Attacks On Supreme Court: It Takes The Bar To Corrupt The Bench

The attack on Supreme Court justices or judges of lower courts in Nigeria’s judiciary for alleged fraudulent judgments sometimes demonstrates a case of the kettle calling the pot black, especially when the criticism comes from very prominent lawyers in the garb of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and their collaborators in the political class.

The escalating loss of integrity and credibility in the nation’s judiciary is fueled by senior lawyers of the bar and desperado political leaders and officeholders and the elite who would go to any length to defile the rule of law just to have their selfish ways in the dispensation of justice.

Clearly, it takes the bar to corrupt the bench. Racketeer advocates collaborate with the elite, officeholders, or wealthy private sector actors to destroy the entire Judiciary. And when they successfully buy court judgments/orders in their favor, they hail the courts as the last hope of the common man. When they lose justifiably, they question the decision publicly and cry out like babies who want food from their parents.

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Do they win their political matters on merit? The same SANs are still being used to bribe the judiciary to give judgments in favor of their clients and so why complain? Is the judiciary not part of Nigeria?

Is there any sector functioning credibly and appropriately in Nigeria? So what do they expect the Supreme Court Justices, and judges of lower courts to be? Are they not humans like them? Even our religious leaders are damn corrupt. The archbishops, apostles, prophets, and pastors are always misleading and deceiving the people with their fake prophecies here are there with the lure of gratifications from politicians.

Is it the banking sector, selling dollars and new Naira notes and or colluding with politicians to loot public treasuries? Is it the education sector selling marks to students or sexually harassing female students? Is it the filling station owners hoarding fuel to create and profiteer from artificial scarcity?

Is it the oil sector, pumping crude oil for exports and refusing to declare accurate figures of oil exports? Is it the locals deliberately bursting crude oil pipes to endanger their own environment and lawful livelihoods to get clean-up and remediation contracts or feed illegal refineries?

Is it the local traders cheating on buyers by using dented cups to measure garri? Is it the fake vehicle spare parts sellers or roadside mechanics ripping off car owners? Is it the vulcanizer piercing more leaks on tires to cheat on motorists? Is it the building contractors or builders deliberately using inferior materials to collapse buildings?

The subject matter is the Nigerian Supreme Court and Judiciary can’t be blamed in isolation for recent questionable judgments/orders. What wrong has Supreme Court done with the interim order to temporarily halt the ban on the old naira currencies when the new notes are not seen in the banking halls/ATMS?

The aim of Governor Godwin Emefiele of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is that the old notes are in the hands of the super-rich and the new notes are designed to reduce inflation is a hoax.

As noted by Engr Kesiena Gbemre,

“The new Naira redesign by the CBN, under President Muhammadu Buhari’s government has been a controversial issue since its implementation in January 2023. The CBN Governor, Emefiele had stated that the redesign of the new notes would help improve the value of the Naira, curb banditry as most of their cash will be useless, and facilitate Nigeria’s transition to a cashless society.

“With the general elections so close to the implementation of this policy, it also appears like a political decision. However, to focus on the financial aspects and social implications of this decision, it has been reported that over a trillion naira has entered the banking system since this policy was made but there have not been any positive shifts in the valuation of the Naira.

“On the parallel money markets, the Naira is still trading at about 743 Naira to 1 dollar. Prior to this policy due to the inefficiency of bank ATM machines, Nigerians used POS operators for cash withdrawals at a premium (fee). This policy to go cashless without any infrastructure in place has further increased that premium.

“This is not a blindly critical piece as it comes with realistic and sustainable solutions. The cashless system is not wrong but from my observations, countries that operate in that manner have the extensive infrastructure in place to facilitate daily transactions. So I believe building a payment system powered by e-Naira that can be distributed to merchants would have been an ideal first step.

“The value of the Naira does not change because of cash in circulation. The reality is the value in a representation of the value offered. Nigeria is not a tourist destination, most expatriates are paid in dollars, and some Nigerian organizations request payment in dollars.

“Therefore on the global market, there is no demand for Naira and as a consequence, the value depreciates. Nigeria has no obligation for trading partners to buy natural resources in Naira. This is important because the United States currently operates what is called the “petrodollar”.

“The name comes from the fact that Saudi Arabia only sells oil in dollars which creates an incredibly high demand for the dollar. Even when the US sanctioned Russia at the start of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict, Vladimir Putin quickly imposed a policy of only selling natural gas in Russian rubles and as a result, the sanctions were inconsequential on the economy of Russia.”

Who are the people that corrupted the judiciary? These so-called lawyers, politicians, and elites are to be blamed. If you don’t give bribes, no one will pass frivolous judgments. For me, the Supreme Court interim order is meant to save the common man. No responsible Nigerian will rejoice with the crude ways Emefiele’s CBN has forced untold hardships on the country, yet some elites are still opposed to the Supreme Court interim order.

Do they think at all? I have no regard for some of the so-called senior lawyers/SANs. In fact, they are ignorant of their profession and blinded by money to bribe here and there. Do they even win cases on merit? The so-called Lawyers/SANs are like house boys, licking the boots of these judges when they visit them in their homes.

They can even cook and wash their cars and toilets if the justices/judges send them to do so. When people refer to some of them as SANs I just laugh because I know they are petty. The era of exemplary integrity and credibility by legal luminaries like Asifo Egbe, Mudiaga Odje, D.D.Mowoe, Macaulay.O. Akpofure, Federick Rotimi Williams, Victor Ovie Whiskey, T.O.S. Benson, Ayo Gabriel Irikefe, Nabo Douglas- Graham, Adetokunbo Ademola, Taslim Olawale Elias, Obafemi Awolowo and few other sound men of the bar and bench are gone.

Today most of them are bunches of bootlickers who brand selves, as Senior Lawyers. We should, for once, commend the Supreme Court for the interim order to temporarily stop Buhari, Emefiele, and CBN from another display of inciting impunity.

Zik Gbemre
January 11, 2023_

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