Judiciary on same page with Executive on anti-graft war – CJN
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, has said that both the Judiciary and the Executive arm of government are on the same page in the fight against corruption in the country.
Onnoghen said that the judiciary was still waiting on the Executive arm of government to establish special courts that will try corruption cases.
Tue CJN said this on Tuesday during an interview with State House correspondents after a closed doors’ meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to him, there is no truth in the claim that the Judiciary is not on the same page with the Executive on the fight against corruption.
The CJN said that he decided to set up the Committee for the Prevention of Corruption because of the buck passing that has been going on.
He said, “We are on the same page with the Executive. There are three arms of government and these three arms constitute the government. The government is not only the Executive.”
The CJN also gave judges a pass mark as far as their performances are concerned “under the circumstances.”
He said: “All along, everybody is passing buck. The prosecution will say it is not our responsibility; we are not the cause of the delay. The investigator will say l am not the cause, the Judge will say, l am not the cause. So, the people must know who is the cause of the delay.
“That is why l set up that committee made up of the defence counsel, the prosecutor and the Judiciary under the NJC.”
He said it was not the responsibility of the judiciary to establish the special courts.
“It is the Executive in conjunction with the Legislature that has the prerogative of setting up courts, including the special courts, under our Constitution and not the Judiciary.
“Once the Executive sets up such courts, the Judiciary will run on it by providing the manpower,” the CJN said.
The CJN also said it was wrong to heap the blame of the delay in dispensation of justice on judges alone.
