Get Guardian on GoogleThe Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court
Honourable Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf has urged judicial officers to uphold fairness, humility, integrity and accountability in the discharge of their duties, warning that arrogance, unnecessary adjournments and poor time management could undermine public confidence in the judiciary.
The Chief Judge, who spoke at 2026/2027 legal year of the FCT High Court, said judicial authority should not be exercised with arrogance or discourtesy, stressing that judges must treat litigants, lawyers and court personnel with respect, regardless of their social or economic status.
He said judicial independence did not exempt judges from ethical responsibilities, but rather imposed a greater obligation on them to remain accountable to the public.
” We must be independent of improper influence, but never independent of the law, professional ethics and accountability,” he said.
On delays in the administration of justice, the Chief Judge said unnecessary adjournments, poor time management and lack of commitment to official duties should not be allowed to impose avoidable hardship on litigants
He urged judges to cultivate punctuality, directing that court sittings should commence at 9am or shortly thereafter.
He further called on judges and court administrators to ensure that lawyers and litigants were informed in advance whenever unforeseen circumstances made it impossible for a court to sit.
According to him, registrars could use telephone calls and text messages to notify court users, noting that the rules of court now permit electronic communication for sharing information and serving notices.
The Chief Judge said public confidence in the judiciary must be earned through consistency, transparency, fairness and integrity rather than demanded on the strength of judicial titles or positions.
He added that the credibility of the judiciary depended largely on the conduct of judicial officers, including their willingness to reject improper favours and decide cases according to the law despite external pressure.
Addressing lawyers, he described the Bar and Bench as partners in the administration of justice, urging members of the legal profession to maintain high standards of professional ethics and learning.
He also acknowledged the contribution of court personnel, urging them to demonstrate professionalism, confidentiality, courtesy and commitment in the performance of their duties.
The Chief Judge assured judicial officers and other stakeholders of his continued commitment to improving the administration of justice in the FCT, while seeking their cooperation in delivering efficient and accessible justice
Meanwhile, The former Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Asiwaju Adegboyega S. Awomolo, SAN, tasked judicial officers to continually examine their conduct and uphold the standards expected of them in the administration of justice.
Awomolo made the call while delivering a paper titled Acceptable Conduct for Judicial Officers at the 2026/2027 Legal Year programme of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.
He said the judiciary, as an indispensable institution in Nigeria’s constitutional democracy, must regularly engage in honest self-appraisal to identify its shortcomings, consolidate its strengths and renew its commitment
The senior lawyer clarified that his observations were not intended as criticism of the judiciary but as an opportunity for judicial officers to reflect on their responsibilities and conduct.
Citing the philosopher Socrates, who observed that an unexamined life was not worth living, Awomolo said the judiciary must continually look inward to sustain public confidence in the administration of justice.
He noted that although judicial officers were eminently qualified in terms of learning, training and experience, the issue went beyond their legal qualifications to whether their conduct measured up to the demands of judicial office
Awomolo, who disclosed that he had spent nearly five decades in the legal profession without serving as a judicial officer, said his experience as a legal practitioner, litigant and former chairman of the Body of Benchers gave him a stake in the administration of justice.
He said the courtroom had been his professional workplace for about 48 years, adding that his engagement with the legal profession informed his decision to address the gathering on judicial conduct.
Awomolo also urged judicial officers to embrace technology in the administration of justice, saying the increasing use of digital platforms had made technological competence essential to efficient justice delivery.
He said courts could no longer rely exclusively on traditional methods of recording proceedings and managing cases when litigants increasingly relied on electronic documents, WhatsApp messages, emails, CCTV footage and other forms of digital evidence.
According to him, electronic filing, digital recording and archiving of court proceedings would reduce delays, improve the integrity of court records and strengthen public confidence in the judiciary.
He urged judges to take advantage of training programmes organised by the National Judicial Institute (NJI) and the National Judicial
