Judges Must Not Compromise Justice – Tinubu Warns

The President-elect, Bola Tinubu, has warned judges not to “play foul” and “compromise justice”.

Tinubu gave the warning on Thursday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State in continuation of his two-day visit to the state on the invitation of the governor, Nyesom Wike.

Recall the former Lagos State governor commissioned a flyover in the state on Wednesday.

Speaking while inaugurating the Magistrates’ Court Complex in Port Harcourt on Thursday, Tinubu extolled Wike for the complex which he said is another way of fighting corruption.

While identifying corruption in the third arm of government as a challenge, he said good justice delivery must also be delivered in a comfortable environment.

He echoed that, “I think a different angle to what Wike has done here today is fighting corruption. This is the way to fight corruption. You don’t expect your judges, and you have been contributing very well to this.

“You don’t expect your judges to live in squalor, to operate in squalor; to dispense justice in squalor,” he added.

Promising that, “This is part of the changes that are necessary in our policy think-tank.

“We must fight corruption and we definitely must look at the other side of the coin.

“If you don’t want your judges to be corrupt, you have 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. If I don’t have consumer credit and you want me to pay for the car I needed at once, N5 million, N6 million, 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,” he stated.

The president-elect added, “Not just the books, but do something. And I promise you, we are going to review all of these in our policy think-tank.”

He restated the purpose of his visit to the state noting it was a fulfilment of the promise he made during the 2023 presidential campaign, saying, “And that is what I intend to do on all policy formations coming up. I promise Nigerians the unity of this country is not negotiable.

“That is what Nyesom Wike and I are promoting jointly. I promise I will be fair to all,” he stated.

Speaking to the magistrates, he said, “To the magistrates, it is left in your hands. To the judiciary, it is left to your hands. May God give you the will and the commitment to dispense justice to our society.

“Reform is on the way. I hope you will collaborate with me,” Tinubu stated.