In recent times, the Nigerian judiciary has attracted special attention on the most obnoxious public issue in our national life: corruption. The cry has been uproarious all over that Nigeria, a stupendously endowed country in terms of human and natural resources, is being addressed as an effluvious space of pervading corruption. This position seems a bold unwritten definition of Nigeria’s national life.
Of course, each time the Chief Justice of the Federation, Honourable Justice Alooma Muhktar, charges at corrupt judges and judiciary officials, it appears as if the more she speaks the more the situation brazenly shows off its impish face. Right from day one that she took over as the nation’s number one judge, she did not hide the fact that she seemed determined to get rid of the rot, even as she continues to demonstrate that rare courage. For example, she dared the daunting situation by firing two erring judges. Of course, that action did caution some stubborn corrupt judicial officers.
Nigerian governments in their succession keep spending extra-time in attempts to tame the monster without impressive result. It is simply inexplicable to many why and how the country came to this sorry state. Public funds are misappropriated or misapplied. There are instances of outright looting and despoliation of public properties as well as remorseless abuse of public trust. For members of the bench, the reported allegations of bribery and compromises to subvert justice are rife. It is this very factor that has perpetually hindered efforts of anti-corruption agencies in the country to curtail the plague.
Legal luminaries have been quite outspoken on this issue. For example, Professor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Itse Sagay, was reportedly quoted lamenting the ugly situation while charging the CJN to push harder for bolder step towards a comprehensive overhauling the judiciary. “The perception now is that judgments are purchasable and judges have no integrity. They all have their prizes in cash, and in fact, there are some lawyers whose special function is to be the middleman between litigants, who want to buy justice and judges… Get rid of them”, he quipped.
Sagay, therefore, urged the CJN to restore judicial confidence, “the type of confidence we had in the 1970s, 80s and very early 90s – when people like Eso, Oputa, Anyagolo, Obaseki, Nnamani, Karibe-White – were ruling the Supreme Court,” he said.
Also, the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Dahiru Musdapher, in February 2012, stated that, “Taking steps against corruption in the justice system should be a first step in dealing with corruption in society as a whole” because according to him, “metaphorically, a corrupt judge has been described as more harmful to the society than a man who runs amok with a dagger in a crowded street”. How true.
This is the kernel of the matter: The system is insanely corrupt because the judiciary is rotten through and through. We also add that there is also the alleged executive interference in judicial matters. Unless these are systematically addressed, justice system in Nigeria will remain a byword. We therefore stand by the CJN in her effort to sanitise the judiciary. She should put her foot on the ground, never succumbing to intimidation and overlord of anybody or group. She must bear the burden of writing her name in gold. This she must take as a personal responsibility.