By Alex Enumah:
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has decried the narratives that Nigerian judges are corrupt and can easily be compromised.President of the association, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), stated this in his address at the valedictory court session held in honour of a retired Justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice Mojeed Adekunle Owoade, at the Court of Appeal, Ibadan, Oyo State.
According to a statement issued yesterday by the National Publicity Secretary of the NBA, Akorede Lawal, the association’s president argued that the Nigerian judiciary is not corrupt and that the legal profession in Nigeria cannot be compromised.
Maikyau urged both the federal and state governments to improve the conditions of service for judicial officers.He admitted that there may be some bad eggs in the judiciary, adding however that the action of a few bad eggs does not justify the accusation that the entire judiciary is generally corrupt.
He said the judiciary and indeed the legal profession in Nigeria consist of distinguished men and women that have worked and are still working honestly, sincerely and with integrity to contribute their quota to the development of Nigeria.Maikyau also stated that the fact that the toe in a body has turned gangrenous does not make the entire body rotten, adding that if the toe is so infected, it can be amputated to save the body.
He tasked the members of the legal profession – the Bench and Bar – to speak out loudly to correct that negative perception.He said: “The fact that there may be some bad eggs amongst us, and this I say for both the Bench and the Bar, does not justify the characterisation of the entire judiciary and the legal profession as generally corrupt.
“The judiciary and indeed the legal profession in Nigeria consist of distinguished men and women that have worked and are still working honestly, sincerely and with integrity to contribute their quota to the development of this nation.
“The fact that the toe in a body has turned gangrenous does not make the entire body rotten. And if the toe is so infected, the way to save the body is to amputate the toe. That is what we must do as members of the legal profession; either on the Bench or Bar and we must speak loudly to the nation about who we truly are, to correct that negative perception.
“If we do not do so, it will be an abdication of duty on our part, and if we completely lose the confidence of the public, resort to self-help and the attendant chaos will be inevitable. We must break the silence!”
While acknowledging that the challenges faced in the system of administration of justice in Nigeria include the issue of manpower at the Bench, the NBA President also urged for better conditions of Service for judicial officers.Maikyau described Justice Owoade as one of the numerous examples of integrity, honesty and excellence in the legal profession and congratulated the jurist on their excellent service record and glorious exit from the Bench.
