Quality of justice delivery depends on lawyers – CJN

 The quality of justice delivery and indeed the entire system of administration of justice largely depends on legal practitioners, the Chief Justice of Nigeria CJN), Mahmud Mohammed has said.  Justice Mahmud made this statement at the opening ceremony of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abuja Branch’s 2016 Law Week/Bar Dinner which took place at the […]

 The quality of justice delivery and indeed the entire system of administration of justice largely depends on legal practitioners, the Chief Justice of Nigeria CJN), Mahmud Mohammed has said.

 Justice Mahmud made this statement at the opening ceremony of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abuja Branch’s 2016 Law Week/Bar Dinner which took place at the Transcorp Hotel, Abuja, recently.
 He added that the legal profession is currently at risk of stagnation especially when we put personal interests before our obligation to the rule of law and to justice.
“It is indeed most disheartening when senior legal practitioners publicly make serious and indeed offensive accusations targeted against the Nigerian judiciary and more specifically against the noble lords of the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court of Nigeria,” he said.
He said his attention was recently drawn to comments made in several publications, seemingly seeking to discredit the sanctity of the “hallowed halls of justice to denigrate  the most learned of professions and most unfortunately, to undermine the independence of the judiciary.”
The Chief Justice, represented by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, said such condemnable comments are not only an affront to the integrity of the justices but a condemnation of the entire legal system particularly given the unfortunate inability of judges “to publicly defend themselves against such malicious, unsubstantiated and grave allegations.”
He admonished that legal practitioners should seek to arrive at constructive ways to protect the independence of the judiciary, while ensuring that the government’s overriding aim of ridding the country of corruption is met.
In his address, Agada Elachi, chairman NBA Abuja said it was the sacred duty of lawyers to lead the charge against corrupt practices and indiscipline of any sort.