The 2019/2020 legal year of the judiciary has kicked off following the resumption from a month long annual vacation embarked on by court judges in Nigeria.
In light of this, several programmes have been lined up to herald the 2019/2020 legal year of the court, one of which include the swearing in of 38 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed.
Vice president Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday, September 23, 2019 attended a Supreme Court Special Session for the 2019/2020 Legal Year.
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In a tweet, Osinbajo, who described his appearance at the event as “privileged,’ shared photos on twitter.
His media aide also shared the vice president pictures with other Justices including the chief justice at the event.
The last legal year presented some turbulence for the judiciary as the former Chief Justice of Nigeria was suspended from office over alleged monumental corruption and replaced by Mohammed.
It was also a year in which controversy dogged the replacement of the chief justice of Nigeria and threatened the independence of Nigeria.
Recall that the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) warned the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government against practices that undermine the independence of the judiciary.
President of the NBA, Paul Usoro, who is also facing corruption charges in court, during a speech last week had said, “veiled and sometimes open and, in all cases, audacious attempts are made to tele-guide and program the decisions of courts.”
He said, “These are very dangerous practices that destroy the independence of the judiciary and by extension the rule of law and indeed the fabric of our society.
“The society needs and can only survive if we have independent-minded judges who are empowered to dispense justice to all manner of men, including government departments, without fear or favor. We can only survive as a nation if the independence and vibrancy of the judiciary, particularly, the non-interference with the thoughts and decision-making processes of Your Lordships, are guaranteed and protected.”
No doubt the activities marking the new legal will involve a review of the past year and the lessons learnt.
The Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria is expected to deliver a state-of-the Judiciary address which is ostensible to highlight the performance of the Supreme Court, and by extension, the Nigerian Judiciary in the outgoing 2018/2019 legal year.