As Onnoghen reads Riot Act

Chief Justice of Nigeria [CJN] Justice Walter Onnoghen read the
riot act to judicial officers when he declared recently that the
National Judicial Council [NJC] under his watch would tackle
corruption head-on and weed questionable characters from the Bench.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Refresher Course for
Judges and Kadis at the National Judicial Institute in Abuja on
March 19, 2018 Onnoghen said, “A corrupt judge is not only a
disgrace to the Bench and the noble profession but also a disaster
to the cause of justice and the nation.”

Justice Onnoghen said corruption in the judiciary was not
limited to bribe-taking but it includes the giving of judgments or
orders based on considerations other than legal merit.The CJN
couldn’t have been more right in his estimation of the situation.
His remarks supported President Muhammadu Buhari’s repeated
accusations that the judiciary was not assisting the fight against
corruption. Counter judgments delivered by judges over one and same
case has, in the recent past, painted the judiciary in bad
light.

Many judges have, through unnecessary adjournments, failed in
their duties by refusing to deliver judgment on high profile
corruption cases. Instead, they find it easy to simply and quickly
convict suspects in cases involving stealing of goats or bags of
rice. Nigerian judiciary got further bashing some years ago when
suspects discharged and acquitted over corruption cases in Nigeria
were convicted on the same charges abroad. Besides Justice
Onnoghen’s remarks, it is unfortunate that the NJC has appeared to
Nigerians to be shielding judges suspected of bad behaviour. While
we do not expect NJC to punish any judge against whom there is no
compelling evidence, it should clean up its act and move faster to
entertain legitimate complaints against judges.

The CJN re-assured Nigerians that the Corruption and Financial
Crimes Cases Trial Monitoring Committee, COTRIMO, set up by NJC
would serve to check the excesses of bad eggs in the judiciary.
According to him, the designation of Special Courts to handle
corruption cases was to ensure that lingering cases of corruption
are expediently dispensed with. While Nigerians applaud NJC for
establishing COTRIMO as well as the designation of Special Courts
to try corruption cases, there is public dissatisfaction that in
spite of these impressive mechanisms, no accused person standing
trial in high profile corruption cases has been convicted since
Onnonghen became CJN.
Indeed, most of the corruption and financial crime cases being
prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
remain pending in different courts across the country. Unless the
trial of these cases is fast-tracked by the Special Courts and
suspects found guilty are sentenced accordingly, the creation of
COTRIMO and Special Courts would be seen to have made no
difference. Justice Onnoghen’s assertion that “only few judges are
found wanting” contradicts wide-spread public perception of the
entire justice system in Nigeria.

The decay in the judiciary was recently re-echoed by a former
CJN, Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar when she lamented the rising
culture of lobbying, favouritism and godfatherism. She said this
bad culture leads to a fall in standards and weakens the judiciary
because it allows for incompetent personnel to be appointed.
Justice Mukhtar who spoke in Abuja at a book presentation in honour
of retired Supreme Court Justice Clara Ogunbiyi, said merit must be
the watchword in the appointment of judges. It was apt that the CJN
acknowledged Justice Aloma’s lamentation when he said in his riot
act speech that “NJC would ensure through rigorous screening and
painstaking appointment procedures that only the best materials in
terms of character and learning get appointed to the Bench.”

Beyond lamentations, the CJN should take practical measures to
ensure that bad eggs among the judges are shown the way out of the
system. The judiciary is the last hope of the common man. The CJN
must therefore carry out necessary reforms to ensure that Nigerians
have access to quality justice at affordable cost and within a
reasonable time.

Culled From dailytrust

Chief Justice of Nigeria [CJN] Justice Walter Onnoghen read the
riot act to judicial officers when he declared recently that the
National Judicial Council [NJC] under his watch would tackle
corruption head-on and weed questionable characters from the Bench.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Refresher Course for
Judges and Kadis at the National Judicial Institute in Abuja on
March 19, 2018 Onnoghen said, “A corrupt judge is not only a
disgrace to the Bench and the noble profession but also a disaster
to the cause of justice and the nation.”

Justice Onnoghen said corruption in the judiciary was not
limited to bribe-taking but it includes the giving of judgments or
orders based on considerations other than legal merit.The CJN
couldn’t have been more right in his estimation of the situation.
His remarks supported President Muhammadu Buhari’s repeated
accusations that the judiciary was not assisting the fight against
corruption. Counter judgments delivered by judges over one and same
case has, in the recent past, painted the judiciary in bad
light.

Many judges have, through unnecessary adjournments, failed in
their duties by refusing to deliver judgment on high profile
corruption cases. Instead, they find it easy to simply and quickly
convict suspects in cases involving stealing of goats or bags of
rice. Nigerian judiciary got further bashing some years ago when
suspects discharged and acquitted over corruption cases in Nigeria
were convicted on the same charges abroad. Besides Justice
Onnoghen’s remarks, it is unfortunate that the NJC has appeared to
Nigerians to be shielding judges suspected of bad behaviour. While
we do not expect NJC to punish any judge against whom there is no
compelling evidence, it should clean up its act and move faster to
entertain legitimate complaints against judges.

The CJN re-assured Nigerians that the Corruption and Financial
Crimes Cases Trial Monitoring Committee, COTRIMO, set up by NJC
would serve to check the excesses of bad eggs in the judiciary.
According to him, the designation of Special Courts to handle
corruption cases was to ensure that lingering cases of corruption
are expediently dispensed with. While Nigerians applaud NJC for
establishing COTRIMO as well as the designation of Special Courts
to try corruption cases, there is public dissatisfaction that in
spite of these impressive mechanisms, no accused person standing
trial in high profile corruption cases has been convicted since
Onnonghen became CJN.
Indeed, most of the corruption and financial crime cases being
prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
remain pending in different courts across the country. Unless the
trial of these cases is fast-tracked by the Special Courts and
suspects found guilty are sentenced accordingly, the creation of
COTRIMO and Special Courts would be seen to have made no
difference. Justice Onnoghen’s assertion that “only few judges are
found wanting” contradicts wide-spread public perception of the
entire justice system in Nigeria.

The decay in the judiciary was recently re-echoed by a former
CJN, Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar when she lamented the rising
culture of lobbying, favouritism and godfatherism. She said this
bad culture leads to a fall in standards and weakens the judiciary
because it allows for incompetent personnel to be appointed.
Justice Mukhtar who spoke in Abuja at a book presentation in honour
of retired Supreme Court Justice Clara Ogunbiyi, said merit must be
the watchword in the appointment of judges. It was apt that the CJN
acknowledged Justice Aloma’s lamentation when he said in his riot
act speech that “NJC would ensure through rigorous screening and
painstaking appointment procedures that only the best materials in
terms of character and learning get appointed to the Bench.”

Beyond lamentations, the CJN should take practical measures to
ensure that bad eggs among the judges are shown the way out of the
system. The judiciary is the last hope of the common man. The CJN
must therefore carry out necessary reforms to ensure that Nigerians
have access to quality justice at affordable cost and within a
reasonable time.

Culled From dailytrust