THE NIGERIAN JUDICIARY IS ON THE FIERY LANE TO PURGE CORRUPTION NOW!

Coming THIRD after the Executive and the Legislature, in the hierarchy of the Federal Government Administration, the Nigerian Judiciary - regarded as the last hope of the common man - has eventually cut a niche for itself by willingly supporting President Buhari's unrelenting crusade against corruption!
Now it is no longer a "ONE MAN’S SHOW" according to the unrepentant treasury looters, but the determined efforts of TWO top righteous men of government against the Legislature, which is the undisputable CITADEL of corruption!
With a new order recently announced by the 17th Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Nkanu Onnoghen, corrupt Nigerian politicians can neither run nor hide any longer from the long arms of the law as corruption cases will now be accorded the special attention that they deserved through SPECIAL COURTS for speedy and efficient adjudication of justice!

In all these 57 years of Nigeria's Independence - especially in the 16 years of the failed PDP consecutive administrations which produced super treasury looters, indicted politicians usually prolonged their trials through constitutional provisions of Section 36, sub-section 5, of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, which states that a suspect or accused person charged with a criminal offence is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction!
Every anti-corruption crusader is not hood-winked by that provision which encouraged massive corruption as perpetrated by military and civilian opportunists in government with reckless abandon!
And are we surprised that Legislators of the 8th National Assembly's (NASS), JOINT CONSTITUTIONAL AMMENDMENT COMMITTEE failed to amend the quoted Section 36 sub-section 5, to read as follows: "EVERY PERSON WHO IS CHARGED WITH A CRIMINAL OFFENCE SHALL BE PRESUMED GUILTY UNTIL HE IS PROVEN INNOCENT"?
We are not, because, majority of them who are neck-deep in criminal cases bothering on corruption, stealing/embezzlement of public funds, and various degrees of financial crimes, would no longer be qualified to hold on to their present political appointments nor elective positions, should that section be amended!

Statistics have revealed that a sizable number of the 109 360 legislators, especially in the SENATE, are facing corruption charges at the courts and their smart lawyers, who usually cashed in on this bogus constitutional provision to request for several adjournments and prolong legal processes against these politicians or their civil servant accomplices while the judicial administration continued to suffer decay, degradation and corruption!
BUT WITH THE NEW REFORM, UNSCRUPULOUS LEGAL PRACTITIONERS, at the level of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, would face censorship before the Legal Practioners Privileges Committee (LPPC), while the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), would handle the cases of other legal practitioners!

Justice delayed is tantamount to justice denied and those who suffer the ripple effects of treasury looting are the same poor masses who roam the labour market without hope of gainful employment, have no roof over their heads, no medical attention in case of any infection and whose wives die in the process of childbirth, whose children are without education but roam the streets for alms?

In 2012 and now 2017, in spite of timely warnings by Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), of floodings expected across Nigeria's 36 States, ECOLOGICAL FUNDS were mismanaged by State Governors - none of whom died in the floods and are presently NESTING in the "hallowed chambers", of NASS, while thousands of the electorate whose votes placed them in those exalted positions, have been swallowed up into the liquid GRAVES of destructive floods!

Before the investiture of the incumbent Chief Justice on 7th March, 2017, the Nigerian Judicial Council (NJC), in spite of its strategic position as the overall supervisory body in charge of promotions, discipline and general welfare of the BENCH, was enmeshed in several controversies bothering on prejudice, maladministration and CORRUPTION, however the story has now changed!

While serving as Justice of the Supreme Court, Walter Onnoghen made history on April 11, 2014, when he, alongside some of his colleagues, gave a favourable verdict which upturned an age-long IGBO ANCESTRAL CULTURE which forbade women from having equal INHERITANCE access to their parents properties as their male counterparts! TWO IGBO WOMEN who petitioned the APEX COURT now have equal access and by extension, all Igbo women to such right! The same Onnoghen upheld the death sentence of one celebrated "Reverend King", (real name Chukwuemeka Ezeugo), who was accused of murdering a member of his church in 2006, and he, in a minority judgement but without quorum, annulled the late Umaru Yar 'Adua's presidential election of 2008 and requested for a fresh one following retired General Buhari's argument that the election was rigged! Therefore, there could not have been a better independence anniversary gift to the good and patriotic citizens of Nigeria than these Special Courts officially provided by Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, a forthright, diligent competent and distinguished jurist, who would not close his judicious eyes to the plight of the downtrodden Nigerians who were consistently milked dry by the unscrupulous, pretentious and greedy politicians, especially by the LEGISLATORS, who claimed to represent their interests and constituencies!

Prior to this timely move by the Reformist Chief Justice, there had been concerted efforts and clamour by patriotic, decent, upright, and righteous Nigerians, including, very sincere pressure groups, Civil Society and Non-Governmental Organisations who strongly believed that the well-calculated and well- intentioned strategies by the Buhari's Administration to destroy the endemic institutional corruption of several years could actually succeed if special tribunals or courts were assigned to handle corruption cases!
To God be the glory that this patriotic demands have finally gotten a judicial nod by the Chief Justice, who has ordered that henceforth, such cases would be handled by officially designated courts across the federation and it is worthy of note that most States have already complied with the order!

THE NEW ORDER IN RESPECT OF SPECIAL COURTS!
During a special court session of the Supreme Court held to mark the opening of the 2017/2018 legal year, on Monday, 25th September, 2017, Justice Onnoghen who directed all Heads of Courts in the country to compile and forward to the National Judicial Council (NJC), comprehensive lists of all crime cases being handled by their various courts, also noted that "inexplicable and seemingly intractable delays, and disruption of due process", had been the bane of CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION in Nigeria.
In addition, he said that the NJC at its next meeting, would constitute an Anti-Corruption Cases Trial Monitoring Committee that would continually monitor the progress of high-profile criminal cases adding that Judges must not lose sight of the Judiciary's fight against corruption which continued to place this noble institution in the "eye of the storm" and must not deter its resolve to ensure victory!

THE RETURN OF JUSTICE AYO SALAMI!
Also gratifying is the appointment of Justice Ayo Salami, another eminent, fearless, upright, diligent and equally righteous jurist whom ex-President Jonathan's Administration thought it could disgrace out of office for upholding TRUTH in the face of injustice and corruption in the JUDICIARY, as the Chairman of the Corruption and Financial Crime Cases Trial Monitoring Committee (COTRIMCO), by the Chief Justice.
Before these sweeping reforms, Nigeria's Judiciary was smeared with the negative image of endemic corruption among crooked judges whom Justice Salami, a retired President of the Court of Appeal fearlessly exposed, though he had to be forced out of the BENCH in April, 2014, before his tenure ended, for always voicing the truth!

As a guest speaker at a lecture in March, 2014, titled, “Nigeria at Centenary: A Nation In Bondage”, the retired President of the Court of Appeal said that the noble efforts of the incumbent Chief Justice of Nigeria, to sanitize and rid the judiciary of corrupt elements were being frustrated by “the crop of people calling the shots at the Nigerian Judicial Council [NJC],” adding that some dishonourable people, “not fit to be judges and senior lawyers, get into the system, make it to the highest level of the judicial career and subsequently frustrate the common man’s quest for justice and equity!”
He also claimed that it was an open truth that, both serving and retired judges act as the “arranges” or couriers, who reach out to “purchase justice on behalf of crooked litigants” and concluded that the problems with the Nigerian Judiciary might be compounded or unresolved for a long time because Nigerians naturally hate the truth and whoever dared voice the truth was marked for destruction!
We salute the courage of this fearless retired President of the Court of Appeal whose entire professional career at both the Bar and the Bench, remained untainted and impeccable like the likes of Justices Chukwudi Oputa, Bobakayode Eso, Ayo G.Irikefe, John Idowu Conrad Taylor, Ovie Whiskey, Chiefs ‘Tunji Braithwaite and Gani Fawehinmi etc; because what we have today are judges who have made Nigeria’s justice system by itself very criminal.

EFCC STING OPERATION OF 8TH - 9TH OCTOBER, 2016 AGAINST NIGERIAN JUDGES!
Justice Ayo Salami's allegations against the NJC were confirmed when the EFCC carried out a Sting Operation, described as unheard of and unprecedented against the Judges following a public outcry and he was eventually vindicated! Now that his uprightness has been rewarded with this appointment, and he now becomes the THIRD MAN to join President Buhari and Chief Justice Onnoghen, CORRUPTION WILL TAKE FLIGHT AND BE TOTALLY ANIHILATED FROM NIGERIA! AMEN! "

"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow:but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Ecclesciastes. 4: 9-12 (KJV).



I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.

I do not agree with your attempt at generalising corruption in the judiciary.

You do realise that Ayo Salami is not the one to sit on cases.

There are active judges in trial courts who are still very incorruptible and upright.

In fact, the non-controversial judges are the ones I will rate higher than Ayo Salami whom one could allege has sympathy for the APC by virtue of his antecedents. The real judges with integrity stay away from the spotlight.

Cacawa2:
I do not agree with your attempt at generalising corruption in the judiciary.

You do realise that Ayo Salami is not the one to sit on cases.

There are active judges in trial courts who are still very incorruptible and upright.

In fact, the non-controversial judges are the ones I will rate higher than Ayo Salami whom one could allege has sympathy for the APC by virtue of his antecedents. The real judges with integrity stay away from the spotlight.

Ayo is in the limelight as a result of his record breaking stands against Injustices in the temple of justice which made him to have enemies in the then ruling class headed by the supervisor from Otuoke. His incorruptible decision made him an alien that was noticed by the media

Cacawa2:
I do not agree with your attempt at generalising corruption in the judiciary.

You do realise that Ayo Salami is not the one to sit on cases.

There are active judges in trial courts who are still very incorruptible and upright.

In fact, the non-controversial judges are the ones I will rate higher than Ayo Salami whom one could allege has sympathy for the APC by virtue of his antecedents. The real judges with integrity stay away from the spotlight.

Though Justice Salami will not sit over the cases, His appointment to head the commitee that will monitor this special courts will surely hasten the process of justice, which is exactly what we need to step up the fight against corruption in Nigeria, no more endless adjournments, etc. also concerning his integrity, were elections not rigged in this country by the PDP led governments? if one judge stoodout and nullified this rigged elections, does that mean that he is biased? i surely dont think so Cacawa2. Thanks for reading and commenting friend.