The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has asserted that the judiciary now primarily serves politicians and other influential individuals in the country.
Fagbemi made this statement on Thursday during the groundbreaking ceremony for the N37 billion construction of the Abuja Division of the Appeal Court Complex at Daki-Biyu. The event was officiated by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
During the ceremony, Minister Wike announced that Chief Bola Tinubu had approved N30 billion of the N37 billion in the 2024 budget for the project, which is scheduled to be completed by September 2025.
Despite expressing his views on the judiciary’s current role, Fagbemi conveyed optimism that the new complex would serve as a venue for truth and the protection of people’s rights.
Fagbemi stated, “Gone were those days when the judiciary was regarded as the last hope of the common man. I take objection to it. It is the big people now who patronise the judiciary, not even the common man. If you have any doubt, the election is approaching, come and see the way, with all due respect, some people behave like rain-beaten chickens. Forgive me, I don’t mean to be rude. So, the judiciary is no longer the last hope of the common man alone, it is also, or majorly now, the last hope of the big shots,” he added.
Other notable speakers at the event included the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola; President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem; and President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Yakubu Maikyau.
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