… As NBA Kicks Against Appointments Based On Political, Family Ties
SAN FRANCISCO, July 07, (THEWILL) –New guidelines for the appointment of judges into the judiciary by the National Judicial Council (NJC) will soon be made public, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Honourable Justice Aloma Muktar has said.
The CJN who made the disclosure in Abuja on Monday at a conference organized by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) assured that the NJC has reviewed its current guidelines for appointment of judges so that appointments based on extrinsic factors are completely eliminated.
In her welcome address, she said though the process would be tedious, however the NJC would ensure the assessment is perfect to ensure the “appointment of only good judges.”
She however noted that corruption and corrupt practices have continued to plague the judiciary despite the efforts to eradicate it completely from the bench.
“We receive petitions and heard from both sides. Those affected would say they were not given fair hearing but they come with lawyers as much as six (6) Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN.) The SANs are equally guilty because they would not see the accusation and still defend them (judges) which shows they are moving in tandem”, the CJN said.
She spoke alongside the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Okey Wali, who made the position of lawyers on the appointment of judges public.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the judicial reforms conference with the theme “Putting our best foot forward: the Judiciary and the Challenges of Satisfying Justice Needs of the 21st Century”, the NBA President berated the current practice where appointments are made not on merit but based on family ties and political connections amongst other extrinsic factors.
The conference was jointly organized by the NBA, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the European Union (EU), Access to Justice (AJ) and the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).
”In any clime, Judges should ordinarily be appointed from the best the Bar can offer. Judges should be appointed from lawyers who have had extensive practice before the courts in Nigeria. But this is not the case in Nigeria,” he said.
“Persons who have had little or no serious practice of law have often been appointed judges. Appointments are not always made on merit but on extrinsic factors, such as family and political ties or affiliation. As a result of this, the Judiciary and ultimately the judicial service system have been the worse for it,” Chief Wali said.
The NBA President also pushed for the NBA to have an input in the appointment of judges saying, “Any society where justice is in short or limited supply, will inevitably witness strife, anarchy, fear, discord, social and economic disharmony. It seems Nigeria is gravitating slowly towards such society, if there are no urgent reforms in our justice system.”
Also in attendance were the President of the Court of Appeal (PCA), Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, Supreme Court Justice Mary Peter Odili and the Chief Justice of South Africa.
The Chief Judges of Yobe, Edo, Ondo and the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, Justice Ibrahim Bukar were also present amongst other top officers of the bench.
