Law teacher and rights Advocate, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, has made a call to the leadership of Nigeria’s judiciary, urging that they infuse integrity into the system by avoiding cronyism in all ramifications.
Odinkalu, a former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), warned that cronyism erodes the ethics and integrity of public institutions.
In a post on his verified X handle on Sunday, Odinkalu paid tribute to the onetime Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Muhammadu Uwais, who died on Friday at the age of 88.
He eulogised the late Uwais not only for his brilliance on the bench but also for upholding professionalism and impartiality in the judiciary for the 11 years he spent in office as CJN.
The former NHRC chair and human rights lawyer deplored what he described as the erosion of ethics and the growing nepotism in the judiciary in recent years.
He observed that Uwais’s fidelity to principles enabled him to resist using his office to favour family and cronies with key appointments in the judiciary during his tenure as CJN.
The ever-candid Odinkalu stated that Uwais maintained a strict separation between his official duties and family interests, a standard he said has diminished in the nation’s judiciary after the eminent jurist retired from the Supreme Court in 2006.
“In 27 yrs at @SupremeCourtNg, 11 of which he spent as #CJN, Mohammed Lawal Uwais did not appoint his son, daughter, wife or mistress as judge or SAN. By contrast, Olukayode Ariwoola spent only 2 yrs as CJN & littered the entire place with his family,” he stated.
Odinkalu had consistently spoken against the last leadership at the Supreme Court for appointing several relatives to key offices in the judiciary.
Some of the appointments were made into the bench, the bar and the Supreme Court bureaucracy.
According to him, such appointments often stand in the way of integrity, neutrality and professionalism in the justice system.
