Senate Laments Corruption In The Judiciary, Says, Even If Saints Were Appointed Judges They’ll Be Corrupt

The Senate has lamented corruption in the Nigerian judiciary to the extent that even if saints were appointed justices they would be still be corrupt.

The Senate also decried the poor welfare packages for justices adding that, it gives way for bribery and corruption in the judiciary.

The Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters disclosed this on Monday during the screening of Hon. Justices John Tsoho and Benedict Bakwaph Kanyip as the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and President of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria respectively.

The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, All Progressives Congress, APC, Ekiti Central stressed that corruption in the judiciary has dominated the public domain. Adding that, Nigerians have high expectations from the judiciary.

He said “For so long, has the story dominated our political space that our Judiciary is corrupt. As far as we are concerned, it is time Nigeria to change the narrative, it is time for Nigeria to show that we are serious and we understand the full and true meaning of the independence of the judiciary, a cardinal aspect of it is financial independence.

“We are concerned as a committee and as a senate, that we must not allow the rest of the international community to leave us behind.

“Something urgently needs to be done about the plight of the Nigerian Judiciary. No Nigerian will not be surprised to hear that when a judge has to go out of the station all he gets us N25, 000 to stay in a hotel, and you wonder which hotel.

“Essentially, my Lord, we are concerned about the welfare of our justices, our judges and the judicial officers

“Under the present set of circumstances, if we appoint saints from heaven, assuming we are able to do so, to serve on our bench as justices and judges, it is only the strength of character of the individual judge and justices that can prevent him from being corrupt.

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“No one will endorse or support corruption, and as far as we are concerned, it is also not a moral history, it is a sociological history and it needs to be addressed materially, thought very special and extra-budgetary provision.

“We are convinced that there is the need to make available to our Judiciary a special intervention fund and I believe this will be an issue for both the legislative and executive arms of government to address most speedily beyond the current budgetary provision.”

Meanwhile, the National Judicial Council (NJC) Executive Secretary, Ahmed Gambo Saleh, in the defence of the judiciary stressed that if corruption was juxtaposed with other Systems in the Country, the Judiciary would be Saint.

He said “the welfare packages for judicial officers in this country is nothing to write home about. Judges’ salaries were last reviewed in 2007.

“I don’t think that there’s all that corruption in the judiciary. But when the so-called corruption in the judiciary is weighed against what is obtainable in other systems, the judiciary would be a saint.”