The provost of law at Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Professor Tunde Yebisi, has called for the exemption of serving judges from presiding over election petition matters across the country.
The ABUAD don identified the deployment of serving judges for election matters as one of the reasons for the delay in adjudication of other cases in society, thereby putting much pressure on the judiciary and affecting growth and development.
He also advocated that the remuneration of judges, including those of inferior courts of record, must be adequate and progressively increased to always be on par with that of the president, governors, and other state actors.
Yebisi spoke on Tuesday while delivering a public lecture at the 13th edition of the Annual Aare Afe Babalola Public Bar Lecture, instituted by the Ado-Ekiti branch of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) in honour of the legal icon.
He advised that such remuneration should be a continuous charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund and disbursed directly from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
In the lecture titled “The Judiciary, Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow”, he said instead of using serving judges, retired judges, or respectable lawyers, preferably Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), should henceforth constitute judges of electoral panels to reduce incidences of coercion, intimidation, bribery and corruption, as well as keep the few judges available in functional service
He said there was currently a dearth of judges in the nation’s courts, saying many should be employed while the few available should be put into effective use so as to also tackle cases of delay in the administration of justice.
He said, “The senior members of the Bar, especially those who are young, should be encouraged to join the bench, while modern IT facilities should be installed in the courts to facilitate quick dispensation of justice.
” Apart from encouraging or expanding the jurisdiction of the inferior courts to handle small claims, it is advised that not all cases should go beyond the Court of Appeal, and sometimes, the High Court.”
According to him, when judicial officers complained of attempts to bribe them, as was the case with the Chairman of the Election Petition Tribunal in Kano, such complaints should be thoroughly proved and appropriate sanctions imposed
” In addition, assets declared by persons holding public office should be taken more seriously and claims meticulously investigated.”
On his part, Aare Afe Babalola commended the NBA for the annual lecture in his honour, calling for the concerted efforts of stakeholders in transforming the nation’s judicial system.
He expressed regret that the economy of the country had been badly battered so much that lawyers, who were known to be comfortable financially before, are now living below the subsistence level.
The ABUAD founder said, “This is more apparent in states that are landlocked, where most people rely on agriculture for business. The lack of a modern transportation system, deplorable roads, and a lack of electricity for business have also compounded the matter.
“Today, those who believe in giving are less than those who want to receive; farmers who want to plant are less than those who want to eat. Those who want to invest are far less than those who want to consume. Those who want to produce are less than those who want to consume.
“Those who want to establish businesses are less than those who are seeking employment. Those who want to engage in politics are more likely than those who want to work on their own. No wonder politics has become the most lucrative business in town today.
” Lawyers who want to go to the Bench nowadays are more than those who want to remain in practice. Lawyers who insist on consultation fees are less than those who insist on the time-honoured practice.”
He suggested to the NBA committee in charge of the annual lecture that a minimum of N50 million should be fixed in the bank to yield maximum interest to ensure the sustainability of the event.
Babalola announced a donation of N25 million to be invested in a fixed deposit account to kick-start the process of ensuring the yearly lecture is sustained towards the advancement of the law profession.
He also suggested that at each annual lecture, a minimum of N500,000 should be dedicated as a scholarship to the best law student from ABUAD at the Nigeria Law School.
The Chairman, NBA Ado-Ekiti branch, Lawrence Fasanmi, said Babalola’s immense contributions to the promotion of legal education and practice in the country warranted the honour of the annual lecture, instituted during the administration of one of his predecessors thirteen years ago.
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