Don’t appoint SANs as S/Court justices – Babalakin

ASenior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr Wale Babalakin has cautioned the Federal Government against the proposed appointment of senior lawyers as Supreme Court justices.

Dr Babalakin who spoke yesterday said such a privilege is for very exceptional people, “and there are very few around.’’

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Walter Onnoghen had invited the Bar to nominate lawyers for appointment as Supreme Court justices, following which the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) shortlisted nine persons, including six SANs.

But Babalakin, who delivered the 10th memorial lecture in honour of Kehinde Sofola (SAN), said the legal system should rather be structured in a manner that only very gifted lawyers aspire to judicial appointment, adding that it is the only way to provide justice according to law.

He said lawyers who are appointed straight to the Supreme Court are rare, and are of exceptional intellect.

Speaking on ‘the role of the legal profession in nation building: the Nigerian context’ he said: “The fact that you are a good lawyer doesn’t necessarily mean you will be so exceptional as to be a Supreme Court Judge.

“The protagonists of this proposal mentioned some names that have made it to the Supreme Court directly from the Bar. Dr Taslim Elias’s curriculum vitae speak for itself.

“Another judge that was appointed directly to the Supreme Court in another jurisdiction is Mr. Justice Jonathan Sumption. Jonathan Sumption took a first class degree in Medieval History from Oxford University.

“These are the calibre of men who can make a claim to a direct appointment to the Supreme Court of any country. They come once in a life time.”