Former president of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) has lamented the sordid state of courtrooms across the country, calling on the government to urgently address the situation.
The legal icon said the ambience of a typical or average courtroom should reflect an atmosphere of learning which judges and lawyers subscribe to, and are known for, rather than representing, both from unkempt theatre.
Olanipekun who is the chairman, Body of Benchers, spoke yesterday in his Ikere country home during the commissioning of an modern courtroom he built and donated to the Ekiti State High Court, Ikere Judicial Division.
He said, “We have to pay attention to the deteriorating state of courtrooms, court facilities and fixtures, in most parts of the country. The walls and roofs of a good number of our courtrooms are collapsing and caving in
“Basic facilities such as toilets are not available in a good number of courts all over the country. Water and electricity are lacking. In most instances, functional libraries are not available.
“A sad spectre or scenery if lawyers scrambling to secure seats with litigants or sharing the meagre available accommodation within the “sardine – packed” courtrooms menacingly intimidate judges, counsel and litigants”
“I venture to submit that a good courtroom with up-to-date facilities will attract the confidence of litigants in our judicial system.
“If we continue to fail, refuse and neglect to maintain Justice, Justice, in turn, may refuse to regulate us, and eventually desert us”
In his remarks, the Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji described Olanipekun as a man who takes pleasure in giving back to the society and institutions that once nurtured him.
“This is yet another demonstration of his commitment to giving back to the Law Profession where he has made his mark as a distinguished member of the Bar and the Bench.
“As a people who are in need of urgent development, Chief Olanipekun has given us a legacy to copy. I want to therefore, call on all Ekiti indigenes all over the world to emulate this act of generous giving back.’’
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