REFORMING THE JUDICIARY SYSTEM IN NIGERIA: A BRIEF EXPLANATION ~ VOL. 1 – BY ADEYEMO ADESINA

Over the years, the judiciary system has been trusted as the most reliable channel to ensure effective emancipation of the rule of law, and protection of rights to expression and fair hearing. It is often referred to as the hope of the common man. Unfortunately, things suddenly go a different ways, seeing the system exemplating a disappointing turnaround.

Though, there is hierarchy in the instrumentation of laws, illustrating a contrasting relationship between the courts. The lower courts, the appelate and the supreme court. We will be running an incomplete investigation if we also fail to mention our traditional customary courts. All plays their roles within their appropriate jurisdictions.

But, the questions we need to ask ourselves is…how well are we operating the system, in lines with its supposed ethics, traditions and instruments? How effective is the process towards achieving its goals? How sincere are the actors while driving the legal barricades? How promising is it to rely on the system, as the hope of the common man being said?

Where two cases of same context and gravity falls within two different judiciary jurisdictions, and the final decisions of one rules in favor of a side, leaving the second in deflective state. How do we explain this to the world that something is not wrong with the system? For example, an election petition tribunal ruled that a disobedience of any part or section of an electoral act shall render results declarations invalid, while others specifically stated the gravities and penalties for various forms of electoral offenses, either by electoral officials or an individual actors in the electoral process.

One will begin to ask himself, has there been any court or public hearings in respect to electoral crimes or offenses? Has any electoral officers been tried after various forms of electoral related crimes were established by the election petition courts? Has anyone been jailed or ensured to have paid fines proclaimed by various courts upon conclusion of their hearings? The answers to these questions are straight forward, but no one want to talk about it. This is because our societies has been systematically ruined by collective acts of insincerity, manipulations and mutilation of the rules of law.

I remember how it all started when the Independent National Electoral commission introduced the use of serving national youth corps and high profile academic personnel as electoral officials during elections. We all welcome this initiative and trusted the process, with the belief that they will serve the nation faithfully and diligently. This was how we started having professors as electoral officials during general elections.

Today, those who we trusted with this crucially critical national assignment are the one being used to compromise the whole thing. They have turned manipulator of process, procedures, principles and practices. They have (through events in history) become instrumental to election rigging, ignoring their acclaimed profiles and integrity; all for the sake of monetary gains. The worst that one could have ever imagined happened when our brothers and sisters in their mid undergraduate levels were given NYSC uniforms to deceive the people as corp members, since the government adopted using corps as electoral officials. This is what the case has always been as major stakeholders and gladiators battle for the fraud through what has now been adopted as common norms- “Vote buying”!!!

So, how do we move forward from this present scenario?  How do we convince the world that all blames be put on our judiciary system, when those who put blames on them are actively involved in the process leading to the corrupt system? Where else do we run to for help, when we are indeed our own problems?

It is high time we adopt genuine and sacrilegious overhauling of the electoral system in Nigeria, if at all we want to lay a good foundation for the upcoming generation. It is time to commit all it takes to turn around the system, in a manner that will directly influence governance, economy, education, health, infrastructure and security being the basic tools linked to the much adored Democratic system. It begins with everyone of us!!!

I look forward to genuine arguments and dialogue on how we can critically evaluate these syndrome and work out a better polity for our own good.

Happy new month dear all!!!

I am Engr Adeyemo Adesina
Ibarapa, Oyo state
Nigeria.

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