The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, yesterday observed that corruption is the bane of the nation’s judiciary, disclosing that efforts are being intensified to curb the menace through a National Judicial Policy, NJP.
The Department of State Services, DSS, had earlier this month explained that it embarked on series of special sting operations involving some Judges of the Supreme, Appeal and High Courts, claiming that the operations were based on allegations of corruptions and other acts of professional misconduct by a few of the suspected Judges.
Speaking at the unveiling of the NJP by the National Judicial Council, NJC, Mohammed said: “It would be stating the obvious to opine that the greatest single menace that challenges the justice system in Nigeria today is corruption. This endemic vice is not peculiar to any region and ethnic group; it cuts across faith, religious denominations, levels of education and economic status.
“Corruption has serious implications for both the rule of law and access to justice, and must be fought both institutionally and individually. This is why the NJP contains clear provisions restating the judiciary’s commitment to transparency and accountability.”
The CJN, who noted that there has been an uneven growth of the nation’s Judiciary due to the absence of a judicial policy in the past, said; “Certainly, the absence of a blueprint has resulted in a demand for the transformation of the Nigerian judiciary into a modern judicial system. For years, each jurisdiction has had to muddle along in developing core values and objectives, and this has led to a mixed bag of standards and policies.
“This has been compounded by the challenging deprivations and paucity of resources, without which critical development was limited. The NJP is a charter of commitment to the values that elevate, not only our judicial institutions, but also those who are employed by or involved in it. The importance of the foundational virtues of discipline, efficiency, integrity and enduring commitment are reflected in the NJP, as embodied in its first three regulations and rules of the policy,” Mohammed added.
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