Ayodele Olalere
A group, Access to Justice (A2J), has called on the National Judicial Council (NJC), to cancel this year annual vacation for judges.
It describes as insensitive plan by some states judiciary to allow judges go on a long vacation this year, saying such plan is counter-productive in the face of the delay the judiciary has witnessed this year following the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement by the group jointly signed by its Convener, Joseph Otteh, and Project Director, Deji Ajare, it described as unnecessary this year’s annual vacation for judges as many cases in court are yet to be attended to due to the Covid-19.
“Some Federal and state courts are announcing court vacations beginning this July, which will last for up to two months, while some judiciaries have put off those vacations for the year 2020. Among those who have done so are Ogun and Jigawa State judiciaries. Access to Justice applauds the heads of court that have, in response to the exigencies of ameliorating the delays caused by the Judiciarys reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, put off annual vacations for their Judges. The heads of these judiciaries have shown conscientious and responsive leadership,” the statement stated.
It added: “Taking vacations after long suspensions of court sittings not right; gives wrong message about judiciary’s commitment to delivering Justice.
The announcement by other federal and state judiciaries that their courts will proceed on routine annual vacations, for at least a two-month period, is unfortunate. Thousands of cases were affected by the suspension of court sittings following the Chief Justice of Nigerias directive to suspend court activities in March, or the limited scope of hearings taking place now following the partial resumption of court business.”
“Many of the cases affected by limited court sitting are cases that are delicate, time-sensitive, vital for other processes or those that involve personal liberties. In some criminal cases, defendants who could not access pre-trial bail are in overly-congested correctional houses, institutions that also present a very peculiar problem of their own.”
“The Judiciary as an institution has a primordial and frontline responsibility to protect human life, and this responsibility ought to weigh heavily on how its decisions including vacation decisions are made.”
It called on the
National Judicial Councils, NJC, to ‘step in and reverse vacation schedules.’
“The National Judicial Council (NJC) must step in now, just as it weighed in to direct the suspension of court proceedings following National Policies and Guidelines in March and April. The NJC ought now to make a Judiciary-wide policy on vacations that demonstrates that the Nigerian Judiciary does not exist in an abstract institutional vacuum of its creation, but is part and parcel of Nigerian society, and will itself make the sacrifices necessary to ensure the overall good and welfare of the Nigerian people.
The NJC should direct all the courts that have announced judicial vacations to reverse those decisions now.”
