In the eternal struggle between good and evil, there is always the law;
divine, human, political, religious etc. but for the presence of the law,
society will be grounded in the Hobbesian state; no order, no reprieve,
only survival of the fittest. But thank goodness the law exists.
It is a given, though not absolute, that the law is enacted so that men
can get justice. But sometimes, when the law is invoked, it fails to
deliver justice. Despite the apparent shortcomings in the justice
system, no society takes its justice administration with any measure
of levity.
In the muted struggle of affiliations and interests, the law usually
stands tall, but justice is dwarfed. In advance societies where justice
is the sacred oath of the law, governments ensure that the machinery
of justice is not allowed to clog. Judicial procedure is not allowed to
overshadow the delivery of justice, which is the purpose of the law.
In a country where the judicial process is
burdensome, and the courts are insufficient
and overburdened, justice suffers from
technical slides. In a country where judicial
officers are ill-motivated, they are often
inclined to pervert the cause of justice for personal gains. Even when
the judicial wheel grinds reluctantly to deliver justice, it is not justice.
That is what birthed the adage-justice delayed is justice denied.
But in Rivers State, the administration of justice is undergoing
historical overhaul. Governor Nyesom Wike, who had himself
experienced firsthand why justice is as important as the law, if not
more important, is ensuring that justice is swift and smooth for all in
the state.
His travails after the last general election have brought home to him
the imperative of justice if democracy is to take firm roots in the
country. After the Court of Appeal nullified his election as governor on
some legal technicalities, Wike found redemption at the Supreme
Court, which affirmed his election and showed why the appeal court
erred in law. It was a moment of joy for Wike, and he demonstrated
this much at a well-publicised church service for the grace.
But it also taught him a lesson. And that is – justice can never be
taken for granted. No one must assume he would win a case because
his case is good. It takes the officers of the law to make a good case
truly good. That is why judges are a special group. They hold the
scale of justice, and can weigh you down or lift you up – sometimes,
sadly, just depending on their mood!
That is why a country needs to take care of the Bench. The conflicting
judgments from the courts in recent months is clear testimony that
the bench holds the ace if democracy is to survive.
Governor Wike is keenly aware of this, and his administration has
found ways of helping the law deliver justice. And one of the ways, as
demonstrated recently, is to make judicial officers comfortable enough
to make it difficult to pervert the course of justice. As a demonstration
of this, Wike recently gave out 57 Honda cars to magistrates in the
state. At the ceremony, the governor said he gave them the vehicles
to provide enabling environment for the magistrates to “dispense
justice according to the law.”
Moving forward, Wike also acquired 4.1 hectares of land at the Port
Harcourt GRA for the construction of suitable residential quarters for
all judges in the state. This is aside other perks of office the Wike
administration has approved for judicial officers in the state.
At the ceremony, Rivers State Chief Judge, Justice Adama Iyayi-
Lamikanran, commended the governor and said the gesture would
enhance the dispensation of justice in the state. She urged the
magistrates and other judicial officers to reciprocate Wike’s gesture by
putting in their best, while noting that providing such enabling
environment at a time of financial distress, was a testimony to the
governor’s belief in the law as a means of attaining justice.
If truth be told, provision of cars or housing, or even jumbo pay for
judges would on their own lead to better dispensation of justice. Wike,
a lawyer himself, knows this better than many. There are the issues of
the criminal justice system, long due for a review; the challenges of
criminal investigation and law enforcement, among others. But what
Wike has done, and should do more, is the widow’s mite that a state
can contribute to the administration of justice.
The Wike administration’s desire to rid Rivers State of cultism will
only succeed with the cooperation of judiciary and the law
enforcement agencies. Cult-clashes and other cult-related violence
have posed some security challenges for the state, especially Port
Harcourt. Political traducers have attempted to use this as an excuse
to paint the Wike administration in negative colours, though residents
know that political rivalries and nothing more, is responsible for most
of the clashes.
It is heartwarming that the governor has demonstrated exemplary
determination to stem the tide and restore sanity to the state.
Towards this end, he has given the necessary support to law
enforcement agencies in the state to enable them tackle the menace
of cultism. According to him, the protection of the residents of the
state is paramount for his administration.
At a function recently, he said: “I have provided the required support
and logistics to the security agencies to tackle these cultists. Nobody
remotely involved will be spared. No cultist will go free.”
But that is only one part of the equation. The other part is the
prosecution of offenders. This is where the judiciary is central and
critical. Wike knows he needs the courts to be swift and smooth in
delivering justice.
In June alone, not less than twenty people were killed in during
violent cult clashes in different parts of the state, especially in
Elelenwo and Abua/Odua Local Government Area. The situation has
caused, expectedly, panic among residents.
The activities of the cult groups have usually compromised security
during elections and public events. As a result, Governor Wike has
come under tremendous national pressure to stem the tide and
change the narrative, a call he has heeded with uncommon passion.
Nothing will demonstrate goodwill by the judiciary than to rise up to
the occasion by being swift, decisive and impartial in handling cases
relating to cult matters in the state. The governor has lived up to his
social contract with the judiciary by looking to their welfare, therefore,
the Bench should shun any form of indolence.
Rivers state is a beloved state to many Nigerians. Now that Governor
Wike has laid his cards on the table, those who would play with him
must demonstrate similar integrity and resourcefulness. Justice must
not be delayed or denied. It is what Rivers needs. It is what Rivers
should get.
Source
The Nigeria Lawyer News
