Is The Judiciary Really The Last Hope Of A Common Man In Nigeria?

It is often said that “the judiciary is the last hope of a common man”. What this supposes is that the judiciary is the only place the common man can get justice. According to the known roles of the judiciary, it protects the rule of law and ensures supremacy of the law. It also safeguards the rights of individuals, settles disputes by the law, as well as punishes offenders.

I believe such practices of the Judiciary above-mentioned are mostly practiced in saner climes that do not have their judicial system infiltrated with corrupt practices. Unfortunately, this is not the case for the judicial system in Nigeria as the system has been ravaged by corruption, as judgments and orders are now based on the highest bidder, other than legal merit.

The Nigerian judicial system has been considered weak in the last two years, according to a poll conducted by Gavel, a civic-tech organization with a focus on the judiciary. According to a survey conducted by the anti-corruption Academy of Nigeria, the Nigerian Corruption Index indicates that both the public and private sectors are complicit in the high corruption levels in Nigeria. It might interest you to know that the Judicial sector had the highest level of corruption with a score of 63. The high level of corruption in the judicial sector was attributed to the amount of money being offered as bribes to lawyers handling political cases and all other cases. While scrolling through the Twitter platform yesterday, I came across a story that spurred me to write this article.

A lady once worked for a tech company where she was owed a huge amount of money. She felt strongly displeased about the injustice done to her. She then resigned from the company, and afterward, she decided to go to court. She reached out to a high-flying law firm to work on her case. The payment was made and things seemed to be moving well. Suddenly and without notice, shortly after presenting a professional opinion stating that the tech company was in the wrong and had a case to answer, the law firm quietly informed her that they had been retained by the tech company and they would have to drop her case. Apparently, the tech company has bribed those in charge of the case.

It is indeed shameful that such a profession that is held in high esteem has been turned into something despicable. Judgments are no longer based on legal merits, but rather a case of the most influential, connected, and the highest bidder. Nigeria is indeed a cruel place for the common man to survive because almost all odds seem to be against their favor.

I often say to people who care to listen that Nigeria is a very lawless country, because every rich, connected, and influential person is above the law whether he or she does something wrong, they are never penalized. They do things contrary to the law that is a punishable offense, yet they get away with it. Corruption in the judiciary is indeed happening at an alarming rate, like a wildfire it has engulfed the rooftop already, and it is visible for everyone to see.

Judges seem to no longer regard and uphold their judicial oath as it has merely been turned into a necessary ritual without much reverence for it. The painful thing is this, even if one has a case that is strong in the law, backed with enough facts, and well-built from the outset, they will likely lose the case to a bribe giver.  The chances of getting a good lawyer or judge who is upright and of impeccable character is very slim.

It is disheartening to say that a very high percentage of Judicial officers in Nigeria, fall below the standard expected of them in areas of brightness, integrity, and character. There is already a growing disposition of purchasing judgments of judges by the highest bidder. How does this sound that the judgment of a court is no longer based on law or precedents? or knowing that the law has become unpredictable, despite provisions of facts and glaring evidence.

As long as the judicial system continues to practice corruption, it is therefore imperative to say that the judiciary is not the ‘last’, but the ‘lost’ hope of a common man because the rich and highly connected ones will always emerge victorious in any case. One negative consequence of the corrupt judicial system is that lawlessness, corruption, wickedness, and the likes will continue to plague the society.