Judicial Reform: Revisit Justice Uwais Report, Clark Urges New CJN

Elder statesman and former federal minister, Chief Edwin Clark has urged the new Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Montomori Kekere-Ekun to revisit the report of her predecessor Justice Mohammed Uwais on reforming the judiciary.

Clark, in an open letter to Kekere-Ekun, congratulating her as the chief justice, noted that while Justice Uwais could not carry out the complete overhaul of the judicial system before his demise, said the immediate past CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, appeared disinterested about the report which could reform the arm of government.

Clark, 97, who was called to the English Bar in 1965 and became a member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in 1966, recalled that youths of his generation believed that the legal profession was next to God because of the way and manner practitioners carried themselves.

He also highlighted some of painful and perilous events in the Judiciary and the Bar to include

the inhumane treatment against former CJN, Justice Walter Onoghen; the votes of confidence passed on former CJN, justice Tanko Muhammad.

The said others are the illegal raiding of Judges houses in the mid night in the ungodly wee hours in the night; Senator Adamu Muhammed Bulkachuwa’s disclosure that he influenced his wife’s judgement to help some of his colleagues; and the socialization between the Judiciary and some senators facing criminal charges.

In his letter to Justice Kekere-Ekun, Clark said, the need to revisit the Uwais report was very much at variance with “what your immediate predecessor in office, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who tried to whittle down the perception vis-à-vis his statement on the interpretation of the actions of the Judiciary.

“It may be necessary for Your Lordship, now that you are in the office to look at what happened to Justice Mohammed Uwais Report which was produced by the committee set up by Justice Dahiru Musdapher GCON, to re-organize the Judiciary with some associates,” he said?

Clark, who described her appointment as well-deserved in spite of her being the second female CJN, said he has no doubt that she emerged as a result of her total commitment, dedication and loyalty to the country.

“I pray the Almighty God to continue to guide, protect, and give you the courage, wisdom and determination to carry out your new assignment in order to justify the confidence reposed in you by Mr. President and the people of Nigeria.”

The elder statesman, reflected on the state of judiciary and said “I humbly wish to address Your Lordship as a senior citizen of our country on a matter which is causing great agitation, anger and tension in our beloved country. Corruption and the recent scandalous and unhealthy development in the judiciary, are fast becoming a bane in our society.

“I saw the Judiciary and the legal profession at its best. It was the pride of the then legal practitioners and the most revered Justices of the various courts of Nigeria and the posture of our most revered Justices and senior lawyers, that attracted some of us to study law in the United Kingdom.

“As a young man, I grew up with some other youths in Nigeria where we witnessed a nascent judiciary. You could imagine some of us traveling from Warri to Sapele, which in those days, due to the means of transportation, was a far distance to assist some senior lawyers such as Justice Ayoola, Justice Aguda, Justice Kayode Esho, Justice Fani-Kayode, FRA Williams, etc, who all travelled from the then Western Nigeria, slept at Sapele over-side because the only available Pontu operated during the day time.

“These eminent and dedicated lawyers would on the following day in the morning, proceed to Warri, to attend Court. Similarly, we had eminent lawyers like; Bar. Egbuna, Bar. Mbanefo, Bar. Nabo Graham Douglas, who all passed through the Niger Bridge, Dr. Udo Udoma, Justice Oputa, Chike Idigbe, Bar. Williams, Chief Arthur Prest, etc. And we the youths believed at the time that the legal profession was next to God,” he said.