Chief Justice of Nigeria,CJN, Olukayode Ariwoola on Monday warned that the times we are in , are quite perilous and that all hands must be on deck to make the best of the unpleasant situation.
“Nigeria is a project in our hands that must be collectively nurtured to prosperity and Eldorado. We cannot run away from those vices that confront us as a nation, rather, we have to fasten our belt and face them head-on.”
CJN Ariwoola stated this at a Special Session of the Supreme Court to mark the beginning of new legal year 2022/2023 and the inauguration of 62 Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs.
He assured Nigerians for the umpteenth time that the justices of the apex court are more than ever before committed to serve to the best of their “ability in this new legal year.”
“Even if it requires us stretching ourselves and available resources beyond limit, we will graciously oblige that,he said.
Quoting the inspiring words Sir Winston Churchill, the CJN said we should,
“Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter.”
He warned that”the statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseen and uncontrollable events.”
According to him, “close watchers of the various events that dotted the out gone legal year, will readily agree with me that we all became slaves and victims of so many unforeseen and uncontrollable events and circumstances that were freely unleashed on us.”
Referring to the circumstance that led to his emergence as CJN , he said that
“the topsy-turvy that took the centre-stage of the last legal year was quite intriguing.”
“For the first time in the history of the Nigerian Judiciary, we had different kinds of events that not only beat our imagination but equally shaped and recalibrated the entire architecture of the justice sector.
“As we rightly know, in everything that happens in life, we must always give thanks to God Almighty who has chosen us to either be participants in the process or spectators of the process. Nothing happens by mere coincidence.
Justice Ariwoola said that the”prosperity
of the Nigerian judiciary is the responsibility of all of us. We must not shy away from the challenges staring us in the face because if the judiciary fails, there will certainly be no country to call Nigeria.”
He added that “those wishing us bad and even engaging in different forms of unwholesome conduct to sink the ship, will certainly not be comfortable with the likely result that would emerge from such unpatriotic effort.
On Supreme Court last year’s performance of Justice Ariwoola recalled that he was appointed acting CJN on 27th June, 2022, after the voluntary retirement of former CJN Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad on health ground.
He said that there was no division at the apex court at any time. “We will like to make it clear at this occasion that there has never been any division at the Supreme Court and there will never be any.”
During the 2021/2022 legal year, the Supreme Court entertained a total number of 1,764 cases, comprising of motions and appeals. Out of these, the apex court heard 816 Civil, 370 Criminal and 16 Political matters, making a total of 1,202 motions.
Similarly, the court considered a total number of 562 Appeals, comprising of 341 Civil, 186 Criminal, and 35 Political. A total number of 154 Judgments were delivered in the year.
The Supreme Court had 4,741 pending (backlog) Civil Appeals ,while the number of pending (backlog) Criminal Appeals is 1,392. The apex court have
751 moribund Appeals for disposal which brings the total number of pending (backlog) Appeals to 6,884.
Out of the 4,741 Appeals in the Court’s docket, 1,495 have briefs filed and exchanged and are ready for hearing; whereas, the remaining 3,246 appeals are having about 10,000 motions, with some contentious and others innocuous in nature.
As for the pending 1,392 Criminal Appeals, 461 already had briefs filed and exchanged and are ready for hearing.
The remaining 931 appeals have about 2,000 different motions for hearing to determine their eligibility for hearing. However, the identified 751 moribund appeals are to be disposed of for non-compliance with the Supreme Court Rules, i.e. Order 8 Rule 8, the CJN said.
He said this score card, from all indications, is impressively fascinating .