By Ahmad Muhammad Danyaro
“All the rights secured to the citizens under the Constitution are worth nothing, and a mere bubble, except guaranteed to them by an independent and virtuous Judiciary|” Andrew Jackson.irria.
The judiciary in Nigeria, as established by Section 6 of the 1999 Constitution, is crucial for interpreting laws, defending the constitution, and enforcing the rule of law. It acts as an independent arbiter, protecting human rights, settling disputes between government branches and citizens, and ensuring democratic accountability through judicial review.
According to the words of Ronald Reagan, Former President of the United States of America, “the greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does greatest things .He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”
Ahmed Gambo Saleh ,Esq, is one of the most accomplished judicial administrators in Nigeria recognized for his transformational leadership, technical expertise and unwavering commitment to judicial reforms in Nigeria.
Since 30th June, 2017 when Ahmed Gambo Saleh took over as Secretary of the National Judicial Council, he has become a leading voice in shaping the future of the nation’s judiciary.
The National Judicial Council is one of the Federal Executive Bodies created by virtue of Section 153 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in order to insulate the Judiciary from the whims and caprices of the Executive; hence guarantee the independence of this Arm of Government, which is a sine qua non for any democratic Government. The National Judicial Council was created and vested with enormous powers and functions of the erstwhile Advisory Judicial Committee (AJC) which it replaced.
Ahmed Gambo Saleh, Esq, was born on June 3, 1969, in Hadejia, Jigawa State. He is a seasoned legal administrator with over 20 years of experience, who previously served as the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Saleh holds first and second degrees in Law from the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto and Bayero University, Kano, respectively.
He worked briefly as a Private Legal Practitioner before joining the service of Jigawa State Ministry of Justice as a Senior State Counsel in 1998, where he rose to become Director of Legal Drafting in 2002.
Mr. Saleh was a one-time Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Dutse Branch in 2008.
In the later part of 2008, he was appointed as a Special Assistant to Former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon .Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi ,GCON. Two years later, he was appointed the Deputy Director Litigation before his appointment as the 16th Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
It was during his tenure as the Chief Registrar that the process of Court Automation commenced, and the interviews of candidates who applied for the conferment of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) were streamed live on the website of the Supreme Court, to enable members of the public to view and assess the suitability or otherwise of qualified candidates to forestall allegation of bias or preferential treatment.
Mr Saleh introduced technologies which enabled the Courtrooms to connect to a unified system that has a central repository for all audio/video of proceedings. This includes: the transcripts, audio/video recording of any hearing, appearances and courtroom proceedings.
He also installed in the court a device called the document camera with the capacity to display exhbits ,which can be viewed by judges, registrars and lawyers. This device converts a paper document camera or physical exhibit to an electronic image with the aim to enlarge or reduce the image.
Ahmed Gambo Saleh, LL.B, BL, LLM combines years in Management and Administrative experience. He is a member of several professional bodies and has served on quite a number of Judiciary Committees, among which are: Secretary, Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee; Chairman, Chief Registrars of Nigeria Forum; Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Dutse Branch; Member, Presidential Swearing-in Committee – 2015; Member, Judiciary Information Technology Policy Committee; Member, Federal Judiciary Tenders Board; Secretary, Jigawa State Shari’ah Implementation Committee, etc.
To put Saleh’s commendable feat into proper perspective, the Office of the Secretary he currently occupies is the pivot around which all the activities of the National Judicial Council revolve. It is the administrative office of the Council. The Office co-ordinates and supervises all activities of the Council including Council Meetings, disbursement and monitoring of funds. The success or failure of the Departments & Units in the Council depends on the Office. The Office liaises with other Arms of Government and Agencies to achieve the goals of the Council, among others.
As NJC Secretary, he oversees administrative functions of the judiciary, including serving as Secretary to the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee.He continues to serve as a key administrative figure in the Nigerian judiciary.
Ahmed Gambo Saleh’s achievements as the Secretary of NJC are indelible and focused on areas characterized by technocratic, behind –the-secne reforms rather than high-profile public actions.
He is working assiduously to achieve the NJC’s set goals such as: an entrenched and preserved independent judiciary, a judiciary that is committed to the rule law, a financially autonomous judiciary, a proactive and vibrant judiciary that has judicial officers and staff with proven integrity and impeccable character, a dynamic judiciary manned by officers with various background, discipline, experience and competence and a judiciary that is information technology driven.
Humility is his defining character, Barrister Gambo Saleh is humble to a fault.God-fearing, gentle, peaceful, generous; yet unassuming and exceptionally intelligent. A natural leader and never pretentious. For anyone who knows Saleh, things are easily discernible about his character – humility, courage and a calm spirit.
As a scribe of NJC, an important arm of government –the judiciary – in the last nine years, it is on record that Gambo Saleh has brought new meaning to the position working diligently and honestly to enshrine a vibrant judiciary. To borrow from Greek writer Homer, “he is both a speaker of words of doers of deeds, benevolent and highly spirited.”
Danyaro is a Media and Public Affairs Specialist based in Abuja and can be reached via: @adanyaro202@gmail.com.