S-Court New Legal Year: Ubani calls for sustained reform, integrity in justice

By Henry Ojelu

ABUJA – Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr. Monday Onyekachi Ubani, has described the 2025/26 Supreme Court Legal Year arsenic some a solemnisation of honour and a infinitesimal of sober reflection, stressing that portion the judiciary has made measurable progress, the task of betterment is acold from over.

Ubani, who witnessed the ceremonial successful Abuja wherever 57 caller Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) were sworn in, said the lawsuit proved that Nigeria’s justness strategy is not stagnant but steadily moving forward.

“Where we stood past twelvemonth is not wherever we basal today,” helium said, pointing to what helium called “measurable advancement astatine some substantive and procedural levels of jurisprudence.”

However, helium cautioned that the challenges raised by cardinal voices astatine the ceremonial – including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and erstwhile NBA President, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN – were reminders that betterment indispensable stay an ongoing duty.

At the ceremony, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, presented a advancement study connected judicial reforms nether her enactment and urged the caller silks to uphold integrity and humility. The Attorney-General assured that the Federal Government is committed to strengthening transparency and entree to justice, portion Olanipekun called connected the Court to stabilise the doctrine of precedent successful the look of conflicting judgments.

But it was the NBA President’s involution that struck the deepest chord. Osigwe highlighted unresolved law questions astir the limits of enforcement powerfulness during exigency rule, condemned the plight of citizens similar Bright Ngene successful Enugu whose entreaty has been delayed by judicial recusals, and demanded reforms to Nigeria’s bail strategy which helium said unfairly punishes the poor.

Ubani said these interventions gave the ceremonial a deeper meaning.

The conferment of silk, helium noted, is not conscionable a idiosyncratic accomplishment but “a reminder of the dense load borne by the advocator – to service arsenic guardian of justness and beacon of anticipation for the communal man.”

The station S-Court New Legal Year: Ubani calls for sustained reform, integrity successful justice appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.