Judges don’t need to form an association —Onnoghen

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen,
on Wednesday rejected the call for the formation of an association
of Nigerian judges.

The association was proposed to speak on behalf of the judiciary
when attacked, much like the Nigeria Bar Association does for
lawyers.

But the CJN, on Wednesday, rejected the proposal while speaking
in Abuja at the public presentation of the first edition of the
Supreme Court’s quarterly magazine, ‘Apex Quarterly’.

In rejecting the proposal, Onnoghen said the mandate of a judge
was adjudication, rather than advocacy.

He said, “I recall that during an interactive session I had with
participants at the 2017 All Nigeria Judges’ Conference in November
2017, a judge from one of the jurisdictions advocated the formation
of an Association of Nigerian Judges to speak up for the judiciary
when it is attacked, much like the Nigerian Bar Association does
for lawyers, since sitting judicial officers cannot grant media
interviews.

“The honourable judge’s position was that periodic press
statements issued after the meetings of the National Judicial
Council are too few and far between to make any impact.

“My obvious response was an emphatic ‘No!’ The mandate of a
judicial officer is adjudication, and not advocacy.

“However, a publication like the one we are unveiling today
will, like a literature, chronicle events of the judiciary of this
era for posterity.”

The CJN said the Apex Quarterly Magazine was part of the
initiatives aimed at improving public perception of the
judiciary.

“At the assumption of office, I unveiled a reform agenda that
would consolidate on the achievement of my predecessors to make the
Nigerian judiciary one of the best in the world.

“One of the reform items was directed at improving the public
perception of the judiciary.

“I consider the poor public perception of our arm of government
a grave concern that requires special effort to correct by telling
the world the true state of things in the judiciary.”

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen,
on Wednesday rejected the call for the formation of an association
of Nigerian judges.

The association was proposed to speak on behalf of the judiciary
when attacked, much like the Nigeria Bar Association does for
lawyers.

But the CJN, on Wednesday, rejected the proposal while speaking
in Abuja at the public presentation of the first edition of the
Supreme Court’s quarterly magazine, ‘Apex Quarterly’.

In rejecting the proposal, Onnoghen said the mandate of a judge
was adjudication, rather than advocacy.

He said, “I recall that during an interactive session I had with
participants at the 2017 All Nigeria Judges’ Conference in November
2017, a judge from one of the jurisdictions advocated the formation
of an Association of Nigerian Judges to speak up for the judiciary
when it is attacked, much like the Nigerian Bar Association does
for lawyers, since sitting judicial officers cannot grant media
interviews.

“The honourable judge’s position was that periodic press
statements issued after the meetings of the National Judicial
Council are too few and far between to make any impact.

“My obvious response was an emphatic ‘No!’ The mandate of a
judicial officer is adjudication, and not advocacy.

“However, a publication like the one we are unveiling today
will, like a literature, chronicle events of the judiciary of this
era for posterity.”

The CJN said the Apex Quarterly Magazine was part of the
initiatives aimed at improving public perception of the
judiciary.

“At the assumption of office, I unveiled a reform agenda that
would consolidate on the achievement of my predecessors to make the
Nigerian judiciary one of the best in the world.

“One of the reform items was directed at improving the public
perception of the judiciary.

“I consider the poor public perception of our arm of government
a grave concern that requires special effort to correct by telling
the world the true state of things in the judiciary.”