Nigeria’s Judiciary No Longer ‘Last Hope of Common Man’, Says SAN

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and National President of Zenith Environmental and Social Protection Network (ZESPRONET), George Ukaegbu, has called for comprehensive reforms of Nigeria’s judicial system, warning the institution can no longer be confidently described as the “last hope of the common man.”

Ukaegbu made the call in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, while speaking with journalists on the sidelines of ZESPRONET’s 2026 Dinner and Award Night.

He said the need for judicial reform was part of a broader challenge confronting the country, stressing that virtually every segment of the Nigerian system required urgent attention.

“It is not only the country’s judicial system that needs to be reformed; the other systems need to be attended to as well,” he said.

According to him, the judiciary cannot be reformed in isolation because it is an integral part of the wider Nigerian system, which, he noted, had suffered significant degradation in societal values.

“The judicial system and every other segment of our system needs reformation. The judicial system is not isolated. It is part of the Nigerian system and there seems to have been so much degradation in our value system. So, that has impacted every segment of our society,” Ukaegbu stated.

The SAN said he agreed with concerns raised by the keynote speaker at the event about the decline in the quality and public perception of the judiciary.

He said the keynote address provided a historical perspective on the judiciary and highlighted the changes that had taken place over the years.

“Of course, it is there for everybody to see that we can no longer proudly say, like we used to say, that judiciary is the last hope of the common man,” he added.

Ukaegbu also explained that ZESPRONET, a non-governmental organisation, focuses on environmental protection and social intervention, with initiatives aimed at making positive contributions to communities.

“It is a non-governmental association with a bias in environmental and social interventions. We have an environmental protection mindset and a drive to intervene positively in society,” he said.

He disclosed that the organisation also provides pro bono legal assistance to indigent members of society as part of its social intervention programmes.

“Yes, under our social intervention programmes, we handle matters that are brought to our attention and that we consider deserving of such intervention. It includes pro bono services to members of society,” he said.

Ukaegbu, however, noted that ZESPRONET’s environmental interventions had largely focused on practical community-based projects rather than legal advocacy.

Earlier in his keynote address titled, “As the Court Pleases: The Role of the Judiciary in Safeguarding or Truncating Democracy in Nigeria,” legal practitioner Obum Nwoye described the judiciary as a critical pillar of constitutional democracy.

Nwoye said that under the doctrine of separation of powers, the judiciary occupies a structural position as the third arm of government and serves as an arbiter between citizens and between the state and individuals.

He identified the judiciary’s key constitutional responsibilities as safeguarding constitutional supremacy and the rule of law, protecting fundamental human rights guaranteed under Chapter Four of the Constitution, and serving as the institutional umpire of Nigeria’s federal system.