Upbraiding The Judiciary: What Does Prof Chidi Anselm Odinkalu Want? BY LUBEM IMOTER

Pummeling judicial officers has become his pastime. Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu may present himself as an ethicist but in truth, he is not. He appears hell-bent on denigrating the temple of justice. Most of his published articles in newspapers in Nigeria dwell mainly on supposed shortcomings of judicial officers. To him, the judiciary is beyond redemption. Even when some of the judicial officers retire, he would not let them have their deserved peace.

I believe strongly that Prof. Odinkalu’s mission is to debase the Nigerian judiciary. Perhaps he wants the bench to lose its moral high-ground and lose face in the eyes of the general public. But why would Odinkalu, a Professor of Human Rights Law {an appointment he bagged from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in recognition of his academic prowess in the rarified area of Human Rights}, be determined to pull down the entire Nigerian judiciary warts and all? I ask again, what does he stand to gain by continuously belittling our judges even as he knows that resort to self-help which he appears to be championing by eroding confidence in the last hope of the common man is a recipe for anarchy?

His write-ups give the impression that our judges are not good enough. Really? He maintains that they have not achieved anything worth celebrating in their constitutionally assigned role of interpreting the law and ensuring that justice is served in a fair impartial manner. Has Odinkalu forgotten so soon how the judiciary stabilized our polity and stood its ground under the long years of military rule in Nigeria?

A psychology theory posits that deliberately destroying people or things is incredibly satisfying because it makes one feel powerful. But I wonder what power Prof. Odinkalu has garnered after the years of attack on the judiciary.

Having been once in a top government office, one expects him not to be oblivious of the challenges one encounters serving the country. Yes, he was Chairman of the Governing Council of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) but what did he make of that? He was inaugurated as Chairman of the Governing Council of NHRC on 27 November 2012, almost a year after his appointment. In his four-year tenure, he caused so much bad blood in that organization. Workers there at the time, accused him of interfering in the day to day administration, a job clearly meant for the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive.

Unsurprisingly, Prof. Odinkalu’s tenure as Chairman of NHRC Governing Council, was characterized by endless and mordant recriminations. He and the Executive Secretary then, Prof Bem Angwe, hardly agreed on any issue to advance the cause of the organization. Regrettably, the animosity endures till today as I write.

Indeed, Odinkalu has gone beyond reproaching judicial officers to the executive arm where he recently met his match when he took on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike. The Minister queried his credentials as a Professor, and interrogated his track record at the NHRC.

Wike reportedly asked, “Someone showed me a write-up they said was written by a Professor {referring to Odinkalu}. I asked him, Professor of which university? Nobody knows. They were given an opportunity in the Human Rights Commission. Ask them what their performance was. What was the record when the government allowed him to be there? Zero!”

Point is, Odinkalu’s role as Chairman was to ensure the institution run smoothly and assist management in carrying out its mandate shorn of arbitrariness. He chose a different course, escalating dissension instead!

I keep wondering what the judiciary has done so badly to draw the ire Prof. Odinkalu? Is it because judges by the nature of their job cannot respond to accusations no matter how unfounded? Can he imagine where the country would be without the judiciary and the antics of politicians?

I ask again, what really does Prof. Odinkalu want? According to OptimistMinds, “Most of the time someone belittles others to achieve an objective. This objective can be of different types. They may want to make the other person feel bad and leave the area or work they are currently in; this could possibly make it easy for the one who is putting down others to exert their influence and win over those he is trying to impress. It is also possible the person may want to make the person feel miserable because they don’t like them.”

Whatever his motive is, Prof. Odinkalu is no ethicist as he presents himself. True activists are known for what they do, not just what they say. He has never come out in the streets to give vent to his brand of activism. We know what human rights activists have passed through on our soil. The likes of Prof. Wole Soyinka, Omoyele Sowore, Deji Adeyanju, Tai Solarin, the late Gani Fawehinmi, et al bore the brunt of fighting for the masses head-on. Where is Odinkalu in this mix?

I believe that having occupied a top public office in the country and a high ranking member of the Nigerian bar, he should give the judiciary a respite from his endless attack.

Imoter, a Public Affairs Commentator writes from Abuja.