Dishonest people taking over judiciary – Salami
Former president of the Nigerian Court of Appeal, retired Justice Ayo Salami, yesterday said dishonourable people are rising to the top of the legal profession in Nigeria with some becoming judges.
Salami who spoke as chairman of the 10th Chief Gani Fawehinmi annual lecture organised by Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ikeja branch said the fact that many ordinary Nigerians also do not want the truth be told complicates the situation.
“The problem with the Nigerian judiciary is that some dishonourable people who are not fit to be judges get into the stream and make it to the highest level of the judicial career,” Salami said.
He added: “Another major point why the problem in the judiciary will remain unresolved or even compounded for a long time is that Nigerians do not naturally want the truth to be told. Whoever dares to tell the truth is marked for destruction. Nobody wants to ‘bell the cat’ as it is often said.
Salami said it is unfortunate that Nigeria has degenerated to a stage where whoever tries to stand for justice is unduly persecuted.
“It is a disturbing fact today in Nigeria that anyone who desires to stand on the path of truth and justice must be prepared to suffer persecution, incarceration and other mean treatments. Innumerable people have suffered and still continue to suffer in defence of truth and justice in Nigeria. Yet those who cause their fellow human beings to be incarcerated, suffer or at times killed without any just cause must know that sooner or later the law of retribution will surely catch up with them,” Salami said.
Salami made partial references to his ordeal as president of the Court of Appeal. He said: “I must say that as a matter of fact, part of my ‘sins’ is the fact that God helped me throughout my career to resist all temptations to be influenced by anybody in dispensing justice. He suggested that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) should cease to be chairman of the National Judicial Council so that the occupant of that office would stop taking undue advantage of his powers.