…Canvasses broad overhaul of the judicial system

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA – The Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, Monday, re-iterated his resolve to extricate the judiciary from what he termed “prevailing iniquities”, stressing that “henceforth, there shall be zero tolerance to judicial corruption or misconduct.”

The CJN who made this declaration during a special court session that was held at the Supreme Court in Abuja, Monday, to mark the beginning of the 2011/ 2012 legal year, insisted that “it is very important to ensure that those who abuse the privilege of judicial authority are exposed, expunged, banished and punished.”

He said: “I feel it is necessary at this point, to strongly advise that those who cannot sustain true allegiance to their judicial oaths and abide by all the demands of the Code of Conduct for judicial officers to bow out immediately. I urge you to realise that there is no middle ground and no space on the bench for those adjudged to be unworthy arbiters of truth.

“As I have admitted on previous occasions, the extent to which prevalent societal currents have also engulfed the judiciary, demands great concern. Judges and the judicial system must remain politically neutral and rise up to safeguard our fledging democracy. We must deflect the tides of impropriety and immunize the entire judicial system against all identified iniquities.

Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Dahiru Musdapher

“As its stands today, it appears that the society we serve is not entirely satisfied with our performance. Hard as it may be to accept, we feel it is less important to focus on whether this assessment is fair or not. The important thing is for us to transparently come to terms with the prevailing realities, accept the gap in expectations and do our utmost to bridge it.

“I strongly believe we can succeed by adhering to the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy as contained in sections 13 to 24 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). Section 23 provides that: “the national ethics shall be discipline, integrity, dignity of labour, social justice, religious tolerance, self reliance and patriotism”, it is of fundamental importance that in the adjudication of any matter that is placed before us particularly those dealing with the interpretation of the constitution and other statutes, to bear these principles in mind.