Former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, has called for a comprehensive democratization of Nigeria’s judicial system, emphasizing that the concentration of power in the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) creates potentially dangerous imbalances.
Speaking in an interview with TVC, Dr. Agbakoba highlighted the urgent need for reform. “The judiciary needs to absolutely democratize its system. The situation where the CJN is so powerful is dangerous,” he stated.
Agbakoba recalled a previous unsuccessful attempt at judicial reform. “The last CJN that tried to democratize, and I was on the NJC then, was the late Dahiru Mustapha, and it didn’t work,” he said.
The former NBA President expressed concern about public perception of the judiciary. “Most Nigerians don’t have confidence. The public confidence in the judiciary is very low,” he noted, adding, “We need to see confidence-building measures. We need to see good decisions coming out of the judiciary. We need to make the people see the judiciary really stand up for people.”
Agbakoba urged a return to what he described as the era of judicial excellence. “Go back to the great days of great judges. When you say Justice Eso or Justice Oputa is on the panel, you know it’s going to be a great decision,” he remarked. “Even where you disagree, but the thinking and the reasoning of Justice will be logical for you to understand. You know these are people who have given their soul to truth.”
Drawing from personal experience, Agbakoba contrasted today’s judicial conduct with the strict ethical standards upheld by his father. “My father was Chief Justice of East Central State; how dare you come to our house? You can’t come, and it is still affecting me today because I’m a very withdrawn person because I grew up; nobody can come to our house,” he revealed.
He lamented what he sees as declining judicial standards, concluding, “But today, you see judges at parties, you see them everywhere, you see them receiving awards. It’s gone. The judges of old were people that you don’t see; they were like spirits.
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