Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Olukayode Ariwoola has promised to advance the rule of law and protect the judiciary. He has also said that there will be no easy way to make sure that justice is fair and equal while he is in charge.
He highlighted the fact that no society can function without the rule of law and urged everyone to take all reasonable steps to uphold the integrity of the judiciary.
The Body of Attorneys General in Nigeria met on Tuesday in Abuja, with the theme “Enhancing Synergy between the Federal and States Governments on the Administration of Justice in Nigeria,” and Justice Ariwoola delivered the keynote address.
“Judiciary under my watch will not sit by the sidelines and witness the temple of justice and ministers of justice being flagrantly humiliated and wiped into silence,” the CJN, who was represented by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, declared.
He spoke out against attacks on the infrastructure of some courts and warned people not to take the courts for granted.
I want to make it clear to anyone who would listen that our golden silence should not be interpreted as weakness or vulnerability by anyone, regardless of their social standing.
For us, it is better if judges and courts are respected sooner rather than later.
Justice Ariwoola told the Attorneys General that they should come up with a comprehensive plan for the fair and efficient administration of criminal justice and for the rule of law.
Abubakar Malami, who is the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, has also called for working together with state attorneys general to make the country’s legal system stronger.
He pointed out that strong cooperation between the states and the federal government in terms of criminal prosecution and other methods of battling insecurity can help achieve this.
At a meeting of the Body of Attorneys General of Nigeria on Tuesday, with the topic “Enhancing Synergy between the Federal and States Governments on the Administration of Justice in Nigeria,” Malami made the suggestion.
The AGF stressed that the fight against insecurity should not be placed only in the hands of the federal government, particularly when it comes to offences that fall under the purview of the states.
Malami emphasised the need to reduce the culture of mutual mistrust between the Federal and State Governments in order to promote and strengthen a symbiotic relationship between the Federal and State Governments. He pointed out that as Chief Law Officers, they are stakeholders in the administration of both civil and criminal justice in Nigeria.
“I challenge us to focus on identifying areas of peer review and synergy in our legal system in terms of law, regulations, processes, developing capacity, funding mechanisms, or facilities, among others, which may be either reproduced or improved upon by us all,” the author continues. Malami remarked.
The domestication, revision, and enforcement of laws like the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, the Child Rights Act, and the Act on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, among others, were listed as further areas of collaboration by the justice minister.
The current conference should give us the chance to assess the progress we have made in reducing sexual and gender-based violence since we last made promises in 2017. 13. In our effort to bring about changes to the way justice is administered,
The conference, according to Body of Attorneys General Chairman Moyosore Onigbanjo SAN, is a chance to settle disputes between the federal and state governments as well as bring rule of law problems to the fore.
In order to keep society from falling into anarchy, the Attorneys General were asked by the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Yakubu Maikyau SAN.
