The Judiciary remains the last hope
of Nigeria, if the nation wishes to effectively wage and win the war
against corruption and insecurity, some eminent Nigerians have said. The Convener of the Save Nigeria Group
(SNG), Pastor Tunde Bakare; Justice of the Supreme, Justice Christopher
Chukwuma-Eneh; Lagos Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr
Ade Ipaye; as well as the Chairman of the Ikeja branch of the Nigerian
Bar Association (NBA), Mr Monday Ubani, among others, expressed the same
confidence in the branch of government.
They spoke at the weekend at Sheraton
Hotels and Towers, Ikeja, during this year’s Bar dinner of the Ikeja
branch of the NBA in honour of Aare Afe Babalola (SAN). The event was
part of the NBA branch’s Law Week programme. Bakare examined the high level of
corruption and insecurity in the country. He, however, expressed
confidence in the rule of law and the Judiciary to bail out the country. He added: “Every legislation and source
of law, aimed at combating crime, terrorism and other manifestations of
insecurity, must be applied judiciously and independently of Executive’s
manipulation.”
The pastor of the Latter Rain Assembly,
Ikeja, Lagos, described the dismissal of the 171 money laundering
charges against former Delta State Governor James Ibori as a sham. He also referred to the alleged fraud
case against former Managing Director of Intercontinental Bank Plc, Dr
Erastus Akingbola, for which the trial judge, Justice Habeeb Abiru, was
elevated to the Appeal Court when the verdict was about to be delivered
in the matter. Bakare accused the Bar and the Bench of
allegedly collaborating to thwart the course of justice and for what is
happening today in the country. He said: “We seem to have forgotten that justice is the ligament which holds civilised beings and civilised nations together.”
Ubani, who recalled the anti-corruption
crusade of the late Alao Aka-Basorun, said he was happy he came from the
legal profession. Justice Chukwuma-Eneh said the law is pivotal to making an orderly change and in preserving public order in the society. He said the National Judicial Council
(NJC), under the chairmanship of Justice Aloma Mukhtar, has taken a
frontal position to reclaim the great name of the Judiciary and put it
on the proper track.
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