It is not often that top government functionaries highlight the rot in the branches of government that they lead, much less publicly identify and upbraid those responsible for it. But last week, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Maryam Aloma Mukhtar, did exactly that when she admitted and lamented that corruption is rampant among judiciary employees. She named secretaries, court registrars, process clerks and bailiffs among those perverting the course of justice in the judiciary. Earlier, the CJN had lamented the same trait in some judges, while a number of senior judicial officers have been sanctioned under her watch.
Mukhtar, who bared her mind at a recent workshop organised by the National Judicial Institute (NJI), noted that that it had become necessary to stop and severely punish corruption in the judiciary, otherwise, it would continue to erode public confidence in the judicial process.
We commend the Chief Justice for speaking out against corruption, and for her previous efforts to cleanse the judiciary. She has always aptly demonstrated the need to straighten out the judiciary, and we wish the leadership of the two other arms of government – the Executive and Legislature –would be as outspoken and committed to the fight against corruption as she is.
Sometimes, the legislative branch of government acts as if it is a cult with the members sworn to oaths for mutual protection. Justice Mukhtar has shown by example what is achievable when the head of a branch is really leading. Even the highly respected Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), once said of her: “She has rejuvenated the whole judicial system. She has given us hope and the corruption-ridden ones are now very afraid. Impunity has greatly reduced…”
We look forward to the day that Nigerians will be able to say the same about the Executive and Legislative arms of government.
Mukhtar’s commitment to the fight against corruption in the Nigerian judiciary is commendable. Reports indicate that the stance of the CJN is helping to keep judicial workers on their toes. Her commitment to punishing graft and promoting public confidence in the administration of justice is not in the doubt.
Now that she has identified corruption as a malaise that is undermining the work of the judiciary, she must communicate the need to pull it out by the roots to all judiciary workers, and promptly bring those involved in it to book. Fighting corruption is one of the most difficult tasks a government can undertake, but it is a task that must be done to build confidence in the judiciary which is the last hope of the common man for justice.
Mukhtar is apparently worried about corruption among judiciary staff because it raises serious issues about the credibility of the rulings of judges who are assisted by those workers. A joint report of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the National Bureau of Statistics and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes said that the judiciary is involved in more “big money bribes” than the Customs, Police, Water Corporation and the Electricity companies. There have been instances where judges and magistrates were violently attacked by angry litigants and hoodlums for delivering judgements that were considered unfavourable to them, even though they had “paid” certain bribes to the judges through their staff.
The leakage of judgments that had been written, but not yet delivered, is another area where the staff can compromise the judiciary. Some of them were also said to be acting as intermediaries “between litigants and judges on the sale of judgments,” providing information to litigants on how some judges can be approached to compromise him or her judgment. All these, Mukhtar explained, are “done for a fee at the expense of the judiciary’s integrity and image.”
The way forward now is for those who are engaged in these nefarious activities to be caught red-handed, and punished. Last year, the Chief Justice dismissed five Supreme Court Staff and one staff of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal. We urge her not to rest on her oars. She must do whatever is necessary to cleanse the Augean stable of our judiciary.
The judiciary is a very important arm of government which adjudicates matters from other arms. It should always be above suspicion to enjoy the confidence of Nigerians.
