This is probably the first time in the history of the 58-year-old Supreme Court of Nigeria that justices of the court would wash their dirty linen in the public. The justices wrote a protest letter against the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad, accusing him of sundry malfeasance revolving mainly around welfare issues.
According to the justices, the CJN is in the habit of travelling for overseas training with his spouse, children and personal staff without putting them into consideration. They complained that even on two occasions when they travelled to Dubai and Zanzibar for training, they were not accorded the privilege of travelling with accompanying persons as was the practice. They demanded to know what had happened to their training funds. They also complained about decrepit vehicles, electricity tariff, epileptic power supply, accommodation and health care problems, lack of legal research assistants, inadequate supply of diesel to their homes and chambers and so on. The justices found it strange and unacceptable that despite the upward review of their budgetary allocation, the court could not cater for their legitimate entitlements. They threatened that if the CJN failed to address their demands, they would be compelled to take further steps immediately.
In his response to the issues raised, the CJN explained that the poor economic and socio-political climate prevailing in the country precipitated the delay in meeting some of the demands of his colleagues. He said the high cost of diesel was a national problem, noting that from the N300 per litre which the Chief Registrar might have budgeted for the commodity, it had gone up to over N700 per litre. On overseas training, the CJN said eight Justices were nominated for a workshop in London recently, as the court could not take all of them there at once. He said they would be going in batches. He regretted the action of his colleagues, saying it amounted to dancing naked at the market square. “The accusation so far, in summary, is that more or all ought to have been done and not that nothing has been done; which is utopian in the contemporary condition of our country,” Muhammad noted.
We are appalled at what is going on at the apex court. In 2019, Muhammad’s predecessor, Walter Onnoghen, was ignominiously removed from office on charges of false declaration of assets. In October 2016, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) conducted a late night raid on the homes of seven judges, including that of Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, now late, on account of allegations of fraud. And in October last year, security operatives also raided the official residence of Justice Mary Odili, who recently retired from the Supreme Court, in Abuja. They said they acted on the instruction of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), a charge Malami promptly denied. The charges against Muhammad by his colleagues are weighty to be dismissed. Coming from inside as against the previous incidents which came from outside the bench, the situation forebodes danger and questions the integrity of the CJN and that of the Supreme Court. Therefore, the allegations should be properly investigated. On no account should they be swept under the carpet.
Since the judiciary is the last hope of the common man, judicial officers, including justices of the apex court, must be above board. They must conduct themselves with candour. If they continue the way they are going, they will lose the confidence and trust of the people. The 2023 general election will soon be conducted and there will definitely be disputes arising from the election. The judiciary is usually looked upon to resolve those conflicts without fear or favour. That is why it is seen as the last hope of the oppressed in a democratic dispensation. There is need to quickly resolve the grievances that led to the current dance of shame in the apex court.
No matter how this matter ends, it has put the Supreme Court of Nigeria on the spot. We call on major stakeholders in the nation’s judiciary, including the Senior Advocates of Nigeria, retired justices and the Nigerian Bar Association to intervene. The society and democracy are in peril anywhere this sort of thing is happening.
Besides, the relevant authorities should consider increasing the annual budgetary allocation, not just for the Supreme Court but for the entire judiciary. This is the best way to factor in inflationary trend which has been on the upswing. We enjoin judicial authorities to ensure that allocated funds are properly accounted for and judiciously used not just for the welfare of judicial officers but also for the improvement of facilities in the courts. Although the CJN had reportedly resigned on health grounds, the issues raised by the Supreme Court Juctices must still be investigated.