Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has voiced strong concerns over what he described as the declining integrity of Nigeria’s judiciary, warning that the institution has become deeply compromised.
In his newly released book, Nigeria: Past and Future, published by the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Obasanjo criticized the increasing level of corruption within the judicial system, asserting that many courts now function more as "courts of corruption" than as true arbiters of justice.
Reflecting on the historical trajectory of the judiciary, the former president observed a consistent decline in its credibility, particularly since the advent of the Fourth Republic. He described the erosion of judicial standards as both rapid and troubling.
“The reputation of the Nigerian judiciary has steadily gone down from the four eras up till today. The rapidity of the precipitous fall, particularly in the Fourth Republic, is lamentable,” he wrote.
Obasanjo warned that the commodification of justice poses a grave threat to national stability. He emphasized that when judicial outcomes are determined by the highest bidder, it fosters disillusionment and may eventually lead to societal breakdown.
“The great fear of most well-meaning Nigerians and good friends of Nigeria is that where ‘justice’ is only available to the highest bidder, despair, anarchy, and violence would substitute justice, order, and hope,” he stated.
Citing a personal anecdote, Obasanjo recalled a visit to a northern state where a governor pointed out a row of luxury duplexes allegedly owned by a judge who had profited significantly from serving as chairman of election tribunals.
In addition to his concerns about the judiciary, Obasanjo also criticized the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, accusing him of compromising the electoral process since 2015.
“No wonder politicians do not put much confidence in an election which the INEC of Professor Mahmood Yakubu polluted and grossly undermined to make a charade,” he added.
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