The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, has asked the National Industrial Court, NIC, sitting in
The
Malami's objection to the suit came on a day Justice
The court had on
Aside from Malami,
Meanwhile, at the resumed proceedings on yesterday, Chief Adgboyega Awomolo, SAN, who led over 30 other SANs, as well as the President of the
He, therefore, urged the court to allow the case to proceed to hearing of the originating summons filed by the plaintiff.
Malami's lawyer, Mr. Ekene Elodimuo, said the
However, the NJC, which engaged a SAN, Mr.
Adegoke informed the court that he was briefed to handle the matter less than 24 hours before the sitting, saying he would need time to study the originating summons to be able to file the necessary processes.
His request for an adjournment was not opposed by any of the parties, though there was no legal representation for the RMAFC.
Consequently,
The plaintiff,
NBA calls for urgent reforms in judiciary
Meanwhile, the
In a statement by the President,
The NBA noted that the situation had not not only affected the judicial responsibilities of the justices but also impacted on the justice administration process.
While advocating the independence and financial autonomy of the Judiciary, the NBA also noted that it is important that the Judiciary must not only be, but should be seen as being above board and transparent in the management and allocation of the resources currently available to it.
"The Judiciary must entrench the principles of accountability and probity in the manner in which it expends allocated resources.
"While the fight for increased budgetary allocations for the Judiciary continues, it is important that the available resources be used for the welfare and well-being of our judicial officers as well as for the improvement of the infrastructure and facilities required by our Judges and Justices to effectively discharge their duties.
"There is a clear need for mechanisms to be put in place to ensure that the Judiciary (with the
"This will reduce the perception in some quarters that the Judiciary is not accountable to anyone and is also not self-regulating."
The NBA President also said with the election season, and the humongous war chests politicians and political parties were amassing, the only way to insulate and make our judges and justices immune to the temptations of being corrupted by these politicians is to assure them of decent working conditions and adequate compensation both in and out of service.
The judges and justices, on their part, have a duty to ensure that the honour and respect that is accorded the Judiciary by the public is not lost or dwindled, and that the public continues to hold the Judiciary in the highest esteem.
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