TO stem the tide of corruption in the judiciary, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has vowed to ‘name and shame’ corrupt judges.
This will be done through its anti-corruption commission.
This was disclosed by the NBA President, Chief Okey Wali.
Wali, in his speech at a seminar on anti-corruption, said the association would set up a Name, Shame, and Tame programme at its National Secretariat in Abuja.
“The theme of this seminar is instructive and dovetails neatly with our NST- Name, Shame, and Tame the Bad Guys on the Bench and of course the Bar”, he said.
“Name: By a whistleblower mechanism, NBA will encourage lawyers and litigants to report corrupt judges and lawyers through an anonymous phone-in service.
” Shame: NBA will investigate the reports, not for accuracy but for reasonable viability, and submit its findings to law-enforcement agencies for follow-up action, which NBA will encourage and monitor.
“Tame: The naming and shaming stages will lead to a gradual sanitation of the Bench and the Bar.
Also speaking, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mariam Aloma-Mukhtar, said corruption is one major topic being freely discussed at every forum in Nigeria and sadly the bench is not isolated.
“The Nigerian Judiciary can certainly not ostracize itself from reports making the rounds on the pages of our papers. Agreed, the problem of corruption is NOT with the bench alone but the whole Nigerian society but the painful thing, however, is when the Judiciary, which is held in the highest esteem, is also allegedly infiltrated with the virus.
“The truth remains that strengthening judicial integrity in Nigeria and discouraging corruption can be better achieved with strict compliance with the code of conduct for Judicial officers in Nigeria, and the institutions constitutionally established to enforce accountability and discipline in the Judiciary,” she said.
