Nigerian judiciary most vibrant in Africa, says Osinbajo

The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), has said that Nigerian Judiciary is possibly the most vibrant judicial system in Africa.

The Vice President stated this during the ‘Words in Gold’ Awards put together by the LawPavilion, foremost legal Information and Communication Technology (ICT) firm in Abuja recently.

The firm organised the event in partnership with the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), to celebrate the outstanding efforts and contributions of the Judiciary to democracy and national development.

Osinbajo also said that with the introduction of a new software, such as LawPavilion Prime, provision of information and tracing of the history of a principle of Law practice in Nigeria will be simplified.

He said the products are on course to further advance delivery and administration of Justice in Nigeria and therefore worthy of recognition and emulation.

Emphasising how the legal industry is being transformed by technology in his keynote address on: ‘Data as the new Equity – New Approaches for Enhanced Justice Delivery and Administration’, he pointed out that manual method of conducting legal research was extremely tedious and time consuming.

Also, the Director General of Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), Prof. ‘Deji Adekunle, described the awards as a “remarkable endeavour that will continue to shed light on the invaluable contributions that have gone unnoticed and uncelebrated in the Nigerian Judicial system.”

The first category of the award related to eminent premiers in the Judiciary; namely the first indigenous Chief Justice of Nigeria , Hon. Justice Adetokunbo Ademola, ably represented by his grandson, Hon. Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division; and the first female Chief Justice of Nigeria- Hon. Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar.

The second category recognized and celebrated Justices of the Supreme Court who delivered judgments that resulted in legislative or legal reforms, forming turning points in Nigerian jurisprudence. The recipients were: Hon. Justice Vahe Bairamian, who received the award for his judgment on practice and procedure.

Other recipients are late Justice Kayode Eso, who was recognised for his judgment on Constitutional Law. The award for exceptional contribution to Commercial Law was given to Hon. Justice Uthman Mohammed, for his erudite judgment while Hon. Justice George Baptist Ayodola Coker, was celebrated for his notable judgment on Criminal Law.

Justices recognized for their courage, literary writing style, depth and breadth of reasoning, forthrightness and thoroughness at the Upper Bench as symbols of Judicial Excellence were recognised in the third category.