Get Guardian on GoogleFormer Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Dr Godwin Kanu Agabi (SAN),has warned that the judiciary cannot rescue Nigeria from its challenges without moderation, moral discipline and a collective commitment to righteousness.
Agabi said the country’s problems went beyond its economic, political and legal systems, arguing that no amount of judicial or institutional reforms could address the challenges without a fundamental change in the conduct and values of citizens.
He stated this while delivering a paper on ‘Acceptable Conduct for Judicial Officers’ at the 2026/2027 legal year of the Federal Capital Territory Judiciary, where he argued that the judiciary operated within a wider society whose prevailing values and behaviour inevitably influenced the administration of justice.
According to him, “the judiciary cannot help a nation totally lacking in moderation”, stressing that Nigeria must address the moral failures undermining its institutions rather than continue to look to the courts alone for solutions.
The former Attorney General of the Federation said the conduct of a few judicial officers had damaged the public image of the entire judiciary, despite improvements recorded by the institution over the years.
He noted that Nigeria had more than 2,000 judges and justices across the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Federal High Court and state judiciaries, with thousands of magistrates and other judicial officers.
Agabi said even misconduct by a small percentage of judicial officers could undermine confidence in the entire institution, insisting that judges must avoid any conduct capable of bringing their integrity and impartiality into question.
He urged judicial officers to subject themselves to regular self-examination, uphold their oaths and resist the temptation to place personal wealth above justice.
According to him, judges must remain independent, impartial and competent, deciding cases strictly on the evidence and arguments presented before them rather than personal interests, external pressure or improper influence.
He also cautioned against litigants using the courts to secure advantages they could not obtain through other means, urging judges to remain vigilant against attempts to implicate them in wrongdoing.
On public criticism of the judiciary, Agabi acknowledged that some complaints against judges were justified, while others arose from ignorance, incompetence or prejudice rather than corruption.
He, however, warned that relentless, malicious and uninformed attacks on judicial officers could threaten judicial independence.
The senior lawyer called on the judiciary to improve public communication and explain its work, arguing that judicial independence should not translate into excessive distance from the society it serves.
