Justice Tanko Muhammad was on Wednesday sworn in as the 18th Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) by President Muhammadu Buhari. This came on the heels of his confirmation by the Senate last week. Justice Muhammad was first appointed in an acting capacity by President Muhammadu Buhari in January following the suspension of his predecessor, Justice Walter Onnoghen, over some discrepancies in his assets declaration form.
Onnoghen, who was standing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), later retired voluntarily while the case was still on. Nonetheless, he was convicted by the CCT. It was after Onnoghen’s retirement that the National Judicial Council (NJC) recommended Tanko Muhammad to Buhari for appointment as the substantive CJN in acting capacity. Subsequently, President Muhammadu Buhari on July 11 wrote to the Senate and urged it to con- firmhimastheCJNinaccordancewith Section 231 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
There is no doubt that the judiciary is grappling with many corruption allegations. The new CJN admitted this much during his screening by the Senate. The place of judiciary in a democracy cannot be overemphasised. There is no denying the fact that the judiciary plays an important role in the sustenance of democracy. It is indeed the last hope of the common man. Therefore, when it falters, it leaves dire consequences.
Justice Muhammed has the sacred duty to advance the needed reforms in the judiciary. In this regard, he must work with the other arms of government. The inability of the three arms of government to work in harmony has robbed the country of the dividends of democracy. While the independence of the three arms of government in accordance with the doctrine of separation of powers is necessary, it should never be at the expense of harmonious relationships and synergy amongst them.
It is sad that the judiciary has been neglected in the scheme of things to the extent that it does not have enough accommodation and offices for its personnel. It is also lamentable that the salaries and emoluments of judicial of- ficers leave much to be desired.
In an era of war against graft, mea- sures must be put in place to rid the judiciary of bad eggs. This is the right time to urgently reform the judiciary.
The salaries and the working conditions of all judicial officers must be substantially improved because of the peculiarity of their duties. We must notforgetthatjudgesarehumansand products of the society. To insulate them from the rabid corruptive tendencies in the society, they must be adequately remunerated. To expect otherwise might be a wishful thinking.
Nevertheless, judges are called to a higher responsibility and service. They must be mindful of this expectation while making the decision to serve on the Bench. As Justice Muhammad stated, we believe that matters relating to the independence of the judiciary, corruption in the judiciary, the establishment of special courts for corruption and respect for court rulings should be his major preoccupation in office. To achieve this, the new CJN would require the cooperation of the other two arms of government and his colleagues in the judiciary. Justice Muhammad must now find ways to accomplish his agenda in the limited time he would preside over the nation’s judiciary.
Born on December 31, 1953, in Doguwa-Giade Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Tanko Muammad attended the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Islamic Law in 1980. He was called to the Bar in 1981. Later, he obtained a master’s and doctorate degrees in law from the same university in 1984 and1998. Justice Muhammad worked as Magistrate Grade II from 1982-1984. He served in the Bauchi Sharia Court of Appeal from 1991-1993 and was later elevated to the Federal Court of Appeal. He was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2007.
We congratulate Justice Muhammad on his elevation as the CJN and wish him a successful tenure.