The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, has expressed concern that justice in Nigeria is increasingly becoming a “purchasable commodity,” where the poor are victims and the rich evade accountability.
The monarch said this during a keynote address at the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference on Sunday in Enugu.
The Sultan also cautioned that the integrity of the judicial system was being undermined by corruption and inequality, leading to unfair outcomes.
He further emphasised the need for the legal profession to remain committed to upholding the rule of law, ensuring fairness, accountability, and equality before the law.
The Sultan stressed that justice is the foundation of stable societies and that law must always target justice as its ultimate goal.
He lamented Nigeria’s perennial challenge of poor policy implementation despite having “very good policies.”
He emphasised that law and learning are inseparable, and justice is one of the core values the law is supposed to achieve.
He urged participants to address critical issues shaping Nigeria’s future, including continuing efforts to decolonise laws and make them closer to Nigerian values, culture, and history
The Sultan also urged the conference to address glaring inequalities, fostering cohesion as well as Improving access to justice, especially considering the rising cost of litigation and the exclusion of the weak and vulnerable.
This conference, I hope, will also give you the time to address issues that are pertinent to the future of our society.
“Three things are particularly important: continuing efforts at law reforms to gradually decolonise our laws and make them closer to our values, culture and history; addressing social justice to tackle glaring inequalities and foster cohesion; and improving access to justice, especially considering the rising cost of litigation and the exclusion of the weak and vulnerable,” he said.
