By Kolawole Ojebisi
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and human rights advocate, Professor Mike Ozekhome, has lamented the deplorable states of many Nigerian courts and the unattractive remuneration of judges, stressing that both conditions are capable of compromising justice delivery.
Ozekhome, who is also a constitutional lawye, urged the government to improve funding and incentives for the nation’s judiciary.
The senior advocate spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s “Hard Copy” program on Saturday.
While emphasizing how terrible things have become in the judiciary, Ozekhome cited what he described as “dilapidated infrastructure” of many Nigerian courts, where judges often have to “write proceedings with longhand”.
He linked the judiciary’s struggles to the wider societal challenges, asserting that “garbage in, garbage out” applies to the justice system.
“We saw the visuals of some of the courts I wouldn’t sit there, but is the place where we are calling a hall of justice and these places are dilapidated infrastructure.
“The judiciary has been ignored for too long,” Ozekhome stated.
He emphasised that judges, being human beings, live in the same society where corruption is pervasive. To insulate them from such pressures, he argued, they must be “treated respectfully” and “well funded.”
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria acknowledged recent efforts by the current government to improve judicial remuneration, noting a new law from last year that saw Supreme Court justices’ salaries increase to approximately N54m per annum, or about N5.3m monthly.
While acknowledging that this might not fully offset the impact of inflation, he deemed it a “leap forward.”
However, Ozekhome stressed that more needs to be done.
He quoted an old adage saying, “A corrupt judge is more dangerous than a man armed with a dagger,” explaining that while a man with a dagger can be physically restrained, a corrupt judge “destroys the moral fiber of the society.”
He stressed that to avoid miscarriage of justice to become the other of the day in the Nigerian courts, it is compulsory that judges are sufficiently cared for.
