Senior lawyers, judges and policymakers gathered at a high-level luncheon in Lagos to confront the growing crisis of public trust in Nigeria’s justice system, examining judicial integrity, systemic reforms and the shared responsibilities of the Bar, the Bench and society in restoring confidence in the rule of law. Deputy News Editor JOSEPH JIBUEZE reports.
At a time when public confidence in Nigeria’s justice system is under intense strain, leading figures in the legal profession converged to confront what many now describe as the most critical challenge facing the judiciary: trust.
The consensus was clear: without public trust, the courts lose legitimacy, the rule of law weakens, and justice itself becomes suspect.
The gathering, a high-level luncheon organised by SPA Ajibade & Co, brought together senior lawyers, judges, policymakers and thought leaders.
They examined how public confidence in the judiciary can be rebuilt through reform, accountability and collective responsibility.
Discussions ranged from judicial ethics and court administration to technology, political will and the behaviour of lawyers themselves.
Setting the tone, Partner at SPA Ajibade & Co, Dr. Kolawole Mayomi, said the luncheon was deliberately designed to spotlight contemporary issues confronting the legal profession and to move beyond rhetoric.
“The aim is to bring together thought leaders and professionals to discuss, not only discuss, but provide practical solutions to these problems,” he said.
According to Mayomi, previous editions of the forum had interrogated issues such as globalisation, the challenges of practising law as a business, the future of legal practice, partnership development, the “JAPA” syndrome, and reforms within the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
He explained that this year’s theme, “Rebuilding Public Trust in the Nigerian Justice System: Responsibilities of the Bar, the Bench, and the Society,” was chosen to address what has become an existential problem for the profession.
“We have the problems of improperly trained lawyers. We have a problem of a few corrupt judges. We can’t run away from that. We have problems of contradictory judgments of courts,” Mayomi said.
He added that unenforceable laws and weak implementation mechanisms further complicate justice delivery.
However, he stressed that the most pressing issue today is perception.
“But by far, the most fundamental problem we are grappling with in this profession in 2025 is a problem of the erosion of public trust,” he said. “Many citizens, truth must be told, believe that the justice system is broken or that justice is only available to the highest bidder. That’s a matter of perception.”
For the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), trust is not an abstract concept but the very foundation upon which the legal system stands.
“Public trust in the justice system is central to the existence of the legal profession. Without trust, the system cannot function,” he said.
Fagbemi warned that without confidence in the courts, citizens cannot rely on them for the protection of rights or peaceful resolution of disputes.
“Without trust, the work we do loses meaning,” he added.
Acknowledging the pressures facing the justice system, the Attorney-General identified structural weaknesses, gaps in process, capacity and funding, as well as behavioural issues across the Bar, the Bench and society at large.
“Yet, in all of this, one fact remains: trust is built through conduct. Trust is maintained through fairness, efficiency and transparency. Trust is repaired through action,” he said.
He assured participants that the Federal Government was committed to rebuilding confidence in the justice sector.
“Under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, the Federal Government has prioritised the strengthening of the justice sector as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” Fagbemi said.
He stressed that the rule of law and institutional reform are central to the administration’s vision for national development.
Delivering the keynote address, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) painted a sobering picture of the justice system, calling for an urgent and comprehensive overhaul of how justice is administered in Nigeria.
He pointed to deep-seated systemic failings and alarming levels of distrust, even within the legal profession itself.
Citing a survey conducted by SPA Ajibade & Co, Osinbajo noted that at least 73 per cent of practising lawyers believe public trust in the justice system is poor.
“If 73 per cent of lawyers believe that public trust is low, that really, I think, describes the nature of the problem,” he said.
Osinbajo warned that public confidence in the fairness and credibility of the justice system is being eroded almost daily.
“Public confidence in the fairness, relevance and credibility of our justice system is being eroded practically every day,” he said.
Describing the justice system as a public resource, he emphasised that it belongs to society, not just judges and lawyers.
“The justice system is a public trust. It is a public resource funded by the people… it does not belong to judges or lawyers alone. It belongs to the society that it serves,” he said.
He stressed that judicial decisions must resonate with both the letter and spirit of the law.
“Judicial reasoning must reflect both the letter and spirit of the law. Otherwise, outcomes become technistic abstractions that are completely divorced from common sense,” Osinbajo said, arguing that justice must deliver substantive, not merely procedural, outcomes.
The former Vice President outlined wide-ranging reforms contained in the revised National Policy on Justice (2024–2028), focusing on technology, efficiency, enforcement and governance.
Among his recommendations were the embrace of digitisation, expanded virtual hearings to reduce delays, and the introduction of digital tools such as verbatim recording systems and AI-assisted transcription to improve accuracy and speed in court proceedings.
He also called for the removal of procedural bottlenecks such as mandatory pre-action notices in urgent matters, improved case management, and the expansion of specialised courts and fast-track systems.
Alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, he said, should be encouraged to reduce congestion and costs.
On enforcement, Osinbajo argued that judgments mean little if they cannot be implemented.
He proposed the creation of a well-trained and empowered judgment enforcement corps, separate from the police, to ensure court orders translate into real outcomes.
He further advocated the professionalisation of court administration, suggesting that judges should not be burdened with managing complex judicial systems without administrative training.
A separate cadre of professional court administrators, he said, would free judges to focus on adjudication.
Osinbajo also stressed the need to strengthen judicial appointments and oversight through transparent, merit-based processes and more diverse oversight bodies, while improving judicial welfare and discipline to counter corruption and restore integrity.
Other speakers reinforced the need for structural reform.
Former Aviation Minister, Osita Chidoka, emphasised the importance of performance measurement. “You cannot fix what you cannot measure. We need to use data to drive the process discipline,” he said.
Supreme Court Justice Habeeb Abiru called for limits on the types of cases that reach the apex court.
“Matters of who should be an oba in a village and tenancy matters have no business going beyond the High Court,” he said, expressing hope that ongoing constitutional amendments would address delay-inducing issues.
Former NBA President, Olumide Akpata, struck a more cautious note, warning that reform would be difficult without strong executive leadership.
He expressed concern that beneficiaries of a broken system may resist change.
“We’re in a catch 22 situation,” Akpata said, describing a paradox where reform is needed but blocked by those who benefit from dysfunction.
“They will keep the judges impoverished so that they will keep going to beg. We may need some external stimuli,” he added.
Managing Partner of SPA Ajibade & Co, Dr. Babatunde Ajibade (SAN), called for a formalised court monitoring system to ensure accountability and sustained reform.
“We need to get serious,” he said, stressing that despite the challenges, the legal profession must not abandon the journey to restore public trust in Nigeria’s justice system.
Other speakers were Prof. Pat Utomi, Dr Charles Adeogun-Phillips, Justice Oludotun Adefope-Okojie (rtd), among others.
