BY UTHMAN BABA-NASEER
The judiciary has no doubt descended hard on corruption lately, especially in the areas of age falsification of judges of the superior courts of record, where quite a number of them were placed on compulsory retirement, and some others who were found wanting were sanctioned by either being placed on probation or the like
This giant step of the judiciary can safely be said that it is the first of its kind, which met with the general public’s confidence in the system, for it will go a long way in rebuilding the badly battered image . Kudos therefore to Hon., the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon Justice Kekere Ekun , under whose watch corruption is being tacked like never before
Recall that the judiciary has, over the years been saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that justice is served in all arms of government in accordance with the laws of the land, of which the judiciary is not an exemption… as such the Hon, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kudirat Motonmori Kekere Ekun, GCON, immediately upon being sworn in as the Acting CJN, on the 23rd of August, 2024, upon the exit of the immediate past, Hon Justice Ariwoola, made known in an interview her resolve to tackle all appointments of judges of superior records that have suffered injustice from 2021, this the Hon. CJN reiterated upon her confirmation in office as the Chief Justice of Nigeria, on the 30th of November, 2024.
As respects the other arms of government, talking about the legislature and the executive, elections and election petitions… the judiciary again has done remarkably well in ensuring that all candidates who fraudulently gained elective offices, even after having been sworn in, either had their results cancelled and the winners taken out of office, or subjected to another election which may not necessarily be in their favour. Needless to say we have seen governors and members of the National Assembly lose their seats.
The questions now are
1. Is the judicial system so perfect that all appointments of judges to the superior courts of record do not suffer any injustice at all at some point or the other?
2. What are the system guarding against?… protecting its? Have there not been complaints at all in that regard, or are all of them lacking in merit?
3. Are they portraying to the world that they always get it right? That same world is watching, it’s appetite for a corruption-free judiciary having been aroused.
4. The public believes it is about time the system served to her block what she has since been serving to the others, ie, the executive and the legislature, in wielding her big stick of justice, and pulling out of office those who found their ways there through corruption
We believe the system will live up to its words, and beam its flashlight in-house, having set the ball rolling towards sanitizing it and ensuring that what is good for the goose is good for the gander, know that it is not, and will never be biased, upholding that no one is above the law
