A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mohammed Ndarani has implored Judges and other stakeholders in the sector to infuse confidence into the justice system, saying the hallmark of justice, is to guaranty the possibility that the weak could win against the strong.
The learned silk stated this in Abuja over the weekend while fielding questions from newsmen.
The senior lawyer added: “Unless there is confidence in the justice system, both in its rules and the officials that apply them, anxiety and bitterness will continue across the nation.
“The hallmark of justice is to guaranty the possibility that the weak could win against the strong, even against the state itself.”
The law he noted further is the mechanism for reducing the level of grievance in a society, insisting that “Justice delayed is justice denied.
“It means that if legal redress or equitable relief to an injured party is available, but is not forthcoming in a timely fashion, it is effectively the same as having no remedy at all.
“It is only a truly independent judiciary that would bring the total much-sought-after transformation in the sector’’, he said,” Ndarani said.
While proffering way forward on delay in the dispensation of justice and the resultant fallouts, he described it as unacceptable at a time like this when the country is experiencing increasing demands for an improved institutional capacity to deliver effective justice.
“This demand presents a significant challenge as it reflects yawning gaps in the country’s capacity to deliver an efficient and responsive justice system’’, he further stated.
Ndarani, who advised judges to continue to uphold the independence of the judiciary, expressed optimism that with the appointment of new Justices to the Supreme Court making a total of 21 justices by President Bola Tinubu, there will be improvement in efficient justice delivery.
In the same vein, he thumbed-up the
National Judicial Council (NJC) on the recent recommendation of 86 judicial officers for appointment, adding that it will help tackle the backlog of cases more efficiently, and ensure timely justice delivery for Nigerians and equally lead to a more robust and effective judiciary.
