President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, has called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to rely on qualified, experienced and diligent private legal practitioners in both the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court appointments.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the All-Nigerian Judges Conference of the Superior Courts, held at the National Judicial Institute (NJI), in Abuja, the president held that the move will strengthen the nation’s judiciary.
Tinubu expressed that the judiciary had over the years, performed excellently to creditably retain the status of the last hope of the common man, adding that his administration was determined to improve the welfare of judicial officers in the country.
Tinubu was represented by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, SAN.
He said: “While the Nigerian judiciary is not immune from certain challenges, it has, however, surmounted these limitations to creditably retain the status of both the last hope of the common man and the bastion of rule of law and democracy.
“The Nigerian judiciary has indeed evolved from the colonial days, through the rich history of contemporary worthy status today. While there may be misgivings here and there, we cannot begin to imagine what our country would have been subjected to if there was no judiciary.
“Through a gamut of landmark judgments, the judiciary has continued to maintain the cause of the rule of law in Nigeria and strengthens our democratic processes and institutions.
“I wish to observe that in the cause of demonstrating this commitment to the advancement of the rule of law and democracy, especially in political and electoral cases, the judiciary has come under myopic criticism and attacks.
Concluding, he reiterated his confidence in the accomplishment of the judiciary in the cause of nation-building, both locally and on the global scene.
