I became conscious of the Nigerian judiciary in the days of late Justice Aloysius Katsina Alu, the then Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) who hailed from my home state, Benue. I remember vividly many years after, that my consciousness was not based on good reasons, but the negative, as it has become commonplace in the judiciary since then. The then President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami (Retired) who at the time of the incidence being referred to had just been elevated to the rank of Justice of the Supreme Court (JSC), accused the CJN of recommending his promotion to the apex court with a wrong motive. He then opened what can be termed “a can of worms” in which he accused the CJN of asking him to compromise the Court of Appeal judgment in the Sokoto State Governorship Election Petition. This incident, to my estimation, marked the beginning of the open desecration of the hallowed Chambers of the Nigerian Judiciary. The then CJN saw this as a rebellion that must be nipped in the bud; he mustered all the powers of his office to ensure the suspension of Justice Ayo Salami from the bench. An uneasy calm ensued in the Nigerian Judiciary due to the bravery of Justice Katsina Alu, which continued in the days of successive CJNs.
The above described uneasy calm could not be sustained in the days of Justice Walter Onnoghen (Retired) when he was Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN). Onnoghen was forced out of office by forces that are best known in our local parlance as “the cabal” during the tail end of the first term of former President Muhammadu Buhari. The cabal took advantage of the greed, sentiments and cowardice of some Judicial Officers to force Justice Onnoghen out of office without “fair hearing”, thus totally desecrating the Nigerian judiciary. Many years have passed since then, but the Nigerian judiciary has continued to be plagued by the consequences of this sacrilege. Many Nigerians no longer take the Nigerian judiciary serious; they only endure it as a “necessary evil” without which there could be total breakdown of law and order in the country. In fact, the Judiciary is seen as the bane of our national development and emancipation. This perception recently came alive in my mind as I watched some flagship TV programs. I first watched a live interview on Sunday Politics, a Channels Television programme, which was anchored by Seun Akinbaloye, during which the former Corps Marshal of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and later Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, blamed the poor flow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Nigeria on the judiciary.
Just after the Channels Television programme, I tuned to Arise TV, and I met another live interview on the same issue anchored by Christian Ogbodo. This time, it was the former Director General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Idi Farouk, who was being interviewed. He also blamed the Nigerian Judiciary for poor FDI into the country. Both separately agreed that no one needs report “bribe seekers” to Mr. President if the judiciary can ensure quick dispensation of Justice to investors. It is worthy of note that the two interviewees are from two different divides: one a Southerner, the other a Northerner; one a Christian, the other a Muslim; one younger, the other older; one served the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led administration, the other served the All Progressives Congress (APC) led administration.
As a believer in the Holy Bible as God’s word to mankind which can never fail, I agree wholly with the scripture in Deuteronomy 19:15 that in the mouth of two or three witnesses let every matter be established. I, therefore, accept the witness of Chief Osita Chidoka and Mallam Idi Farouk as the verdict of Nigerians on their country’s judiciary. But since Nigerians cannot prosecute or convict their judiciary, we are left with no option but to submit our petition to the Righteous Judge, God Almighty, the Judge of all the earth that always does right. We have already submitted multiple petitions to the Righteous Judge against the Nigerian judiciary; it is left for it to open its defense or plead guilty to the charges, and ask for mercy and forgiveness from the Judge of all the earth.
- War writes from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
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