*Makes Case For Judicial Reforms,
*Demands End To Political Interference
The Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) has said that the greatest threat facing the Judiciary at the moment is the incessant disregard for the letters and spirit of the Constitution by politicians.
The body which made their stance known at the opening of the New legal year of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) on the 5th of October, 2020 at the Court’s Headquarters in Abuja.
Mr. Asiwaju Adegboyega Awomolo SAN who made the position of the body known, stated that most state executives and appointing authorities deliberately choose to frustrate the decisions of the National Judicial Council with regardss to the appointment of various heads of courts, noting that by section 158 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, the NJC is not subject to any direction or control when carry out its duties.
The respected attorney called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to swing into action by seeking Judicial interpretations on the issue.
According to Mr. Awomolo, a better alternative to the present system of appointment of Judicial officers would be for the NJC to directly send the names of the intended Judges and Justices to the legislative arm, and thereafter the individuals should be appointed by the executive and not with the reverse scenario as presently obtainable. This alternative, he considered would help checkmate the incessant undermining of the NJC’s recommendations as the NJC has the preferred qualification for that.
The body also accused the executive arm of deliberately frustrating the course of Justice by withholding funds meant for the Judiciary sighting the recent outcry by some retired Judicial officers with regards their pension.
Mr. Awomolo SAN however commended the president of the court, for the accelerated application and deployment of information technology software in the court, leading to speedy disposition of cases, as well as the timely intervention of the court in various industrial dispute, thereby justifying the wisdom in creating the court as a specialized court. He called for the creation of more specialized courts, so as to meet up with the ever-growing demands.
With regards to the applicants to the rank of Senior Advocates, He noted that over the years, there have been an increasing admittance of respected individuals into the highly coveted rank of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), with this year having a total of 166 applicants being shortlisted from 200 applicants. According to the body, there exists no harm in admitting more individuals with unquestionable character and integrity into the inner bar without compromising the standard of the bar.
Mr. Asiwaju Adegboyega Awomolo SAN, would stood in for the Doyen of BOSAN— Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim SAN, due to the I’ll health of the latter.
