The Judiciary And Its Place In The Anticipated “Change”

For most individuals of my generation and those much older, our childhood career fantasies tilted towards professions that seemed highly elated and which elicit a whole lot of respect from the public. Perhaps many of such individuals did not understand the enormity of such career fantasies. One of what catalyzed demand and quest for such dreams in childhood and adolescence was perhaps parental and societal influence which saw the need for some career pursuits to be more revered than others.

Little emphasis has been placed on the magnitude of responsibility attached with such careers, if at all the people know that such level of responsibility can be attributed to the career. Of course all careers are challenging in their own respect, however some others go beyond the magnitude of responsibility attached to them to the direct influence they have on the human life, how the human society is shaped, what becomes of the society and the values such a society uphold.

One of such career paths is the study of lawn which ushers its adherents into the judicial practice. While we clearly understand that there are three arms of government which include the legislature, executive and judiciary, the role of the judiciary may be said to be the determinant in achieving the kind of society that is desired. The legislative arm makes laws, the executive ensures such laws are obeyed while the judiciary interprets such laws in a manner that makes the role of other arms useful. Owing to the fact that a society is indeed the people in it and not only the structures, the relationship and interaction which go on among these people may sometimes experience hitches and in other cases some individuals may put up attributes which seem to be detrimental to the general welfare of all. The job of the judicial arm hence comes to play to adjust and reposition humans towards discontinuing which such nefarious acts which are detrimental. If this is the case, it therefore becomes crystal clear that the role of the judicial arm in any society is enormous and should not be compromised.

There cannot be a better interpreter of the law than the custodians. It therefore accounts for why the custodians of such huge responsibility should not at any time be found in a situation of compromise. In as much as individuals and groups who function thrive to effectuate a habitual human environment, the legal aspect is crucial in being readily available to correct anomalies and prescribe what adherence to the law is and what of it also means. It is often said that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man because irrespective of financial or social standing of those who beckon upon it, it thrives to dish out equity and fairness. This clearly explains the concept behind the legal symbol of unbiased interpretation and adjudication of the law not minding whose ox is gored.

In an earlier piece by this same writer, he explains how very much anticipated change is and what it really means to the average Nigerian. However the clamor for this socio-political and economic adjustment in every sector of the economy cannot be complete if the duty of those to interpret the law is treated with disdain. There have been constant calls for the judiciary to be independent. This in no small measure may be one of the most important measures to take towards achieving what may begin to appear as plausible steps towards achieving a corrupt-free society.

The law resides with the judiciary and is subject to their interpretation in handling ills, vices and other acts that contradict peaceful human co-existence. While efforts at reducing own salaries, declaring assets, sacking individuals whose actions are seen as sabotage to economic growth may be applauded, a complete self-sanitization of the judiciary needs to be done. This process starts with the judiciary understanding its role and how important it is; then leads to a stage where they can understand their role in the need to achieve an upright society and then their need to whole-heartedly go all the way in making Nigeria vibrant in all areas and in other areas as desired by all.

Kingsley Ohajunwa is a Nigerian writer. He can be reached via email on [email protected]