WIKE

CJN ON G5 GOVS: CONFUSION, AS VIDEO SURFACES (VIDEO)

A video now trending online has thrown spanner in the works of the statement by the Supreme Court that Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola (GCON) did not express happiness over membership of the “Integrity Group” by his Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde.

CITY LAWYER recalls that controversy has trailed the alleged comment by Justice Ariwoola that he was glad that Makinde is a member of the break-away group of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors spearheaded by Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike.

A statement by the Director of Information and Press, Supreme Court of Nigeria, Dr Festus Akande had dismissed the allegation as the handiwork of desperate politicians and mischief makers in the run-up to the 2023 General Elections.

According to the statement, “We can’t really pinpoint where such barefaced falsehood is coming from, and certainly, we don’t also know at what point the CJN said he was happy that Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State was a member of the now christened “Integrity Group” or “G-5 Governors.”

Continuing, the statement added: “Similarly, he said he was very surprised to see the “G-5 Governors” (“Integrity Group Governors”), just as he equally expressed the same surprise when he saw them in Ibadan, Oyo State, during the reception organised in his honour by his state government in October 2022.
“His surprise particularly stemmed from the fact that he saw his own State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde (who incidentally is a member of the “G-5 Governors”) at the Port Harcourt occasion.”

However, the video obtained by CITY LAWYER shows that while the Chief Justice of Nigeria was clearly speaking jocularly about Makinde’s relationship with Wike, he stated that he was “happy that my own Governor is one (of the G5 Governors.”

His words: “I understand he (Governor Wike) will continue to commission projects till his last day in office. There are projects wide open all over the place.

“And that’s why we should not be scared to have these men of Integrity Group. And I am happy that my own Governor is one because, you know, he will try to imitate his friend and in-law because we came here to marry for my Governor.

“His Excellency, Governor Wike will always threaten that he will call back his sister if my Governor fails to play ball. And that’s why if you see him following His Excellency (laughs), my Governor is afraid of his wife being recalled.”

Meanwhile, a leading criminal trial lawyer, Mr. Ahmed Raji SAN has also dissociated Justice Ariwoola from the controversial statement, saying that the Chief Justice of Nigeria only joked about the closeness that existed between the Wike and Makinde.

According to Raji who is also the President of Oke-Ogun Development Consultative Forum (ODCF), the umbrella body of indigenes of Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State, “I was at the said occasion at Port Harcourt and there was never a time the Chief Justice of the Federation said anything about being in support of the group of PDP five governors, he only made jokes about how the closeness between the Oyo State governor and governor Wike is strong which he attributed to the fact that governor Wike is the in-law of Seyi Makinde.

“For anybody to think the Chief Justice of the Federation will come down to such level as discussing party issues is ridiculous, I enjoin media organizations to please scrutinize information their reporters bring to them to avoid creating crisis and smear the images of people.”

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ESCHEW JUDGMENT WITHOUT JUSTICE, AFAM OSIGWE URGES JUDGES

In this piece to herald the 2022/2023 Legal Year of Rivers State Judiciary, senior lawyer and former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) General Secretary, MAZI AFAM OSIGWE SAN urges the nation’s Judiciary to reverse public perception that judges deliver judgments that do not give justice, even as he called on the Bar to be ready to defend the Judiciary when necessary

IT IS IMPERATIVE TO ONLY APPOINT JUDGES WHO GIVE JUST JUDGMENTS

The imperativeness of appointing judicial officers who shall judge rightly, give just judgments and not pervert justice was at the center stage today (23/11/2022) during the opening of the 2022/2023 Legal Year and Re-dedication service of the Rivers State Judiciary. To underscore this, the first lesson was taken from Deuteronomy 16: 18-20. It was read by the Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency Nyesom Ezenwo Wike.

The passage reads:
“You shall appoint judges and officers in all your gates, which the Lord your God gives you, according to your tribes , and they shall judge the people with just judgement. You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe binds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. You shall follow what is altogether just, that you may live and inherit the land which the Lord your God is giving you”.

As I wish the Rivers State Judiciary, lawyers , judiciary workers and all court users a productive and result-driven Legal Year, may I remind all members of the legal community in Nigeria of the truth of the statement made by one-time Chief Justice of Nigeria, Honourable Justice Dahiru Musdapher, on Monday, the 19th day of September, 2011, that the society is not entirely satisfied with the judiciary (I dare say lawyers too). According to His Lordship, “Hard as it may be to accept, we feel it is less important to focus on whether this assessment is fair or not. The important thing is for us to transparently come to terms with the prevailing realities accept the gap in expectations, and do our utmost to bridge it”.

More Nigerians readily agree that many of our courts do not give justice I.e. they deliver judgments that do not give justice, waste a lot of time, are corrupt, are places where judicial power is easily abused and the poor oppressed. Many believe the judiciary does not protect the indigent, as the rights and interests of the citizens are no longer perceived to be a priority for the courts. Many believe the delays and increasing cost of litigation have cost the judiciary of its description as the “last hope of the common man”. Many will readily point at many things that are wrong with the justice delivery system while acknowledging their successes. Lawyers, judges, law enforcement officers and court staff are routinely blamed for these problems. The people lament the penchant of the legislature in amending the constitution and electoral laws to give pre-eminence to electoral matters at the expense of commercial disputes, human rights violation and criminal cases. There is therefore a huge gap between peoples’ view of the type of justice to expect in the country and what obtains in our very courts.

“More Nigerians readily agree that many of our courts do not give justice i.e. they deliver judgments that do not give justice, waste a lot of time, are corrupt”

The expectation of a justice delivery system that is efficient, effective, even-handed and cost-effective is not baseless, as the effectiveness or otherwise of the justice system of any social order and reflects the confidence the public has in it. It also shows the extent to which state and authorities are able to achieve regulative capability among the citizens. Sadly for Nigeria, the common man, the rich and the state do not have confidence in the justice system.

It is a commonly agreed position that Nigeria can only attain the much desired socio-economic and political development, stability and sustainability if it has an effective and efficient justice system. Such justice system will guarantee the maintenance of laws and regulation of the state, citizens behaviours and relations. Nigerians are groaning under the weight of depleted public revenue occasioned by profligacy, waste in governance, misplaced priority, terrorism and insecurity, lack of transparency in the management of public funds, corrupt practices, gross violation of human rights, prolonged detention without trial, disobedience of court orders, intimidation of judicial officers etc. Accordingly, Nigerians expect that the only thing that could guarantee them some degree of enjoyment of their fundamental rights as well as accountability in government is effective administration of justice. We hope that all of us will join hands to ensure we enjoy effective justice delivery in Nigeria.

This piece is not to suggest that the judiciary has not done well or acted in the overall best interest of Nigeria, but to show that more remains to be done. Indeed, the effects of interference, intimidation, insufficient funding /lack of financial autonomy among others on administration of justice are not lost on one. Intimidation and lawlessness by members of the executive especially law enforcement agencies abound. They show contempt to court orders when they are not in their favour or do not please them. The legislature is not left out in this trend.

The judiciary, in a democratic polity like Nigeria must be properly insulated from undue political pressures and the attendant political manipulation or executive interferences. Access to judges outside official channels has been one of the greatest problems that further threaten the independence of the judiciary in Nigeria.

We can get it right only if we choose. Right persons must be appointed as judicial officers. There should be an objective of assessing them without undue reliance on the number of judgments they deliver. They should be insulated from all forms of interference and intimidation. The Bar must of course be there to speak on their behalf when they cannot. The constitutionally enshrined financial autonomy must be respected. Lawyers have a pivotal role to play in all this.

#fortheloveoftheprofession #dedicatedtojustice
#lawyers
#nigerianbarassociation

MAZI AFAM OSIGWE, SAN
23/11/2022, Port Harcourt

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HOW BUHARI UNVEILED NIGERIAN LAW SCHOOL, PORT HARCOURT CAMPUS (VIDEO)

The Nigerian Law School has witnessed unprecedented revamp of its decayed infrastructure under the leadership of Bar Leader and Chairman of the Council of Legal Education (CLE), Chief Emeka Ngige OFR, SAN. 

The latest addition to the list is the state-of-the-art Dr. Nabo Graham-Douglas SAN Campus, Port Harcourt, built and donated to the Council by Rivers State Government under the leadership of its Governor and Life Bencher, Mr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike.

Commissioned on November 18, 2022 by President Muhammadu Buhari (who was represented by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami SAN), the self-sustaining edifice has been adopted by the Council as a model for future campuses of the Nigerian Law School.

Many leaders of the Bar and Bench as well as key stakeholders in the justice sector attended the commissioning ceremony.

To view the ceremony, click here.

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CJN, WIKE TO ATTEND CIARB ANNUAL CONFAB, VIRTUAL WINDOW OPENS

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola and Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike are among dignitaries billed to attend the 2022 Annual Conference of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Nigeria Branch.

The Annual Conference has as its theme “Restating the legitimacy of arbitration: Africa taking the lead,” and will hold from November 9 to 11, 2022 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

According to a statement by Messrs Aham Ejelam SAN and Godwin Omoaka SAN, Chairman and Co-chairman respectively of the Conference Planning Committee (CPC), aside from an address by the Chairman of CIArb Nigeria Branch, Chief Gbola Akinola SAN, Sokoto State Governor, Mr. Waziri Tambuwal and Nigerian Bar Association President, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau SAN are among those expected to deliver Goodwill messages at the conference.

Meanwhile, the Institute has commenced registration for online attendees at this year’s conference. To register, click on www.ciarbnigeria.org/conference.

The three-day conference has a rich repertoire of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and arbitration-specific topics lined up for discussion by leading experts in the industry. The conference also provides an opportunity for participants to socialise and network for career growth.

Among the stellar cast of over 80 confirmed speakers slated for the conference are Rivers State Chief Judge, Justice Elsie Thompson; Justice Nelson Ogbuanya of the National Industrial Court; Justice Roli Harriman of Delta State High Court; Mr. Tunde Busari SAN, Mr. Emeka Obegolu SAN, Mr. Asamah Kadiri SAN, and Mr. Kofo Salam-Alada, Director of Legal Services at the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Others are Rivers State Attorney-General & Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor SAN; Prof. Paul Idornigie SAN, Mr. Daniel Wilmot, Jacqueline Waihenya, Jackson Shaw Kern, Mrs. Doyin Rhodes-Vivour SAN, Dr. Elachi Agada, Dr. Wale Olawoyin SAN, Dr. Adeyemi Agbelusi, Ms. Folashade Alli, Naa Amorkor Amarteifio, Mrs. Josephine Akinwunmi, Mr. Tunde Adedapo-Olowu SAN, and Mr. Emuobonuvie Majemite, to name a few.

The conference, which will hold alongside the Young Members Group (YMG) Conference, is scheduled to hold at the exquisite Horlikins Event Center, Port Harcourt. It will also witness an induction ceremony and a Gala Nite themed “African Night.”

CIArb is the recognised global thought leader on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), operating in over 40 countries. Based across and supported by an international network of about 42 branches, the Institute supports members’ career development, enabling them to compete in an ever-changing market.

Its network of worldwide branches provides members with the knowledge, skills and resources to improve their arbitration practice. Be at the forefront of the growth and development of ADR practice by attending the conference, sharing, and engaging on a global level.

 

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