By Adesina Soyooye
President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mr Olumide has strongly criticised the method used in the nomination of the Judges of the Court of Appeal.
Coming down hard on it, Akpata slammed both the poor screening and the low quality of the Judges who appeared before the screening committee.
Akpata made the startling revelations at the National Executive Committee of the NBA held in Uyo on Wednesday, the 18th of March, 2021.
As a member of the National Judicial Council, NJC, the body which interviews Judges before their appointments, Akpata said that what he witnessed during the recent screening of nominees to the Court of Appeal, left much to be desired.
According to him, a number of them had very poor knowledge of important legal issues. When one expressed shock at the quality, Akpata said the standard answer was: “They will learn on the job.” And he asked himsef: “Are these people really going to the Court of Appeal?” He was left aghast, he said.
Added to their poor quality, the NBA President said that only six minutes were allocated to the screening of each Judge, a time frame he dismissed as insufficient to interrogate them.
But he said the NBA, under his watch will continue to ask questions on the quality of Judges in the country.
Akpata: “What I saw and experienced at the NJC meeting on the appointment of judges to the Court of Appeal left me aghast!
“Important legal issues that were occasionally put to the nominees could not be answered!
“The whole proceedings appeared more of an old school boys meeting. When I, as “Johnny-Just-Come” (fresh attendee), wondered at this, and was forced to ask: “Are these people really going to the Court of Appeal?” I heard things like “They will learn on the job”!
“We were to interview twenty nominees at a point but only 2 hours was allocated for this important exercise. That meant six minutes only for each nominee. We cannot continue like this!
“WE MUST SPEAK UP AND DO SOMETHING AS THIS IS OUR PLAYING FIELD!
“Let me assure you that the NBA will never be a rubber stamp participant at such bodies. You can quote me on that! We will continue to ask questions. If they do not want our input then we will leave.”
Akpata’s concerns add to the litany of complaints which followed the nomination of the Judges.
Among other complaints, many expressed deep concern over the lopsidedness of the nominees, forcing the President of the Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice Monica Dongbem-Mensem, to defend the integrity of her Court.
However, the NJC, at its meeting on March 17- 18, approved the appointed of 18 out of the 20 which appeared for screening and interview.
