Bar urges overhaul of judges recruitment process

The Nigerian Bar Association's (NBA) public interest and development law section has called for a complete overhaul of the recruitment process for judges. A report on The Nigeria Lawyers site says chairman of the section, Monday Ubani, said the overhaul was necessary following the conflicting judgments on political matters passed by judges who, he charged, 'had no interest in the judiciary system, but found themselves in such position by proxy'. ‘I think the National Judicial Council must be bold enough to take decisions against some of these judges who have erred gravely to face the law. Also, the NBA itself as a body must begin to discipline some of our erring members, especially senior lawyers. Most people who are judges in Nigeria today do not have interest to be judges but they get nominated by the governors, emirs and obas (kings). We need to review our recruitment process of justices in all the various courts,’ he said. Referring to 'abuse of ex-parte orders' by judges, Ubani said there had always been a directive by most of the Chief Judges that caution and restraint in issuing ex-parte orders should be exercised. He said the issue had made 'a mockery of the entire system and to end this mockery, we must begin to look into our professionals who in the course of doing their duties, are used by politicians whose intention is to derail the political process’.