2023: Don't let politicians use you, CJN warns judges

Nigeria's Chief Justice Olukayode Ariwoola on Monday warned Nigerian judges against political manipulation ahead of next year's general elections.

"You must not allow yourself to be used or the hammer of justice will come down heavily on you," Mr Ariwoola told the Abuja Supreme Court during a special session of the court.

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The Special Court Session is an annual event held to mark the 2022/2023 judicial year of the Supreme Court and the investiture of 62 lawyers as Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN).

With less than three months to the February 2023 general election, political and election-related cases have been on the rise as politicians file complaints about intra- and inter-party disputes to outdo each other.

Preparing for post-election disputes expected after the February 2023 elections, more than 300 judges were appointed earlier this month to adjudicate election petitions next year.

Mr. Ariwola had during the investiture of the judges of the electoral tribunal had warned them against corruption.

Similarly, the CJN has urged judges to live a life of solitude as a precautionary measure to protect against unethical communications.

The CJN said judges must apply the law properly in all cases that come before them, saying judges "must live a life of solitude to avoid any communication that will violate our judicial oath."

> “Nigerian justice is not free

The CJN, while giving a financial assessment of the judiciary, said “when the Nigerian judiciary is assessed from the financial aspect, we are not yet free or truly independent.”

Calls have been made for better funding of the justice system, but stakeholders demand transparent management of its “scarce resources”.

Budgetary allocations for the Nigerian judiciary have remained hidden from public scrutiny, fueling speculation about corruption in its spending.

Two former Supreme Court justices, Ejembi Ekwo and Abdul Aboki, as they retired earlier this year, urged anti-corruption agencies to shine a spotlight on justice system finances.

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But Mr Ariwoola allayed fears that the judiciary would remain "independent in making decisions on the cases before it without any foreign influence".

He said that judges "...poor and pitiful salaries have become another major concern which...needs to be addressed urgently."

Recently, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, announced a salary increase for judges.

Mr. Malami said President Muhammadu Buhari had approved an upward revision of the salaries of judicial officers.

Mr. Malami, in his remarks, said the Buhari-led government had given adequate attention to funding the judiciary.

The AGF has chronicled how the government has increased the budget for the judiciary every year from the N73 billion it inherited in 2015 to the proposed N153 billion for the financial year 2023.

"...we have ensured a gradual budgetary allocation to the judiciary, which has increased from N73 billion in 2015 to over N130 million in 2022. A further increase of N150 billion has been proposed for 2023" , Mr. Malami said.

CJN speaks out on his predecessor's abrupt resignation

The CJN also spoke about the circumstances following its predecessor, the abrupt resignation of Tanko Muhammad from the Supreme Court last June.

Mr. Muhammad had cited health reasons for his resignation.

But there were insinuations that Mr Muhammad's exit could not be unrelated to a 'protest letter' from 14 Supreme Court justices, slamming poor working conditions and allegations of cronyism against the former CJN.

Speaking on the matter on Monday, Mr Ariwoola said that "rumors and lies have praised...the airwaves for misinterpreting the events that heralded the voluntary retirement of my predecessor."

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Mr. Ariwoola, who was commenting on Mr Muhammad's resignation for the first time, said...