Judges & legal practitioners take a stance on judicial excellence

Judges and lawyers in Nigeria have come to a common conclusion that the challenges of the justice system can be addressed with the collaborative and supportive effort of the Bar and the bench.

This agreement was reached at the 6th Annual Business Luncheon of commercial law firm, SPA Ajibade & Co., in Lagos. The event tagged, “The Future of Legal Practice in Nigeria – Achieving Judicial Excellence,” took place at the prestigious Metropolitan Club in Victoria Island, attracting a wide array of transactional and litigation lawyers,  judges, and the business community.

Issues that came up for discussion at the luncheon include, the significance of judicial excellence, critical areas of improvement in the justice system, judicial appointments, procedures, and several other related concerns

There were candid and straightforward evaluations of the Justice system in Nigeria, the performance of judges, and the challenges that hamper the progress of the judiciary.

Speaking to all the relevant issues, the lead speaker, Professor Oba Nsugbe, QC, SAN, and discussants established the significance of judicial excellence, linking it to the multi-faceted role of a judge and why excellence in the judiciary cannot be compromised on this basis.

At the top these roles, was the all-important responsibility to deliver ‘impartial decisions’ at all times. This, according to Nsugbe was at the root of every other obligation and role of the judiciary, which includes its distinctive role as the public face of justice, society’s social conscience, Guardians of freedom, and possibly, the last defence for the oppressed.

 Referring to Lagos State as a “shining example” of the progress of the judiciary and the justice system in Nigeria, Nsugbe, commended the various reform efforts by the state.

“For this,” he said, “the Governor, the judges, the attorney general, and a number of notable practitioners, both inside and outside government, rightly deserve enormous credit.”

Highlighting the need for excellence in the judiciary, Nsugbe nonetheless noted the fundamental and deep-rooted structural challenges the judiciary faces. He said, “It is self-evident that judges do not carry out their work in vacuum. They are not immune from the severe problems which beset our country, be it poor infrastructure, chronic power shortages, difficult working conditions, corruption, a crumbling education system amongst other things.”

“As a judge, it is arguably easier to get make the right decisions and deliver same in an efficient and transparent manner in a system that works, as opposed to one that is dysfunctional in many important respects,” the speaker established.

Participants identified adequate and uniform remuneration packages, excellent work conditions, as well as support from the bar, as practical means to achieving judicial excellence.

They noted also, that whilst the nation was filled with brilliant and outstanding judges, there was need to ensure that the Judiciary in Nigeria reaches its full potential.

In his closing remarks, the Chairman of the event, Hon. Justice Kumai Bayang Akaahs of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, noted that there was no justification; whether infrastructural, poor remuneration or whatsoever, for the collection of bribe.

“If your intention for coming on the bench is to acquire wealth, then you have definitely come to the wrong place,” he stated.

Discourse on the performance and progress of the judiciary in Nigeria has dominated many academic, economic and national debates around the country, as the role and importance of this great institution to the society, cannot be over-emphasized.

The SPA Ajibade Business Luncheon which is the sixth in a series of annual luncheons, is exclusively directed at the legal community as the firm’s contribution to the development of the legal profession in Nigeria. The first of these series of luncheons was first launched in 2008 and the theme of the inaugural luncheon was “Globalisation and the challenges of practicing law as a business – a view from the West”.