- Judicial officers work inside wretched courtrooms, magistrates borrow to buy cars – NBA
BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s judicial sector have bemoaned the deplorable conditions of court facilities across the nation, saying absence of financial autonomy for state judiciary is negatively affecting dispensation of justice.
They lamented that judges, magistrates and presidents of customary courts were being treated poorly by state governors.
According to them, sufficient court facilities, including courtrooms, offices, judges/magistrate chambers, toilets, libraries, and electricity, among others, are lacking in most states in the country, while some magistrates haveto take loans to buy cars in order to avoid struggling to board public vehicles with accused persons and other litigants.
In Osun State, for instance, many court buildings, especially those outside Osogbo, the capital city, are in horrible conditions as snakes and other reptiles make their ways to courtrooms during proceedings.
The Point’s checks revealed that most of the court premises had been overtaken by weed while some ceilings were already on the verge of collapse.
The Nigerian Bar Association is worried about this sad trend and has complained about the deteriorating state of courtrooms and inadequate compensation for magistrates and presidents of Customary Courts in the state.
The association said most of the buildings housing the courts were old and almost dilapidating.
The NBA, Osogbo Branch, further berated the poor conditions of service, ranging from poor emoluments, infrastructural deficits and lack of official cars for magistrates and presidents of customary courts, among others. It called for an upward salary review for magistrates and presidents of customary courts.
Aside from salary increase, the NBA asked the state governor, Ademola Adeleke to purchase cars for magistrates and the district customary court presidents so as to prevent them from being exposed to ridicule and temptation of corruption and bribery.
In an interview, the Chairman of NBA Osogbo Branch, Yemi Abiona, disclosed that the last time the state government purchased official cars for magistrates was in 2012, adding that the magistrates had to be sharing the few available courts in order to attend to cases.
He stated, “Talking about the working conditions of our judges and magistrates in Osun State, we have about 32 magistrates. We have about three magistrates manning one court, owing to courtrooms deficit. In Osogbo, one court is being used by two magistrates and the implication is that there are no sufficient courtrooms. They have to share courtrooms. One will sit in a day and another will sit some other day, which automatically affects the way justice is being dispensed. The magistrates’ courts entertain more than 70 per cent of the legal disputes we have in the state.
“The last set of magistrates appointed in 2012 have yet to get official cars. Many of them that are driving now had to go and get loans to purchase the cars they are using so that we won’t have a situation in which a magistrate will be riding in the same vehicle with an accused person in court. You know the implication of that.
The last set were given official cars in 2012 and, check from now till date, and imagine what the condition of the cars would be now.
“There was a time a magistrate’s car broke down along the way because of the bad condition of the car. A lawyer was passing and had to pick the magistrate when a client that he was going to represent in court was also in his car. You can imagine that kind of situation and the signal it would send to the other party.
“If we want justice to be properly dispensed, our magistrates, presidents of customary courts need to be taken care of. In the last 10 years, nothing has been done about their salaries and things are getting expensive everyday. The experience in Oyo is even better. The four newest courtrooms in Osogbo were built by the Judiciary with money realised from affidavits. The situation is worrisome and each magistrate has nothing less than 10 cases in a day.”
“Many judges use their personal money to fuel generators in their courts in order to make the sitting comfortable. You know lawyers and judges put on wig and gown and the heat is always too much without fan or air conditioner. Weeds have taken over many courts and ceilings are already caving in. We lawyers are scared to sit in courts because ceilings want to fall off,” Abiona added.
The NBA chairman said it was painful that many state governors, both past and present, who benefited from judgments of the judiciary to become governors refused to prioritise the welfare of the same judges and magistrates.
“Some past governors have failed the Judiciary. Former governors Rauf Aregbesola and Gboyega Oyetola also failed the Judiciary, especially Aregbesola, who benefited from the Judiciary to become governor. He did not build a single courtroom in his eight-year tenure. He disappointed the Judiciary,” the lawyer claimed.
He therefore called for financial autonomy for state judiciary in order to pave the way for independence of thatarm of government and also see to its infrastructural needs.
Reacting, the state government agreed that most courtrooms in the country were an eyesore and in urgent need of attention and renovation.
The Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment in the state, Kolapo Alimi, who is also a lawyer, said emoluments of judicial officers were nothing to write home about, assuring that the state government would see to the needs of judges, magistrates, presidents as well as provide modern court infrastructures.
“We also go to courts everyday and we see the situation. So many things are wrong. It is true that our high courts have yet to be equipped with modern facilities. Everything stated (by the NBA) are statements of facts.
The emolument of judicial officers is nothing to write home about.
“Their emolument is so small and their take home cannot take them home. Something urgent needs to be done in order for temple of justice not be turned to temple of corruption because when magistrates have nothing in their stomach or bank account, they might easily be tempted with money. I learnt the Chief Judge has met with the NBA and our Attorney General, Oluwole Jimi-Bada will improve things,” he assured.
Findings by The Point revealed that except for Lagos State and the Federal Capital Territory, which boast of some good court facilities, the few good court facilities in other states, are mostly located at the capitals. Most courtrooms in most other states of the federation lack basic amenities such as tables, chairs, electricity, air conditioners, toilets, and waiting rooms. The situation is so bad that some judges and magistrates conduct proceeding using torch light while sweating inside congested courtrooms.
Recall that on Wednesday July 12, 2023, the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Oyewole Adeyeye, escaped death when a section of the state high court complex collapsed on him while in office. The incident, whichcaused the judge minor injuries, is a sad reflection of the deplorable state of infrastructures in most court buildings in Nigeria and the pitiable state of facilities available to court officials and users in the country even as stakeholders renew the call for judicial autonomy.
