Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has decried the failure to comply with court orders in Nigeria while expressing concern that citizens sometimes die without benefiting from favourable judgments.

Soyinka called for stronger institutional accountability and effective enforcement of court decisions, urging the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) to help address the gap between judicial pronouncements and the actual delivery of justice.

He spoke yesterday at the Nigerian Ombudsman Annual Conference 2026 in Abuja.

The Nobel laureate questioned why government agencies and other institutions failed to implement court judgments, leaving litigants waiting for years despite securing favourable rulings.

Soyinka cited cases in which courts ordered the return of passports to litigants, but the affected individuals waited for years without the judgments being enforced.

He also raised concerns about land disputes in which individuals allegedly resorted to violence and destroyed property despite ongoing judicial processes.

He urged the PCC to take up the challenge, saying effective intervention could help bridge the gap between court decisions and the actual delivery of justice.

Supporting his position, the Emir of Lafia and Chairman of the Nasarawa State Council of Chiefs, Justice Sidi Bage Muhammad, said compliance with court orders must begin with political leaders.

The former Supreme Court justice argued that citizens would find it difficult to respect judicial decisions when those in positions of authority disregarded them.

Bage urged the PCC to explore ways of addressing the frustrations citizens experience when judgments delivered in their favour are not enforced.

In his remarks, the former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, called for greater public awareness of the services provided by the Ombudsman, describing the commission as a less expensive and less cumbersome avenue for citizens to seek redress.

He cited complaints involving unpaid pensions and gratuities, as well as inadequate medical care in public and private hospitals, as examples of grievances the commission could help address.

Anyaoku expressed confidence that the commission, under its current leadership, could improve its services and meet citizens’ expectations.

In a related contribution, the Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Joseph Ochogwu, said strong institutions were essential to upholding the rule of law, protecting citizens’ rights and preventing violent conflicts.

Ochogwu, represented by the institute’s Director of Conflict Prevention and Resolution, Gerard Okafor, identified institutional continuity, compliance monitoring and coordination among government agencies as important requirements for effective governance.

He urged the commission to establish clear administrative standards, track recurring complaints and strengthen monitoring mechanisms to ensure that its recommendations translated into corrective action.

He said addressing grievances before they escalated could help reduce tensions and promote lasting peace.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, said complaints from citizens should be treated as opportunities to identify institutional weaknesses and improve public administration.

The SGF, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs, Beke Augusta, called for stronger collaboration between the commission and ministries, departments and agencies, alongside effective mechanisms for monitoring the implementation of its recommendations.

Akume urged the commission to adopt digital technology to improve the submission, tracking and resolution of complaints.

MEANWHILE, the Federal Ministry of Justice and ActionAid Nigeria have raised concerns over the misuse of ex parte orders and interim reliefs, warning that improper applications and grants undermine fair hearing, affect ease of doing business in the country and weaken public confidence in the judiciary.

They spoke at a seminar on Judicial Officers’ Application of the Rules of Court, with the theme, “Strengthening Procedural Practice and Effective Interim Relief”, organised by the Federal Justice Sector Reform Coordinating Committee (FJSRCC) and ActionAid’s Independent Judicial Accountability Panel (IJAP).

Representing the Attorney General of the Federation, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Beatrice Ejodamen Jedy-Agba, said applications made without notice required strict adherence to procedural rules and full disclosure of material facts by lawyers seeking such orders.

She said such applications placed significant responsibility on judges because they had to make decisions based largely on the information presented by one party, without hearing the other side.

The Permanent Secretary noted that the Supreme Court had affirmed the importance of full and frank disclosure in applications for ex-parte orders, stressing that the duty was among the most demanding professional obligations of legal practitioners.

Also speaking, ActionAid Nigeria’s Governance Specialist, Vivian Efem Bassey, said the request, processing and grant of ex-parte orders and interim reliefs had become issues of significant concern in legal and judicial practice.

She said the issue was repeatedly identified at the 2025 National Network Conference of Justice Sector Actors and featured prominently in the deliberations of IJAP.