Alex Enumah in Abuja
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), yesterday, called for the sanctioning of judges found clogging the wheels of justice in the country.
President of the NBA, Mr Yakubu Maikyau, SAN, made the call against the backdrop that justice could only be achieved when it is “dispensed transparently, with integrity, speed, and circumspection.”
Speaking at a special court sitting in commemoration of the 2022/23 Legal Year, which held in Abuja, he said, “My Lords, a situation where parties and their counsel struggle to obtain records of proceedings or copies of the judgment, weeks or even months after a judgment is delivered, either to enforce or appeal the same, is a negation of the duty of the court to convince the public that justice was indeed accomplished upon delivery of the judgment.
“Allegations of tampering with judgments after delivery, spurious as they may be, can gain some attention, when copies thereof are not made available at least to the parties immediately after delivery as prescribed by the constitution.
“This is not the experience in this Court and members of the Bar, who practice in this Court can attest to this”, he said, calling on other judges, who had not appreciated the importance of making judgments readily available to begin to emulate the culture of the Industrial Court.
Continuing, he said, “On the other hand, erring judges must be seen and treated as those working against effective justice delivery and should be liable to sanctions by the National Judicial Council (NJC).
Meanwhile, the federal government has commended the National Industrial Court for putting the nation’s interest above other considerations in its handling of the dispute between it and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, who made the commendation, observed that the court had, on many occasions, saved the country from undue crisis through its deft handling of labour disputes.
Represented by the Head, Civil Appeals, Federal Ministry of Justice, Tijani Gazali (SAN), the AGF said, “The court’s pronouncements in recent times, particularly, in the wake of industrial actions embarked upon by both the National Association of Resident Doctors and the Academic Staff Union of Universities, suffice to say, that indeed, the legal status of any strike action, let alone a protracted one, raises very crucial questions of law, and the approach with which the judges of the National Industrial Court, have dealt with the related issues, in making better provision for promoting harmonious relations between workers and their employers, is quite laudable.
“Having to prioritise on the greater good, determining merit or otherwise, by focusing on outcomes and its impact on the greater number of people in ultimately stabilising agreements freely negotiated by employers and trade unions, is an even more unique and daunting task of the National Industrial Court.”
