President Bola Tinubu on Monday urged the nation’s appellate judges to deliver justice that is swift, fair and blind to the status, tribe or financial standing of every litigant.
- +Tinubu urges judges to deliver swift, fair justice
Tinubu argued that a compromised judicial system poses a direct threat to democratic stability.
Tinubu argued that a compromised judicial system poses a direct threat to democratic stability.
He gave the charge when he commissioned the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division building complex at Dakibiyu.
Represented at the commissioning by Vice President Kashim Shettima, the President said the completion of the complex, which replaces what he described as a cramped, temporary space that the Abuja Division had occupied for far too long, was a fulfilment of his Renewed Hope Agenda’s commitment to restoring dignity to Nigeria’s institutions of justice.
A statement signed Monday by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, quoted Tinubu saying, “To My Lords Justices, as you move into this complex, Nigeria asks one thing of you: let justice be swift. Let it be fair. Let it be blind to status, tribe, or purse. Let the common man feel that this Court is truly his last hope.”
He declared, “On this note, and to the glory of Almighty God, I hereby commission the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division Building Complex, for the service of justice and for the benefit of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Tinubu said it was unacceptable that one of the nation’s most consequential appellate benches had operated from an inadequate facility, and he recalled that his response upon visiting and inspecting conditions was immediate and unambiguous.
He noted, “When I visited and saw the condition, I gave a simple instruction: fix it. Today, we have fixed it.”
The new complex houses two large, courtrooms and eight smaller ones, a significant expansion from the two courtrooms the Abuja Division previously had, and the President said the infrastructure would directly accelerate the resolution of cases, reduce congestion in correctional centres and strengthen public confidence in the rule of law.
“With two large and eight smaller courtrooms, cases will now receive speedy attention.
“This will go a long way toward ensuring justice for all, upholding the rule of law, maintaining law and order in the Federal Capital Territory, and reducing congestion in our correctional centres.
“This is how you honour the Judiciary. This is how you strengthen democracy,” he said.
He tied the project to a broader philosophical position on the place of the judiciary in governance, saying, “The Renewed Hope Agenda is not a slogan. It is action. We said we would restore the dignity of our institutions. We are doing it for the Judiciary. We are doing it in health, education, roads, and power. Brick by brick, we are rebuilding Nigeria.”
Acknowledging the pressure under which judges of the Abuja Division work, including election petitions and constitutional matters of national consequence, the President said the new environment was not a gesture of generosity but an entitlement.
“The eyes of Nigeria are on you. You deserve an environment that matches the weight of your responsibility. This complex is not a favour. It is your right. And we will do more,” he said.
The President reserved special commendation for the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for the speed and discipline of project delivery, and for what he described as a determined domestication of the administration’s judicial reform agenda in the capital.
“You took the assignment to deliver this project in May 2024. By July, contractors were on site. You promised 16 months. You delivered in record time.
“No excuses. No variation. Just results. Nigerians can see the difference. We are proud of your dedication to duty,” he told Wike.
He also listed a range of complementary judicial infrastructure interventions he said Wike had driven across the FCT on presidential directive, extending beyond the Court of Appeal to the National Industrial Court, the Federal High Court and the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
“I am, therefore, pleased by the concrete efforts made by the Minister of the FCT to domesticate this policy thrust by building more courts, constructing befitting residences for judicial officers, digitising judicial processes in the Territory, and providing solid support for legal education,” the President said.
Earlier, the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, said the impact of the new complex on the administration of justice in the country could not be overstated.
She disclosed that the Abuja Division had for years been operating with only two courtrooms, and that the shortage of space had materially slowed the pace of justice.
“The lack of infrastructure had slowed the speedy delivery of justice over the years,” she said, expressing confidence that the new complex would significantly improve the speed at which cases are resolved and noting that the structure of a justice system must reflect the legal system it is designed to serve.
Justice Dongban-Mensem thanked the President, Vice President and the FCT Minister for recognising the judiciary’s infrastructure needs as central to democratic stability.
In his welcome address, Wike said he had personally brought the deplorable state of the court complex to the President’s attention and that Tinubu had not only approved funding for the Court of Appeal complex and judges’ residences but had also extended presidential intervention across other federal courts in the FCT.
“The independence of the judiciary is difficult to achieve when judges do not have a befitting work environment and adequate residences,” the minister said.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), described the new complex as a fiftieth-anniversary gift to the Nigerian judiciary, noting that it also coincided with the third year of the Tinubu administration.
Fagbemi said no administration in Nigeria’s recent history had provided the level of support for the judiciary that Tinubu’s had consistently approved since May 2023.
The Minister of State for the FCT, Dr Mariya Bunkure, described the project as evidence of the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring that the justice sector serves Nigerians efficiently and effectively.
