Mr. Inibehe Effiong (Esq), a Lagos-based human rights lawyer, has criticised the fact that judicial autonomy remains elusive in Nigeria.
He claimed that as a result, chief judges have been forced to bow before state governors in order for them to grant funds for the completion of judicial projects.
Effiong, who spoke at the Faculty of Law, University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State's 'Excellent Summit Law TED Talk 2022,' stated that Sections 81 and 162 of the constitution allow the judiciary to be placed under first line charge to ensure its autonomy, but that this has yet to be implemented in Nigeria.
"They have turned the judiciary into a department within the ministry of justice," he says. "Now, every month, chief judges have to go and kneel before governors to plead for money to carry out projects for the judiciary, even for petty things like printing almanacks."
The human rights activist, speaking on the topic "Lawyer: The Voice of the Voiceless," pointed out that such legislation would bind chief justices to governors' apron strings, obstructing justice in subjects that the governors are interested in since they would be under pressure to please them.
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"You know when a governor has an interest in a matter, the judge will be under pressure," he said. "Unfortunately, the judiciary today is not completely independent."
Effiong, an alumnus of the faculty, told the final year students that before they can give voice to the voiceless, they must first build their foundation by taking their studies seriously, and that they should not take their law clinic for granted because it will prepare them for some of the practical realities they will face as lawyers in the future.
He also advised them to be self-assured, avoid cultism, be tenacious, and always speak up for what is right.
"I don't believe Nigeria should be polarised," he said when asked about the Indigenous People of Biafra, or IPOB, agitation. "If you split Nigeria today and have Biafra, the same people who impoverished Nigeria will be in Biafra, and hold political power, the problem is not about separation of Nigeria but squarely on leadership."
"I support article 20 of the African Charter, which guarantees a man's right to self-determination, and you cannot criminalise a right that is recognised under international instruments to which Nigeria is a signatory, that is recognised under our constitution in Chapter Four, and I believe they (IPOB) have the right to protest and demand a different country as long as they do so lawfully."