Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called for stricter sanctions “by a more intentional regime for the award of adverse and wasted costs” for delays and adjournment in court cases in Nigeria.
Osinbajo disclosed this at the weekend at the 20th annual memorial anniversary symposium in honour of legal practitioner, Mr. Bankole Olumide Aluko (SAN).
He, however, said the challenges affecting the administration of justice in Nigeria were being addressed, adding that there was much hope for the positive reform of the system as more result-oriented work was going on, while some real changes were expected.
Speaking on the impact of the law on democracy, the vice president noted that the democratic rights of the people and their confidence in the notion of a government of the people, by the people, for the people, suffers when the system of electoral justice fails to see itself as a handmaid of the democratic process.
Citing the decision of the Supreme Court in the 2019 elections in Zamfara State to buttress his point, he said that to make sense, judicial decisions and reasoning must in most cases meet the common notions of fairness and justice.
According to him, “the court is a taxpayer-funded public resource. The wasting or abuse of its finite time and resources without strict consequence will eventually discredit the system. Adverse costs are paid to the successful party in a civil case and wasted costs are directed against legal practitioners for poor professional standards in the conduct of a case. Severe costs should attend adjournments, there is no greater waste of taxpayer’s funds than for a scheduled case to have to be adjourned. It is only heavy costs that will discourage this malfeasance.
“The system of justice must recognise the larger principles that it serves. In judicial interpretation, the spirit is as important as the letter of the law. Otherwise, judicial decisions become technistic applications far removed from common sense. The notions of justice that would meet public expectations of fairness and equity are those that promote substance over form. The observance of technicality over merit will always alienate the system of justice from the people it is meant to serve.”
On expectations from judicial officers, Osinbajo said while the best is expected from judicial officers, the nation must equally ensure that the conditions under which they operate are not only befitting but are good enough to attract the best of minds in the profession.
In addition, the vice president said the institution and infrastructure remain the key to reforming the system, stating that the judge is, of course, central to how our system of justice works.
Commenting on the process for judicial appointments, the vice president stressed that the robustness and transparency of the processes in other jurisdictions provide comfort to the candidates of the fairness of the selection process; and enable the public to have front-row seat in some of these processes, arguing that such a process be replicated in Nigeria.
He extolled the late Aluko’s mastery of his craft, highlighted his varied abilities, and praised his contributions to the legal profession in the country.
