By Ibrahim Abubakar Yola
The way Judgment of Law Courts are being criticized and Judges been castigated on Social Media and other Public Medium by Lawyers is source of concern.
Speaking at the Yola Law Week, a former Chief Judge of Adamawa state, Justice Bamare Bansil, slammed the executive arm of government saying the judiciary has fared far better under military rule than it has during democracy.
“There is no doubt that the Supreme Court Judgment is final however, It is important to note that the Supreme Court is not final because it is infallible but it is infallible because its final e.g. Former Senate President Judgment, Plateau Governorship Judgment etc.
“We should know as Lawyers that when the Judiciary/Bench sneezes, the Bar catches Cold and if the Bar and Bench are not functioning only God knows what happens to a Nation where one among the three of its organs of Government is sick.
“As you all know, the NBA Law Week is an annual event by all branches of the largest Bar in Africa, across the country. We, as legal practitioners, come together to celebrate ourselves and to engage our minds in topical national issues and other discourse which pertain to the welfare of our members.
“We engage in these robust mind-mining sessions in order to find solutions and recommend them to appropriate stakeholders for implementation towards nation building, and secondly, as part of our continuous legal education. It is a fact that a legal practitioner does not stop learning, the day that happens, and then the lawyer’s mind begins to gather dust and cobwebs.”
Bansil said, for democracy to thrive in any country, the welfare of the judicial officers has to be top priority. The octogenerian explained that he and other judicial officers especially in northern Nigeria have been at the receiving end of poor welfare from the political class and unless that is changed Nigeria will never get it right.
Bansil said, “It is only in this era that for the first time the judiciary has complained of poor welfare. Democracy cannot thrive if the executive fail to look after the welfare of the judiciary.”
Bamare said, “Northern governors are very hostile to the judiciary, it is not easy to be a judge in this part of the country especially in Adamawa state.”
