Olanipekun Admonishes Bar, Bench Members to Shun Corruption, Unethical Practices
Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Wole Olanipekun, has admonished members of the Bar and Bench, to shun corruption and unethical practices in the legal profession.
Olanipekun said judges and judicial workers constitute the court, and that judicial workers should maintain very high moral standards.
He gave the admonition in his keynote address last Tuesday, at the Bar and Bench Forum, which was part of the activities to mark the 2017/2018 Golden Jubilee Legal Year in Lagos.
Speaking on ‘Promoting a PaceSetting and Productive Judiciary in Lagos State', Olanipekun said a judge has no business being corrupt or corrupted.
“Your Lordships are not only expected to be impartial, decent, courteous, fair, sober, reflective and God-fearing.
“In my honest opinion, and I want to believe that of many Nigerians share this humble thought of mine, a judge has no business being corrupt or corrupted.
“A judge should not be influenced or be compromised by other factors or nuances, other than the law and facts of the case placed before him”, he said.
“Can the pacesetter status of the judiciary in Lagos State be enhanced, if our judges have to work with miscreants, saboteurs, rogues, infidels, criminals, touts and delinquents, as registrars, court clerks, bailiffs, sheriffs, personal assistants etc?
“A judge alone does not constitute the court, but a court is constituted by the judge, counsel, registrars of all cadres, bailiffs, secretaries etc.
“A judge does not know whether any of his aides, registrars or any lawyer has been using his name, title and office, to collect bribes purportedly meant for him from litigants.
“Examples are legion, but the fact remains that, no judge is a knight-errant and no judge or human possesses the attributes of God, who alone is omniscient and omnipresent.
“Any of these staff of the judiciary who has been caught engaging in any unscrupulous activity aimed at tarnishing the image of the judiciary, or bringing it into opprobrium, should not be treated with kid gloves", he said.
The ex-NBA President, decried the insufficient number of judges adjudicating thousands of cases in courtrooms in the State, compared to their counterparts in the Federal High Court.
He pointed out that, Lagos State Judiciary, deserved the sympathy and understanding of both the Government of Lagos State and the National Judicial Commission (NJC).
“In 2015, 3,447 civil cases and 337 criminal ones were filed in the Lagos State High Court, making a total of 3,784; in 2016, the number increased significantly, to 3636 civil cases, with 636 criminal cases, making a total of 4,272.
“From Jan. 2017 to Oct. 4, 2017, 2,895 civil cases and 743 criminal cases have been filed, making a total of 3548 cases recorded thus far, while the number will exponentially increase before the year runs out.
“At the Federal High Court Abuja, a total number of 3,963 cases were filed between 2015 to 2017; yet the Federal High Court has about 100 judges, as against 56 judges of the Lagos State Judiciary.
“If any State Judiciary deserved the sympathy and understanding of both the Government of Lagos State and the National Judicial Commission (NJC), it is the judiciary of this State, which urgently needs more hands.
“For 56 judges to take charge of well over 12,000 cases pending in the High Court of Lagos State, is unrealistic, as that State Judiciary does not need anything less than 100 judges for now", Olanipekun said.
Olanipekun charged the State Judicial Service Commission (SJSC), to ensure early appointment of a successor for the office of the Chief Judge, adding that succession process should be seamless.
“Since the SJSC is aware that the Hon. Justice O.Oke will retire constitutionally on June 10, 2019, and since the Chief Judge is also the Chairman of the SJSC, the process for appointment of a successor should begin sufficiently in earnest.
“As Justice Oke retires on June 10, 2019, her successor should be sworn in, not in acting capacity, but in substantive status as Chief Judge of Lagos State on June 11, 2019", the SAN said.
He also charged Justice Opeyemi Oke, the Acting Chief Judge of Lagos State, to be fair, work as a team with her colleagues, and expressed confidence that she will take the Lagos Judiciary to the next level.
In her remarks, Justice Oke said it's a new dawn for the Lagos State Judiciary, as she is set to bring about revolutionary reforms in the State.
According to Oke who chaired the event, part of the reforms of her administration, is that lawyers will now serve as court registrars.
The Acting Chief Judge, also restated her commitment to flush out all bad eggs giving the State Judiciary a bad name.
She added that a committee headed by Justice Kazeem Alogba, has been set up to prepare the 2018 rules of court.