No doubt, the Chief Justice of Nigeria who will bow out on November 10 is being commended for a number of reforms carried out by his leadership especially his tenure as the Chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC) which has been very remarkable. There have been a lot of disciplinary measures taken against erring judges.
In two years of his stewardship, no fewer than 20 judges were shown the way out on allegations of bribery and corruption while scores are still under investigation. Just last week, three judges including the Chief Judge of Enugu state were axed by the National Judicial Council (NJC), the judiciary’s highest ruling body, chaired by Justice Mohammed on sundry allegations of bribery and corruption.
The judges-Justices I.A. Umezulike (Enugu Chief Judge), Mohammed Ladan Tsamiya (Presiding Justice, Court of Appeal, Ilorin division) and Kabiru Auta of the Kano State Judiciary, got the boot. Their sack was predicated on petitions which accused them of soiling their hands and compromising their oath of office.
For instance, Justice Tsamiya of the Court of Appeal was recommended for compulsory retirement from office to President Muhammadu Buhari, pursuant to the ‘findings’ by the Council following the allegations in the petition written by Nnamdi Iro Oji against him and Justices Husseini Muktar, F. O. Akinbami and J. Y. Tukur, all Justices of the Court of Appeal who sat on Election Appeal Panel in the Owerri Division of the Court during the 2015 general elections.
Thes inclded, among others:- corruption, malice and vindictiveness; and giving perverse and conflicting decisions on the same issue in similar matters in Appeal CA/ OW/EPT/SN/50/2015: Chief Dr. David Ogba Onuoha Bourdex vs Hon. Mao Onuabunwa & Anor; CA/OW/EPT/SN/47/2015; Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu & Anor vs Hon. Mao Ohuabunwa & Ors; and CA/OW/ EPT/HR/61/2015: Nnamdi Iro Oji vs Nkole Uko Ndukwe & 16 Ors.
They were however found guilty on the grounds “that there was evidence that the petitioner met with Hon. Justice Mohammed Ladan Tsamiya thrice in his residence in Sokoto, Gwarinpa, Abuja and Owerri where on each occasion, he demanded from him the sum of N200,000.000 (Two Hundred Million Naira) to influence the Court of Appeal Panel in Owerri or risk losing the case.”
While appraising his tenure, the retiring CJN in his words said “in the past year, the Judiciary has once again had to address the perennial issue of delays in the administration of justice.”
He said: “While we all rush to rehash the age-old rhetoric that Justice Delayed is Justice Denied, the actions of our key stakeholders, particularly members of the Bar have often proven to be far from the words. Although new laws and practice directions have been enacted with the aim of speeding up the administration of justice, incessant delays remain and are aggravated by challenges from those seemingly bent on continuing to live in the doldrums of the past.”
No doubt, Justice Mohammed deserves a good rest having contributed substantially to the development of the nation’s jurisprudence. Also, his reforms would not go unnoticed as lawyers, including his colleagues will not forget in a hurry the disciplinary measures taken against erring judges.
This he did with passion with a view to repositioning the judiciary and enhancing its integrity within the time frame of his stewardship. He has also shown capacity by demonstrating that he is favourably disposed to speedy dispensation of justice. Besides, his tenure as the Chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC) has been very remarkable. There were lots of disciplinary measures taken against erring judges.
Also, most of his public pronouncements had been in favour of the rule of law, respect for the sanctity of the judicial process and the need to preserve the integrity of the judiciary. History will not forget him as it is on record that his tenure brought some level of sanity to the judiciary by exposing his colleagues who are corrupt. We must commend Justice Mohammed for attaining this rare feat; for sanitizing the judiciary of corrupt judges.
We hold him in high esteem as he is retiring as a man without any blemish and as someone who is leaving judiciary better than he met it. In fairness, the retiring Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) must be commended in terms of an improved technology of sort in the judiciary.
It is on record that the nation’s judiciary has adopted the use of Information and Communications Technology which has in no small measure helped to bring court processes in line with the expectation of the millennial generation of citizens who crave swift 21st Century system of justice.
This has really made the Supreme Court to become a pilot court for the Judiciary’s drive for the historic launch of the Nigerian Case Management System (NCMS) Software, which was developed in order to facilitate the transition to a paperless adjudication system, through the automation of the process of filing, service and notifications via hearing notices, among many other innovations.
For the first time, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) received a boost following the effort of the retiring Chief Justice as lawyers and litigants are now opting for the mechanism as a process of resolving disputes.
These lofty reforms initiated by Justice Mohammed will forever put him far ahead of other Justices before him. However, we cannot wish Justice Mohammed more than a deserved rest after years of judicial toiling which would perhaps climax in his retirement on November 10.
