A Judge of the Lagos High Court, Justice Adedayo Oyebanji has challenged lawyers to fight against bad governance in the country.
Oyebanji threw the challenge while speaking at the 16th Gani Fawehinmi Annual Lecture held at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos on Wednesday.
The theme of the lecture organised by the Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association was: “Federalism: Whether Our Judiciary is under Threat.”
Noting that Fawehinmi dedicated his life to the condemnation of bad governance, the judge admonished lawyers to “develop the Gani in them.”
She said lawyers should not be docile on issues of importance to the wellbeing of the country but, cautioned them not file frivolous cases before the courts.
Oyebanji who represented the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba, lamented that the judiciary was not treated as an independent arm of the government but rather as an appendage of the executive.
Furthermore, the judge called on lawyers not to make themselves “buyable” as conduits to bribe judges.
According to her, no litigant would be have the audacity to walk up to a judge to offer bribe.
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Also speaking, Chairman of the event, Justice Ugochukwu Ogakwu of the Court Appeal, Lagos Division, noted that the continued clamour for the restructuring of the country was an indication of the absence of true federalism.
He also noted that federalism as practised in Nigeria has been argued to be an aberration, given that power and resources were concentrated at the centre.
However, he said “It is our collective responsibility to see that the true tenets of federalism are attained and practised.”
Speaking on the challenges facing the judiciary in Nigeria, Justice Ogakwu posited that other sectors and arms of government were also facing challenges.
He noted that the exposure of the judiciary to challenges was not new and that it has always overcome such challenges.
“The judiciary may be facing challenges arising from the system we operate.
“The challenges, however, are not restricted to judiciary but equally apply to sectors such as health, security, education and the area of provision of infrastructure.
“The challenges are mere hurdles which the judiciary will surmount like it did during the military era.”
