By Emmanuel Kwada
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu today delivered a powerful and unflinching address to hundreds of superior court judges, warning that a judiciary that loses the confidence of the people “loses its legitimacy and the true currency of justice.”
Speaking at the opening of the 2025 All Nigerian Judges’ Conference of the Superior Courts at the National Judicial Institute in Abuja, the President described the gathering as an extraordinary assembly of the men and women on whose wisdom, courage and integrity the stability of Nigeria’s democracy depends.
With the conference theme “Building a Confident Judiciary” framing his remarks, President Tinubu confronted head-on the widespread public dissatisfaction with the judicial system.
He acknowledged openly that citizens have voiced deep frustration over prolonged delays, questions of integrity, and the difficulty many face in accessing justice. “These perceptions, whether wholly justified or not, cannot be ignored,” he said the President. “They call upon us to reflect, to reform, and to restore.”
He reminded the judges that justice is not ultimately for the Bench or the Bar, but for the people, and that public faith in the judicial process is the bedrock of national stability.
President Tinubu used the occasion to reaffirm his administration’s full commitment to judicial independence and to practical, sustained support.
He pledged continued funding for modern courtrooms, comprehensive digital case-management systems, secure judicial facilities, enhanced welfare packages, continuous training through the National Judicial Institute, and genuine operational autonomy.
He described these measures not as privileges but as imperatives, and declared the modernisation and digitisation of court processes a central priority of his government: “Technology is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity.”
In blunt language, the President warned that no reform can succeed if integrity is compromised. “Justice must never be for sale, and the Bench must never become a sanctuary for compromise,” he stated. “Corruption in the Judiciary destroys the nation at its core.”
He urged the judiciary to strengthen its own internal disciplinary mechanisms, insisting that only a judiciary that cleanses itself can command the moral authority to cleanse society.
Turning to the judges directly, President Tinubu posed a series of pointed questions the conference must answer: How do we clear the crippling backlog of cases? How do we enforce discipline within the ranks? How do we make justice truly affordable and accessible to the poor, the weak, and the voiceless? And above all, how do we build a judiciary that remains the last hope of the common man?
He closed by reminding the audience that the story of Nigeria’s democracy is still being written, and that every fair judgement strengthens the Republic while every courageous ruling preserves its soul.
“It is now my honour and privilege to declare open the 2025 All Nigerian Judges’ Conference of the Superior Courts,” President Tinubu concluded. “May your deliberations be fruitful, your resolutions transformative, and may the Judiciary of Nigeria continue to stand as the conscience of our nation and the guardian of our democracy.”
