President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday delivered a challenge to Nigeria’s judiciary, offering substantial support in exchange for genuine internal reform.
His address followed Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Olukayode Ariwoola’s unusually candid opening to the 2025 All Nigerian Judges Conference, where the CJN admitted that “segments of the public hold a critical perception of the judiciary” and acknowledged that “there are some within our ranks who have undermined the integrity of the bench.”
He urged the judiciary to take “deliberate and demonstrable action that restores confidence in our courts.”
President Tinubu praised the judiciary as a national stabilizer before setting clear expectations for reform.
Emphasizing its central democratic role, he declared: “You are the architect of our democratic destiny.”
He then tied his administration’s backing to institutional integrity, outlining tangible support to modernize the courts: upgraded infrastructure, accelerated digitization, and enhanced judicial welfare and training.
Stressing that his promises were substantive, he vowed: “Most support must be tangible, not ceremonial. And I mean it.”
Tinubu’s sternest message concerned corruption.
Positioning judicial misconduct as a grave threat to democracy, he insisted that justice must be pristine to sustain public trust.
His ultimatum was unequivocal: “Justice must never be for sale,” and “The bench must never become a sanctuary for compromise.”
While promising executive support, he insisted that moral authority must begin from within: “Only a judiciary that cleanses itself can command the moral authority to cleanse our society.”
Framing public trust as the “lifeblood of justice,” the president urged judges to ensure justice is both done and perceived to be done.
He challenged them to confront case backlogs, strengthen discipline, and make justice accessible to “the poor, the weak, and the voiceless.”
Concluding, he reaffirmed the judiciary as the nation’s “last hope of the common man,” offering partnership conditioned on decisive self-reform.
