Retired Justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice Oludotun Adefope-Okojie, has decried the growing influence of tribalism in political appointments, urging a return to merit-based selection across public institutions.
Speaking at the unveiling of her new book, Civil Litigation: A Quick Reference Guide to Substantive Law and Procedure, Justice Adefope-Okojie warned that Nigeria cannot achieve meaningful progress if mediocrity, driven by tribal and sectional interests, continues to dominate critical appointments.
“In this nation, we cannot continue with the patronage of mediocrity if we are to move forward,” she said. “We must move away from tribal politics and sectional favoritism, especially when we have so many sound and brilliant minds in this country.”
Reflecting on the judiciary, she described its current state as “comatose” and cautioned that deep divisions threaten national unity.
“The nation is going through a lot. There is so much division. The truth must be told — we must come back to the truth,” she added.
Justice Adefope-Okojie further expressed concern over the public’s declining confidence in the judiciary, citing the massive backlog of unresolved cases as a key factor undermining the rule of law and discouraging foreign investment.
“No serious investor will bring their money into a country where court cases drag on for years without resolution. We must deal with the backlog of cases — otherwise, we are going nowhere,” she stated.
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, praised the book as a valuable addition to Nigeria’s legal literature and urged jurists to contribute more to legal scholarship.
“This book will surely fill a gap in Nigeria’s legal system, particularly in the area of civil litigation,” Fagbemi said, encouraging other legal minds to write and publish works that support legal practice and judicial reforms.
The event, chaired by Honourable Justice Amina Augie, had former Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and Emir of Kano, Dr. Muhammad Sanusi, as Special Guests of Honour.
The book was reviewed by Isaiah Bozimo, SAN, who described it as a product of decades of judicial experience.
