The Bench Is Becoming A Family Business’ – Akinyede Sounds Alarm Over Judicial Appointments

Public affairs commentator Sola Akinyede has alleged that only a small fraction of Nigeria’s judiciary remains free from corruption, claiming that just 10 to 15 per cent of judicial officers can still be considered untainted.

Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Monday, Akinyede argued that the judiciary is facing a deepening institutional crisis and called for sweeping structural reforms to restore public confidence.

He maintained that any meaningful overhaul of the system would require amendments to the Nigerian Constitution.

Reflecting on his time as a member of the Senate Constitutional Review Committee in 2010, Akinyede said he had proposed constitutional changes aimed at reforming the composition of the National Judicial Council (NJC).

“As far as I’m concerned, what the Nigerian judiciary needs is fundamental structural change.

“I was a member of the Senate Constitutional Review Committee. If you are going to make any structural changes then or now, you need a constitutional amendment.

“I proposed amendments in 2010 because when I read the Constitution, I asked myself, how can the Chief Justice of Nigeria appoint 19 out of the 23 members of the NJC?

“So I proposed some amendments, but I never imagined the level of decay we are witnessing today,” he said.

Akinyede lamented that corruption within the judiciary has worsened considerably over the years, arguing that the percentage of compromised judicial officers has increased dramatically.

“Between 2005 and 2010, you could say maybe 10 per cent of the judiciary was rotten. Today, I can’t say that anymore.

“In fact, some people would argue it’s now the reverse—perhaps only 10 or 15 per cent are clean. No one imagined the level of rot we are seeing today.

“Some of the things happening now were unthinkable 30 years ago. For example, judges lobbying or using their influence to get their children appointed as judges. Those were things you simply didn’t hear of back then.

“When I proposed those amendments, many people didn’t take them seriously. Even I never imagined the situation would deteriorate to this extent,” he added.