Lagos, Sept. 25, 2024 (TheGavel) – As the 2024/2025 Legal Year of the Lagos State Judiciary commences, prominent legal professionals have renewed calls for significant reforms in Nigeria’s judicial system. Lawyers and rights advocates are urging both the federal and state governments to prioritize the improvement of conditions in lower courts, particularly concerning judges’ welfare and the overall administration of justice.
Mr. Bayo Akinlade, Convener of the Fight Against Corruption in the Judiciary, underscored the need for better remuneration and working conditions for judges in lower courts, emphasizing that such changes are essential for enhancing justice delivery in the country.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) during the legal year’s inaugural event in Lagos, Akinlade expressed concern that lower court judges, such as magistrates and customary court judges, often work in subpar conditions compared to their counterparts in higher courts.
“While the Federal Government is responsive to the plights of higher court judges, state governments are yet to do much about the salaries of magistrates and customary court judges,” Akinlade stated. He further noted that improvements in the justice system could only be achieved if lower court judges were treated with the same level of respect and provided better incentives to perform their duties effectively.
Akinlade called on state governments to invest in infrastructure upgrades in the lower courts, stressing the importance of creating a conducive working environment for judges. “In the new legal year, it is important for state governments to afford better working conditions and improved emoluments for lower court judges,” he said.
Beyond the issue of welfare for lower court judges, legal experts are also pushing for broader judicial reforms. Mr. Spurgeon Ataene, a human rights campaigner, emphasized the need for specialized knowledge within the judiciary. He argued that the current practice of rotating judges through different divisions of the courts often leads to inefficiencies in handling cases that require deep expertise in specific areas of law.
“All strata of the judicial system need a rejig,” Ataene remarked, advocating for the specialization of judges based on their knowledge and experience. He expressed his desire to see judges remain in divisions where they possess in-depth expertise, such as criminal law, admiralty, land law, and international law, among others.
“In the new legal year, I want to see a judge with deep knowledge of criminal law remain in that division rather than going around the divisions. The same goes for admiralty, the law of the sea, international law, land law, debt recovery, aviation law, civil, matrimonial causes, and election law, among others,” Ataene added. He stressed that this reform should apply to high courts across Nigeria, both at the federal and state levels.
Ataene also highlighted the role of the National Industrial Court, which was established to address employment and related matters. He suggested that similar specialized courts or divisions should be developed to handle other areas of law. Furthermore, he proposed that judges specializing in particular areas should have the opportunity to rise to the Supreme Court from their respective divisions.
“For the independence of the judiciary to be truly entrenched, judges of the appeal and supreme courts should go through a rigorous and credible election in the divisions they have chosen to run,” Ataene asserted, calling for more transparent and merit-based processes in judicial appointments.
In addition to these reforms, Ataene suggested that certain cases should be allowed to terminate at the Court of Appeal, rather than being automatically escalated to the Supreme Court. This, he believes, would not only streamline the judicial process but also reduce the workload on the Supreme Court, allowing it to focus on more complex and significant cases. (NAN)
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