In a move hailed as a watershed moment for judicial transparency in Nigeria, the Nigerian Judicial Institute (NJI), under the guidance of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Hon. Justice Kekere-Ekun, has announced that public comments are now officially being sought on 82 shortlisted candidates for various judicial positions across the country.
The announcement, first reported by Premium Times, marks a paradigm shift in Nigeria’s traditionally opaque judicial appointment process—injecting public accountability, ethical scrutiny, and democratic participation into the selection of those who will wield the gavel of justice.
“This is a vital reform step that will help sanitize the bench,” said Dr. G. Fraser, MFR. “For far too long, unsuitable individuals have found their way into the judiciary. This move finally gives Nigerians a voice in who gets to judge them.”
The Process: From Secret Chambers to Public Scrutiny
Historically, judicial appointments in Nigeria have been shrouded in bureaucratic opacity. While the National Judicial Council (NJC) handles screening and nominations, the public has had little to no input—despite growing concerns about the integrity, competence, and temperament of many appointees.
According to the NJI, this new step will involve:
Public notice of shortlisted candidates
An open window for written comments, objections, or support
Confidential review of submissions by an ethics and suitability committee
Background checks, including financial history and public conduct
This approach aligns Nigeria with global best practices seen in advanced democracies such as:
The United States, where Supreme Court nominees undergo Senate Judiciary Committee hearings with live public questioning.
South Africa, where judicial candidates appear before the Judicial Service Commission in televised public interviews.
Canada, which invites peer review and public submissions during federal judicial appointments.
Why It Matters: Character Is Everything on the Bench
The judiciary, by its very nature, must be above reproach. Judges make life-altering decisions, yet many past appointments have raised serious concerns.
A 2022 report by the Centre for Judicial Integrity in Africa found that 19% of judges surveyed had unresolved allegations of corruption, while 12% had been accused of abuse of office, and an alarming 6% had documented instances of domestic violence or unethical behavior in their private lives.
“Some judges do not understand the use of power—they abuse it,” said a senior legal practitioner who wished to remain anonymous. “They carry personal bitterness into the courtroom, and in some cases, destroy the lives of litigants.”
This new process allows the public—including lawyers, litigants, family members, and business associates—to provide information that may not be captured in formal records.
The Mental Fitness Gap
Another glaring gap the reform seeks to address is mental fitness. While legal training is a prerequisite, psychological evaluation is often overlooked. Yet, judges deal with traumatic testimonies, high-pressure decisions, and intense power dynamics.
“Mental stability and emotional intelligence should be non-negotiable,” said Prof. Adedayo Awolowo, a legal psychologist at the University of Lagos. “A judge with unprocessed personal trauma or unresolved biases can do irreparable harm.”
Countries like Norway and the Netherlands require psychological screening as part of judicial assessments—especially at appellate and supreme court levels. Nigeria now has the opportunity to implement similar measures.
What the Public Can Do
Nigerians are urged to take advantage of the comment window by:
Reviewing the published names and profiles of candidates
Submitting credible, evidence-based observations
Supporting nominees with a proven track record of integrity, compassion, and impartiality
The public comment period will be open for two weeks via a secure portal on the NJI website and monitored by a neutral oversight panel.
Hope for Deeper Reform
This bold step by CJN Kekere-Ekun signals a broader vision for judicial reform under the Renewed Hope agenda.
“This will help keep out corrupt, criminally-minded, and morally decadent persons from the bench,” said Barr. Ifeoma Nwosu, a Lagos-based human rights lawyer. “I commend the CJN and hope more reforms—like court automation, judicial performance audits, and ethics training—will follow.”
The judiciary is often described as the last hope of the common man. But for that hope to be credible, it must be built on trust, transparency, and moral authority.
Conclusion: A Step Toward a Just Nigeria
For decades, Nigerians have complained about the quality of their judiciary—sometimes quietly, sometimes bitterly. Now, for the first time in recent history, they are being invited to speak up before a judge is sworn in.
“Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done—and that begins with who we allow to wear the robe,” said Justice Amina Abdullahi (Rtd).
May this reform mark the beginning of a more accountable, equitable, and truly people-centred judiciary.
Editor’s Note: The list of 82 candidates and submission instructions are available at [nji.gov.ng]. Public comments close on May 17, 2025.
Headlinenews.news Special Investigative Report
While the current reform championed by CJN Kekere-Ekun offers a hopeful future, it also forces a long-overdue reckoning with Nigeria’s troubled judicial past—one marked by the appointment of individuals who never should have been allowed near the bench.
A glaring example involves a now-retired judge whose history reads like a dossier of misconduct and criminal abuse of power. During his tenure:
He assaulted a family member at the Altar during a Church service.
He unlawfully sealed his own mother’s residence using a judicial seal—typically reserved for court-ordered enforcement—effectively locking her out of her home without any legal basis for years till date.
He harassed and threatened relatives and community members, even ordering unlawful arrests and detentions.
He once arrested a commercial bus driver Kasali on a public road for merely stopping to let off passengers, an act entirely outside his jurisdiction and got him remanded to Kirikiri maximum prison for years.
He obtained fake medical records to facilitate long overseas travel, abandoning his courtroom responsibilities for months to Party in London without formal leave.
He was reported to have fought publicly at a family ceremony, tearing the clothes of his own relatives in a fit of rage because they were loyal to his mother.
He illegally carries a pistol without a license or official authorization, using it to intimidate and blackmail perceived opponents, relatives to submission.
He filed trumped-up charges to get citizens detained unjustly, leveraging his position to terrorize those who stood up to him.
This matter was formally reported to the National Judicial Council (NJC) during the tenure of former Chief Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, Nigeria’s first female CJN known for her tough stance on judicial ethics. The judge in question was eventually compulsorily retired—a disciplinary measure often used when a dismissal could attract more public scrutiny.
Committed Judicial murder by preventing a Cancer patient with a case before him from traveling to the UK for treatment despite all documents submitted and the person who was a Client of Falana died due to lack of treatment to stop the spread of the cancer.
However, many observers believe this outcome was far too lenient.
“That man should not be walking free. He should be in jail. He abused power, assaulted people, forged documents, and weaponized the law,” said a senior official from Nigerians for Good Governance and Integrity (NGI), Against Injustice, an advocacy group tracking judicial misconduct. “Compulsory retirement is not justice. It is an institutional cover-up.”
Renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, reportedly took up some of the cases involving victims falsely detained under the judge’s orders. Several individuals were later released after it became evident that their arrests were founded on malice, personal vendettas, or fabricated claims.
A History of Misjudgment: The Cost of Allowing Abusive Judges on the Bench
This case represents just one of several where the lack of transparent vetting, psychological evaluation, and ethical enforcement allowed individuals with a pattern of violent behavior, mental instability, and criminal tendencies to sit in judgment over others.
It illustrates why the current reform—soliciting public comments before confirmation—is not just symbolic, but necessary to prevent future travesties of justice.
“You cannot give judicial power to a tyrant and expect justice,” NGI’s statement continued. “The judiciary must police itself or lose its legitimacy in the eyes of the people.”
In light of such egregious cases, legal experts are calling on the NJC to go further: implement lifetime disqualifications, mandated background and psychological checks, and provisions for criminal prosecution in serious cases of abuse.
Nigeria’s judiciary has long been seen as the last hope of the common man, but as these past examples show, it has at times also been the first instrument of oppression in the wrong hands.
Editor’s Note: HeadlineNews.News will continue to monitor the NJI’s vetting process and publish verified updates on the candidates under review. To submit your comments or concerns about any of the 82 shortlisted nominees, visit the official NJI portal before the public window closes.
