Abubakar Malami, Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) wants the criteria and standards for the appointment of judges into various courts in Nigeria redefined in order to ensure justice in every judgement delivered.
In recent times, the process of appointment of judicial officers in Nigeria have attracted condemnation from stakeholders. A recent example is the process of appointment of Justices to the Court of Appeal which became controversial for lack of transparency and integrity.
Malami, speaking on Tuesday at a virtual roundtable on ‘Jurisprudence and Philosophy of Judgements in the Nigerian legal system’ organised by the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), noted that the quality and standard of judges determine the quality of judgement citizens will get from them.
The AGF, who was represented by Mohammed Abubakar said the topic is apt and appropriate especially following the controversies that have trailed the recent appointment of justices into various courts in the country.
“I believe that discussions in this forum will assist in redefining the criteria and standard in the appointment of judges to our various courts”, he said.
He added, “This initiative is both timely and apt, therefore, I support fully these discussions and hope that the outcome of the discussion will help in redefining the criteria and standards in redefining the appointment of justices.
The chairman, PACAC Itse Sagay in his opening remarks bemoaned the level of corruption that have crept into the judicial system over the years.
He regretted that the that judges of this age no longer harp on delivering justice but end up favouring offenders in the country.
Sagay cited the example of Bayelsa and Zamfara, where according to him, justice was in favour of the party which lost the election miserably and leaders imposed on the people were not popular choice.
“We must devise a system for the appointment of judges which promotes confidence in the quality of our judges.
“We need to institute a system for the promotion of judges rather than continue with the routine which is “turn by turn”, he stressed.
He added, “There was a time when you cannot associate the judiciary with corruption in this country nobody dares go to a judges chamber to bribe him they were no way associated with corruption, we had the best judicial leaders in the world
The chairman therefore urged justices to go back to the golden age of the judiciary, where a good name and integrity was the greatest legacy.
“Let there be justice in every judgement”, Sagay stressed.
Another stakeholder, Candide Johnson, while delivering the lead paper reiterated that the judiciary are the custodian of the Constitution and is expected to uphold the rule of law.
He said their appointment must follow a thorough process which must emphasise their qualification and integrity among others.
Johnson regretted that most appointment of judges are often done in secrecy and based on favouritism, this, he notes is fuelling the level of incompetence in the judicial system.
According to him, judges must be appointed based on; independence and impartiality , reputable conduct and spotless record of integrity, outstanding knowledge of the law among others and the process must be transparent.
