Ozekhome Blames the Judges For Undermining the Judiciary

  Chief Mike Ozekhome has blamed Nigerian judges for undermining the Judiciary.

Ozekhome, made this submission when he spoke as one of the panelists in the Section on Public Interest and Development Law, SPIDEL breakout session at the 62nd Annual General Conference of the Nigeria Bar Association in Lagos.

According to him, “Nigeria is in the quagmire, Judges are afraid to deliver judgment because Government is on their neck.”

He further observed that is one of the consequences of undermining the judiciary under the country’s democracy.

He however opined that the judges must be given the Independence to do their job fearlessly

Speaking along the same line or thought, Mr. Joseph Otteh, the Executive Director, of Access to Justice explained that a host of factors limits the functionality of justice in the court.

He identified overcrowded dockets and escalating costs of accessing justice as significant barriers as in the case of filing fees.

He also said that the courts are not responsive enough to the issue of people having access to the court of law.

“We are still paper driven which is labour intensive and we are not prepared enough for another pandemic.”

Otteh frowned at delays trailing cases, attributing the snag to the transfer of judges without adequate preparations.

“Our judges fail to exercise the courage they need to display when facing challenges like impunity from the state.”

He said, “if the judiciary cannot faithfully exercise their authority, the judiciary will be undermined.”