From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Weeks after the controversial sting operation by the Department of State security Service (DSS), which saw the arrest of seven judges, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, yesterday, admitted corruption is the bane of the nation’s judiciary.
He, however, disclosed that measures are being intensified to curb the menace through a National Judicial Policy (NJP) which was unveiled, yesterday, by the National Judicial Council (NJC).
Speaking at the ceremony, the CJN said: “It would be stating the obvious to opine that the greatest single menace that challenges the justice system in Nigeria today is corruption. This endemic vice is not peculiar to any region and ethnic group; it cuts across faith, religious denominations, levels of education and economic status. Corruption has serious implications for both the rule of law and access to justice, and must be fought both institutionally and individually. This is why the NJP contains clear provisions restating the judiciary’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
The CJN noted that absence of a judicial policy in the past occasioned uneven growth of the nation’s Judiciary.
“Certainly, the absence of a blueprint has resulted in a demand for the transformation of the Nigerian judiciary into a modern judicial system. For years, each jurisdiction has had to muddle along in developing core values and objectives, and this has led to a mixed bag of standards and policies.
“This has been compounded by the challenging deprivations and paucity of resources, without which critical development was limited. The NJP is a charter of commitment to the values that elevate, not only our judicial institutions, but also those who are employed by or involved in it. The importance of the foundational virtues of discipline, efficiency, integrity and enduring commitment are reflected in the NJP, as embodied in its first three regulations and rules of the policy,” the CJN said.
Former CJN, Dahiru Musdapher, who was the event’s chairman, noted that the absence of a NJP before now resulted in a disjointed development of the Judiciary.
The policy has barred judges and judicial officers from accepting gifts from other arms of government in the conduct of their official functions.
The event held at the National Judicial Institute (NJI) was attended by eminent personalities, including two other former Chief Justices of Nigeria – Justices Mohammed Uwais and Idris Kutigi; President of the Court of Appeal, Zainab Bulkachuwa and retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Emmanuel Ayoola.
The event also featured the inauguration, by the CJN, of the Judicial Ethics Committee headed by Justice Kutigi.
The committee, which is saddled with the enforcement of the policy, is required to conduct periodic surveys on behalf of the NJC to provide empirical measurements of compliance with the policy, as it affects the administration of justice and application of ethical standards by all judicial officers and court staff.