Gistlover

  The Chief Judge of Ogun State, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, has told the judicial officers to shun compromise, be impartial and above board and remain committed to upholding the rules of law for a better society. Justice Dipeolu disclosed this on Monday while addressing the newly sworn-in 10 Presidents (Legal) and a member of the Ogun State Customary Court held at the Judiciary Complex, Kobape Road, Abeokuta. The Chief Judge said that these judicial officers must always remember that they remain the face of integrity and the confidence the members of the public reposed in the judiciary and should, therefore, not get involved in any acts that could bring the courts to disrepute. She explained that their employment was because they have demonstrated a high sense of professionalism and dedication to a sense of justice and should therefore continue to uphold the ethos of justice, equity and fairness in discharging their duties. The CJ said, “As Presidents (Legal), you will play a vital...

IT is official! The judiciary is the most corrupt institution in Nigeria; judges are the biggest takers of bribes in this country. A few years ago, I wrote a piece titled “Lord, give Nigeria bold and incorruptible judges”, (Vanguard, April 25, 2019). When I said that Nigerian judges are fantastically corrupt, it seemed as if I was just making an assertion, as if I was just expressing an opinion as a columnist. But now, we have an official confirmation. According to a recent survey conducted and published by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC, Nigeria’s public officials received N721billion cash bribes in 2023, and judges topped the list of the recipients. The 160-page report titled “Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends”, published this month, makes for sobering reading indeed. Those in denial about how utterly broken and rotten things are in Nigeria must now realise the incongruency of their positi...

  Nigeria’s Chief Justice Tanko Muhammad has  resigned  in the wake of corruption allegations.  President Muhammadu Buhari immediately swore in  the most senior judge of the Supreme Court, Olukayode Ariwoola, as Acting Chief Justice. Justice Muhammad leaves behind a dysfunctional justice system. The Conversation Africa asked public law expert Abiodun Odusote what Muhammad’s successor can do to fix the justice system. President Muhammadu Buhari congratulates Acting Chief Justice Ariwoola. What’s wrong with Nigeria’s justice system? The events preceding Justice Muhammad’s resignation and the news emanating afterwards call for reflection on the administration of justice in Nigeria. A week before he resigned, 14 Supreme Court justices  had accused  him of corruption and of not taking their welfare seriously. In addition, he was accused of misplaced priorities and the use of limited financial resources to take his family on vacation. The justices cited chal...