President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has promised to tackle corruption among judges in Nigeria by ensuring that they do not live in squalor.
He made this known during the inauguration of the Magistrates’ Court Complex in Rivers State, built by Governor Nyesom Wike’s administration and named after a former Chief Judge of the state, Justice Iche Ndu (retd.).
Tinubu praised Governor Wike for his efforts in supporting the judiciary in the state but stated that his incoming administration would take a different approach to tackle corruption among judges.
“You don’t expect your judges to live in squalor, to operate in squalor, to dispense justice in squalor. This is part of the changes that are necessary in our policy think tank,” he said.
He further stated that paying attention to the welfare of judges is crucial in the fight against corruption.
“If you don’t want your judges to be corrupt, you got to pay attention to their welfare. If you want fair dispensation of justice, you don’t want them to operate in hazardous conditions. Let’s think value for value,” Tinubu added.
Tinubu also highlighted the need for consumer credit to reduce the propensity for corruption.
He said,
“If I don’t have consumer credit and you want me to pay for the car I needed at once, N5m, N6m, driving temptation to corruption. But if you have consumer credit, then that will reduce the propensity to corruption. We don’t want our judges to play foul, to compromise justice. Not just the books, but do something. And I promise you, we are going to review all of these in our policy think tank.”
Tinubu promised to prioritize the welfare of judges and improve their working conditions to ensure fair dispensation of justice.
“I believe that by addressing some of these welfare issues, you will help to reduce corruption among the judges. That’s part of the fundamental change we are going to make. We are going to prioritize the welfare of our judges so that they can dispense justice without fear or favour,” he said.
