Rid legal profession of bad eggs, CJN charges judges, lawyers

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, on Tuesday, charged Judges and lawyers to go on individual self-cleansing and do everything within possible to rid the legal profession of bad eggs.

Justice Muhammad said Judges cannot take the lead with the issuance of reckless ex-parte orders while lawyers too cannot take the lead with the filing of frivolous suits and forum shopping.

He said, “Occasion like this may be auspicious for self-assessment. It is by coincidence that this event comes at a time the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is holding its 61st Annual General Conference tagged: “Taking Lead.”

“The legal profession should indeed take the lead in all human affairs. However, the lead is at a price. We cannot take the lead when our courts issue ex-parte orders recklessly. We cannot take the lead when many litigants, with the support of their counsel, engage in forum shopping.

“We cannot take the lead when counsel file a case before a court that they know lacks jurisdiction and the Judge proceeds to hear the case. We cannot take the lead when counsel files frivolous cases in our courts just for nuisance value or to buy time.

“Administration of justice is the bedrock of not only democratic or civilized societies, but it also extends beyond the borders of civilized nations. No society can afford to discard the administration of justice.

“There is no regime in any country that can operate without a judiciary. No matter how primitive a society is, it must have its own mechanism for the resolution of its disputes. Otherwise, that society will drift into anarchy, self-destruction and extinction. All hands must, therefore, be on deck from both the Bar and the Bench to rid the legal profession of bad eggs.

“In recent times, I had a cause, in a number of occasions to warn Judges to desist from engaging themselves in unwholesome practices that will erode public confidence in the administration of justice.

“The rising number of cases filed in all our courts is a pointer that Nigerians have confidence in the justice system. The Bar and the Bench must guard that confidence jealously.

“The legal profession is the building under which we are sheltered. If we fold our hands and watch others destroy it or we participate in the destruction, it will collapse on us. We will then have no roof over our heads,” he said.

The CJN noted that the burden, as head of court, becomes heavier and charged the Chief Judge of FCT judiciary to ensure that he is just and fair to his brother Judges, the management, staff, and most importantly to the litigants.

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Viral Voice Note On WhatsApp Billing False

Claim: A viral WhatsApp voice note, purportedly made by the director and CEO of WhatsApp, claims users will have to start paying for WhatsApp services.

Verdict: The viral WhatsApp voice note claim is a hoax. The content is not new and has been circulated as a broadcast message several times in the past.

Rid legal profession of bad eggs, CJN charges Judges, lawyers. Rid legal profession of bad eggs, CJN charges Judges, lawyers.