJ as well as the conscious efforts to
interface with the public.
‘’While lauding the achievements of her Lordship in these 100
days, I urge that she sustains the tempo.’’
Former Chairman, NBA Ikeja, Mr Yinka Farounbi noted that had not
derailed from the mission statement which enjoyed the approval of
the Bar.
He noted: “In the mission statement however, the fight against
corruption stood out like the northern star and I believe it makes
more impart in the minds of the generality of the people,
particularly the lawyers and the litigants – and I think it ought
to be on the nation as a whole because of its overall effect on our
economy and perception by the outside world. In this regard, we
have seen a number of judicial staffers facing one panel or the
other for corruption. I reliably gathered that about five judicial
workers had been dismissed for similar corruption cases.
“Despite this, however, I venture to say that it is not
yet uhuru for so many reasons. In the first
instance, corruption as usual is fighting back. The Chief Judge
will have to be resolute in the pursuit of the agenda of zero
tolerance for corruption in the judiciary. Again, the fight has to
be done and fought with special speed as if tomorrow may
not come in view of the limited period at His Lordship’s disposal.
More importantly, the judiciary as a whole must be the catchment
area. Corruption is not limited to among the workers alone, we
equally have corruption among our magistrates and judges that will
need her attention. I, however, make bold to say that one can swear
with heaven concerning the integrity and uprightness of some of our
magistrates and judges. One rotten apple however makes the others
to be bad,” he urged.
Farounbi further urged the CJ “to enforce discipline among
lawyers by making adequate use of the provisions of the Rules,
particularly, as regard issues of cost in Order 49. I urge the
Chief Judge to take the welfare of the judicial workers as a
priority pointing out that a highly motivated labour force will be
highly productive and less corrupt’’.
‘’So far so good the CJ is on the right path with the mission
statement of the administration but with a lot of rooms for
improvement. It is the continuous exploration of the improvement
that will mark out the government as a special one which I pray it
should be. In doing this, I urge the CJ to take the welfare of the
judicial workers as a priority – a highly motivated labour force
will be highly productive and less corrupt.
‘’Finally for now, I urge the CJ to involve all stakeholders in
the administration of justice system in Lagos State – litigants,
civil societies, labour, NBA and seasoned court room legal
practitioners – in the ongoing review of the 2012 Rules with the
view of having a befitting Rules. In saying this, l am not
oblivious of the notice from the committee calling for memoranda
from the public,’’ he added.
Culled From The Nation
At her inauguration last October as the 16th
Chief Judge (CJ) of Lagos State, Justice Opeyemi Oke, promised that
the judiciary would uphold the rule of law, stamp out
corruption and ensure the speedy dispensation of justice.
Justice Oke promised improved public access, transparency and
accountability to boost confidence of the public in the judiciary.
In addition, she promised to key into the vision of the governor to
transform the Judiciary, such that it would stand shoulder to
shoulder with any other in any part of the world. She
said it was a new dawn.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who swore in the Chief Judge, had
called for more reforms aimed at fast-tracking justice delivery
without necessarily compromising the fundamental principle of fair
hearing and the rule of law in the judiciary.
On areas requiring improvement, Ambode called for a Judicial
system that would improve speed of justice delivery so that the
wheel of justice can roll faster without having to compromise
the fundamental principle of fair hearing and the rule of law. The
governor charged the CJ to sustain and improve on the reputation
that the state Judiciary had built over the years.
About 100 days down the line, how has the Judiciary fared under
her watch?
Assumption of office
The first task of Justice Oke, on assumption of duty, was to
herald the 2017/2018 new Legal year tagged: the Golden
Jubilee of the Lagos Judiciary. The five-day event had notable
legal personnels, including members of the bar and the bench, in
attendance. Highlight of the new Legal Year programme was a seminar
held to determine the way forward and achieving a desirable
judiciary system in Lagos.
On corruption
One issue stands Justice Oke out among her peers: her resolve to
rid the state judiciary of corruption. Upon her assumption of duty,
Justice Oke used the platform of the new legal year, her first
official outing, to announce that it was no longer going to be
business as usual. In her address, she warned the bar against
unnecessary adjournments, saying that any lawyer caught in such
unholy practice stands the risk of losing his practice licence.
Arraignment of workers for
alleged corrupt practices
To match her words with action, Justice Oke disclosed plans to
arraign some workers of the judiciary for alleged corruption.
They include three workers in the Litigation Registry of the
Lagos State Judiciary and a youth corper (names with held) arrested
for alleged corrupt practices November. Also to be arraigned
alongside the staff of the state judiciary was a tout who has been
in the habit of impersonating as a staff of judiciary and
defrauding court users.
She said another court registrar is also going to appear before
the Judiciary Service Commission soon for alleged corrupt
practices.
She said the magistrate the registrar was working with filed a
report against him that he asked a party in a suit to pay him
N50,000 to get the court to make an order in his favour.
Justice Oke said the workers had appeared before the Lagos State
Judiciary Staff Commission, which looked into the matter against
them, adding that the incident marked the end of their career.
“The bar is also determined to fight corruption with us. The
members of the bar are the users of the court. They too have
promised to report back to us”, she said.
Justice Oke said the bar had also resolved to flush out “
accidental lawyers” in their midst in their determination to fight
corruption in the Judiciary.
Commitment statement
As part of her efforts to change the face of the judiciary in
the state, Justice Oke came up with a commitment statement which
today has become a guiding principle of effective service delivery
in the judiciary. It stated:
“ We the staff of the Lagos State Judiciary are committed to
Lagos State and the Community.
“Our mission is to provide quality and professional service in a
knowledgeable manner.
“We take pride in our work and hold ourselves accountable to the
highest standard of performance. “Our goals are achieved through
mutual co-operation, a strong sense of integrity, a positive
attitude and team work”.
The commitment statement was unveiled last November at Ikeja,
Igbosere and Ikorodu high courts’ premises, Justice Taylor
Magistrate’s court house, Igbosere, Botanical gardens, Ebute Metta
Magistrate’s court premises and Yaba Magistrate’s court premises
respectively and is hung in every court room.
Justice Oke said the Commitment Statement being inaugurated was
intended to embolden the public to challenge any worker of
the Judiciary who asked to be paid before serving them and to make
formal report against such staff.
“We don’t want anybody to destroy the Lagos State Judiciary. The
Judges are fully in support of the fight we are waging against
corruption in the system”, she stated.
Visit to Badagry Prison
On November 9, Justice Oke was in Badagry, with Governor
Akinwunmi Ambode for the inauguration of the Justice Thomas Court
House. She took advantage of the event to pay an unscheduled visit
to Badagry Prison, which has become famous for having children as
inmates.
The visit paid off as she freed four sick inmates who were being
held in custody after being convicted for “having no visible means
of livelihood”. Justice Oke had then questioned where such offence
existed in the laws of the state and admonished the police to stop
charging children to court for non-existing laws and magistrates to
stop sending children to prisons.
Workshop for service delivery
On November 28, the Chief Judge organised a four-day
workshop for workers of the judiciary which has as its
theme: Towards an efficient and effective administration
of justice system in Lagos State.
Justice Oke emphasised that it was a new dawn in the
Judiciary as her administration would not tolerate any vices
from any worker. The CJ restated her commitment to
fighting corruption in the judiciary to a standstill.
She urged judiciary worker to key into her commitment statement
designed to ensure efficient and effective service delivery
as stated in her new legal year address or be shown the way out of
the system.
“Let me state emphatically that it is a new dawn in the Lagos
State Judiciary as this administration will not tolerate such vices
from any member of staff. This administration will by the grace of
God Almighty have zero tolerance for corruption in whatever form.
The new Lagos State Judiciary must epitomise
discip-line, honesty, hard work. integrity, credence, dignity,
honour and zeal for results and excellence”.
She said:”The essence of this workshop again is to promote a new
ethical orientation into the consciousness of all staff. It has
become necessary to do away with the old spirit of doing things and
for a new spirit which will give positive image to the Lagos State
Judiciary.
Courts visits
Last December, Justice Oke visited court premises across
the states to examine the state of the facilities and the
challenges and rehabilitate them into structures befitting status
of courts.
New dawn in the judiciary
On January 2, Justice Oke introduced oath of secrecy and
allegiance for supporting staff of judges who she said are bound by
the same rules as the judges they serve. She emphasised the need
for judiciary staff working directly with the judges to swore to
the oaths and be part of the oath regime to ensure accountability
and transparency within the system.
Committee to review High Court
of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules
2012
On January 22, the Chief Judge set up a 15-man committee to
review the High Court of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules 2012
to eradicate delay in justice administration, ensure
efficient justice delivery and enforcement of judgement.The
committee has Justice Kazeem Alogba as its chairman.
The chief judge charged the committee to, for instance, “look
into stipulation of timeline for handling of specific matters”. The
committee is also “to consider the viability of extending
timeliness to probate, sexual offences and land related matters” to
facilitate speedy dispensation of justice in these areas.
Special Courts
Most important event within the period under review was the
inauguration of Special Courts for corruption, economic
crimes and sexual offences.
Justice Opeyemi Oke said four courts had been set aside as
special courts.
“We believe strongly that the special courts shall fast track
the trial of these types of cases and encouraged the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other relevant bodies like
ICPC to expedite the investigation and prosecution of such cases,”
she said.
Lawyers’ view of Justice Oke’s 100
days in office
Nigerian Bar Assocuation (NBA) Chairman, Mr A. S. Abimbola said
the first 100 days in office of Justice Oke, as Chief Judge of
Lagos State has been one full of activities, the most notable being
her anti-corruption stance and her efforts to reposition the Lagos
State Judiciary to be more used friendly to court users.
“I applaud, particularly, the crafting of a mission statement
for the Lagos State Judiciary (LASJ) as well as the conscious
efforts to interface with the public. While lauding the
achievements of her Lordship in these 100 days, I urge that she
sustains the tempo”, he advised
Chairman, NBA Ikorodu Mr Levi Adakwaone said Oke’s decision and
resolve to root out corruption from the state judiciary has earned
her a place in the history book: her focus, doggedness, consistency
in the fight is quite strange and incredible!
Adakwaone said the CJ within her few months in office has
emboldened the confidence of lawyers in the state, and beyond in
the fight against corruption.
“Officially, I followed her when she launched her pet project:
vision, mission and commitment statement against corruption in the
judiciary in all the courts in the state and the impact of this
innovation and cause is so incredible: the judges, the magistrates,
the litigants, the support staff, the paralegals, the lawyers and
anti- corruption crusaders are better for it. On February 14, she
executed a sting operation at the Probate Registry, Lagos and the
exercise is something the lawyers would forever be grateful
for.
“One unique quality about the Hon.Chief Judge is her ability to
harness the resources around her: she has formed a strong synergy
with the office of the governor, the Ministry of Justice, her
professional colleagues (especially the Administrative judges), the
leadership of the Bar in the state, the press and the people: I
have no doubt in my mind that if she continues the way she is
going, she would leave behind gargantuan legacies that would be
very difficult to obliterate,” he said.
Adakwaone however, urged the chief judge to focus on
infrastructure development: ‘’The judges and the magistrates must
have a conducive environment to do their jobs. They should be
provided with quarters not too far from their place of work. There
is need to ensure that prosecutors in the state judiciary are all
lawyers, the Probate Registry at Igbosere needs as a matter of
urgency, a better office space with modern gadgets, ditto for its
counterpart at Ikeja.”
Former Chairman, Lagos NUJ and Chairman, Egbe Amofin ni Eko, Mr
Martin Ogunleye also noted that the few months the chief judge has
spent in office has been one full of activities, the most notable
being her anti-corruption stance and her efforts to reposition the
Lagos State Judiciary to be more used friendly to court users.
Said Ogunleye: “I applaud, particularly, the crafting of a
mission statement for the LASJ as well as the conscious efforts to
interface with the public.
‘’While lauding the achievements of her Lordship in these 100
days, I urge that she sustains the tempo.’’
Former Chairman, NBA Ikeja, Mr Yinka Farounbi noted that had not
derailed from the mission statement which enjoyed the approval of
the Bar.
He noted: “In the mission statement however, the fight against
corruption stood out like the northern star and I believe it makes
more impart in the minds of the generality of the people,
particularly the lawyers and the litigants – and I think it ought
to be on the nation as a whole because of its overall effect on our
economy and perception by the outside world. In this regard, we
have seen a number of judicial staffers facing one panel or the
other for corruption. I reliably gathered that about five judicial
workers had been dismissed for similar corruption cases.
“Despite this, however, I venture to say that it is not
yet uhuru for so many reasons. In the first
instance, corruption as usual is fighting back. The Chief Judge
will have to be resolute in the pursuit of the agenda of zero
tolerance for corruption in the judiciary. Again, the fight has to
be done and fought with special speed as if tomorrow may
not come in view of the limited period at His Lordship’s disposal.
More importantly, the judiciary as a whole must be the catchment
area. Corruption is not limited to among the workers alone, we
equally have corruption among our magistrates and judges that will
need her attention. I, however, make bold to say that one can swear
with heaven concerning the integrity and uprightness of some of our
magistrates and judges. One rotten apple however makes the others
to be bad,” he urged.
Farounbi further urged the CJ “to enforce discipline among
lawyers by making adequate use of the provisions of the Rules,
particularly, as regard issues of cost in Order 49. I urge the
Chief Judge to take the welfare of the judicial workers as a
priority pointing out that a highly motivated labour force will be
highly productive and less corrupt’’.
‘’So far so good the CJ is on the right path with the mission
statement of the administration but with a lot of rooms for
improvement. It is the continuous exploration of the improvement
that will mark out the government as a special one which I pray it
should be. In doing this, I urge the CJ to take the welfare of the
judicial workers as a priority – a highly motivated labour force
will be highly productive and less corrupt.
‘’Finally for now, I urge the CJ to involve all stakeholders in
the administration of justice system in Lagos State – litigants,
civil societies, labour, NBA and seasoned court room legal
practitioners – in the ongoing review of the 2012 Rules with the
view of having a befitting Rules. In saying this, l am not
oblivious of the notice from the committee calling for memoranda
from the public,’’ he added.
Culled From The Nation
Read more https://nairalaw.com/lagos-cjs-score-card-in-100-days/