The Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has urged judges to consider the overall impact of their judgments on the polity and national development.
Governor Fubara gave the charge while declaring open the 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, southern Nigeria.
The governor noted that law and order, including national development, were closely linked to the quality of justice delivered by the courts.
He charged judges to ensure that truth prevailed at all times, irrespective of the status, influence or social affiliations of parties appearing before them.
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He said, “We cannot continue to insulate our laws from today’s reality; neither should justice remain shackled by unjust precedents, technicalities, inadequate access, undue delays, political manipulation or brazen corruption.”
Fubara maintained that the prevalence of such impediments had continued to damage the reputation of the judiciary and the legal profession.
According to him, the legal system in a democratic society provides the framework for relationships between government, institutions and citizens, while upholding the rule of law.
He noted that the judiciary remained critical to the promotion of democracy, good governance and economic development, stressing, “courts must serve as a refuge for every citizen seeking justice.
“The ultimate aim of law is to protect and advance the security and wellbeing of citizens by ensuring equality before the law and safeguarding the fundamental human rights of all,” the governor said.
Fubara also urged judges to demonstrate courage, commitment, sound knowledge of the law and integrity in holding government and citizens accountable to the Constitution.
Speaking on the conference theme, “Beyond Limits,” Fubara charged Nigerian lawyers to rise above perceived constraints and protect the Constitution, democracy and the rights of citizens.
“In Rivers State, we understand what it means to push beyond limits. We have walked through the furnace of power, may have been bruised, yet remain unbowed in our determination to safeguard our unity, peace and progress,” he said.
The former President of Liberia, George Weah, who delivered the keynote address, also urged lawyers and judges to remain impartial, warning that democracy could be threatened when judicial institutions were weakened.
Weah said, “democracy does not end on election night. It is tested every single day,” stressing that democracy could not survive on strong individuals but rather on strong institutions.
