Overview
Kenna Partners | October 24th, 2015
The Principal Partner, Kenna Partners, Professor Fabian Ajogwu, SAN, on Saturday October 24, 2015 presented a paper on the ‘Ethics in the Judiciary’ at the 2015 Kingdom Summit organised by the Redeemed Christian Church of God, King’s Court Parish.
In his paper, Professor Ajogwu stated that the relevance of the judiciary can be traced back to the Biblical era, when the Israelites were commanded to appoint judges to adjudicate in their matters, pursuant to the Mosaic Law. He stated that it had been argued that the sole purpose of law was to legislate morality, as the absence of law would lead to chaos; as such, the judiciary is an integral arm of the government in any society.
He further stated that the regulations specifically guiding the conduct of judicial officers in Nigeria are: The Code of Conduct for Judicial Officer and the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2007 which impose a duty on Judicial officers to comply with extant laws and to always act in a manner that would encourage the confidence of the public in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. This, he reasoned, is because it is only when individuals have faith in the judiciary that they resort to the adjudication of their matters before the courts. Professor Ajogwu stated that the principles of judicial ethics include: independence, impartiality, integrity, propriety, patience, humility, and courtesy.
In conclusion, the Learned Silk stated that it had often been said that a profession's most valuable asset is its collective reputation and the confidence which that inspires. Consequently, judges as the patriarchs of the legal profession must earn and maintain the confidence of the community.
