Soyinka Raises Alarm Over Government Agencies Failure To Obey Court Orders

Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has challenged the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) to address the persistent failure of government agencies to comply with court judgments, saying he would consider it a major achievement if the problem were resolved.

According to Bush Radio Academy, Soyinka made the remarks on Thursday while delivering a goodwill message at the inaugural Nigerian Ombudsman Annual Conference organised by the PCC in Abuja.

The renowned author expressed concern over the delays in enforcing court decisions, noting that some Nigerians spend years pursuing justice only to die before benefiting from favourable judgments.

“If you can solve that for me, believe me, I will die happy,” Soyinka said, emphasising the need to bridge the gap between the delivery of justice and the implementation of court rulings.

He questioned why judgments delivered by competent courts were not consistently enforced, particularly when government institutions were involved.

“Why is it that we cannot guarantee the implementation of the declaration of a judgment between the plaintiff, between the judgment itself, between the judges, the structure of justice and the victim?” he asked.

Soyinka also expressed dismay that some citizens had died without seeing the benefits of their prolonged legal battles.

“Why is it that people we know have actually died without seeing the fruits of their endeavours for justice?” he queried.

The Nobel Laureate cited cases in which citizens reportedly waited for years for government agencies to comply with court orders, including directives for the return of confiscated passports.

He described such prolonged delays as “medicine after death,” arguing that justice loses much of its value when successful litigants cannot obtain the relief granted by the courts.

Soyinka urged the Public Complaints Commission to make the enforcement of court judgments a major priority, stressing that addressing the problem would help strengthen accountability and restore public confidence in Nigeria’s justice system.

His remarks highlighted concerns about the rule of law and the need to ensure that court decisions are respected and implemented, regardless of the institutions or individuals involved.