Corrupt, non-performing judges ‘ll be disgraced – NBA

By IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI
ABUJA—The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has expressed its readiness to publicly disgrace any judge found to have compromised standard in the dispensation of justice.

This was even as the legal body has accused the National Judicial Council, NJC, of paying lip-service to the fight against corruption in the judiciary, noting that the council, “in that regard is part of the problem.”

Consequently, NBA while imploring the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Aloma Muktar to quickly address the issue of institutional decay in the judiciary, said it has also resolved that from now on, “judicial vacancies be advertised so that qualified legal practitioners may apply as opposed to the current disgusting situation whereby cronies, relatives and adopted sons and daughters of a select few are appointed to the exclusion of otherwise meritorious candidates and corrosion of an effective Justice Delivery Sectors.”

In a 15-page communiqué issued at the end its 52nd annual general conference in Abuja, the legal body decried that “there are too many cases of clear violation of ethics in the legal profession which have culminated into ambulance chasing, legal practitioners arguing their cases in the media: there is thus the urgent necessity for bad eggs in the profession to be disciplined and shown the exit door.

“That corruption in the judiciary equally connotes corruption by lawyers and there is a collective responsibility between the bar and bench to stem corruption to attain the goal of justice.

“Regarding corruption, the judges are not the sole actors. Other accomplices or participes criminis include lawyers, court room staff, friends, family etc and any attempt by a lawyer to compromise a judge is not only unethical but criminal and amounts to corruption.

“The NJC is advised to monitor the performance of judges through input from the local NBA branches; there is a need for NBA to look into cases of frivolous filing of cases, applications or processes.

“The downward spiral in the quality of legal education offered by Nigerian universities, especially new institutions will no longer be tolerated and must be halted”.

“Continuing legal education should be made mandatory for members by the NBA as a precondition for issuing practising license to members which should be renewable yearly,” it added.

More so, the legal association said “there is need for re-orientation of members of the Bar on their responsibility to the larger society to ensure that the law is respected and justice not trampled upon; That the NBA must be more vigorous and vigilant in ensuring that only fit and proper persons are eligible to practice in Nigeria with a view to minimising the incidents of misconduct at the Bar, that applicants to the Nigeria Law School should better  be scrutinized, and universities which submit names of decadent students for admission should be strictly penalized.

“The NBA also calls on lawyers to dissipate less energy on internal politics and give more energy to the urgent task of re-professionalising the practise of law in Nigeria – a sore necessity in the light of impending globalisation and the realities of best practices in the profession world-wide.”

On national security, NBA said it has observed “that insecurity remains the bane of national development and resolves that good governance is the antidote to the prevailing climate of insecurity; Furthermore, that given the helplessness of Government and the security agencies in curbing escalating crime and criminality, there is urgent need for State and Community Police to reflect the realities of our federalism.”

Nevertheless, though the NBA warned that convoking a sovereign national conference would be unrealistic in the light of constitutional and political realities in the country, it however maintained that “national discussion is an imperative for progress and the assuaging of all misunderstandings and concerns apparent and arising from the current Nigerian political and constitutional structure and culture vis-a-vis true federalism.”