The Nigerian Public Ought To Have Advance Notice Of The CJN’s Overseas’ Trips

TheNigeriaLawyer Editorial

Last week social and some traditional media outlets was flooded with a report of an alleged secret meeting between the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Honourable Justice Olukayode Ariwoola and the President-Elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu in London.

According to the report, it was alleged that the Chief Justice of Nigeria disguised as a physically challenged man on a wheel chair at the Abuja International Airport as well as in an undisclosed hotel in London.

Despite denials from the Supreme Court and the ruling All Progressives Congress, a lot of Nigerians believed the narrative and took hold of the opportunity to query the integrity and uprightness of the judiciary.

However, in a swift plot twist, the CJN was pictured the next day in Abuja attending prayers as part of the ongoing Ramadan fast.

A number of lawyers also spoke in defence of CJN, restating that the CJN had gone abroad for medical checkup, he had long returned before the time he was speculated to have met President-Elect, Bola Tinubu whose election is being challenged in the judiciary.

With the air now cleared, and the clumsy debacle now unknotted, it is important that lessons be learnt moving forward in order to save the Supreme Court and Nigeria’s number one judicial officer from a repeat of such embarrassing and demeaning drama.

We particularly note with concern that while the Supreme Court was quick to debunk the report of the alleged meeting with the fact that the CJN had been in London for a medical trip, Nigerians whom the CJN is bound on oath to serve were not in the know of such medical trip before the eruption of this controversy.

This is particularly against every sense of transparency and accountability in leadership and governance.

As a public servant funded by taxpayers, the CJN’s medical trip ought not to be shrouded in systemic secrecy which allowed speculations, rumours and even falsehood to comfortably grow around.

The Apex Court’s Communication Department is tasked to improve its interface with the Nigerian public on the activities of the Court and its officials. Non-confidential details such as the whereabouts of Justices should not be made subject to debate due to the unavailability of information from the right authority.

The CJN has never covered up his leg issue. Those who have followed him before now has always known.

There is also an umpteenth call for the improvement of Nigeria’s medical facilities. The fact that public officers have to travel abroad for the slightest of medical checkups (not even treatments) is the greatest indictment on the deplorable standards available in our medical facilities.

The amount of money spent on foreign medical trips by public officers constitutes an avoidable drain to our budget which is unproductive expenditure of slim national resources.

In conclusion, communication channels in the Supreme Court must be transparent enough in order not to give room to the flourishing of falsehood and propaganda.