From Tongnaan Bawa, Jos
The former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Nuhu Angbazo has charged the judiciary in Nigeria to always put public interest first in the discharge of their duties beyond technicalities.
The former Army General while declaring the 2023 NBA Jos Branch conference held at the Millennium International Conference Centre Jos, charged them to come up with solutions to the various legal issues that have received public outcry in not only Plateau State but the country in general.
He said “The fundamental of justice is that no one should suffer injustice and that the public good be serve. We have a lot of contentious issues right now in our nation, and that’s I feel is what the NBA Jos Branch intent to achieve at the end of this conference.
According to him, “It is hope that the judicial officers here will have a clearer understanding of how the public cry works, because the idea of law said to be organic is that the interpretation if law should accord with the current sentiment as we see in the United State Supreme Court.
“Which is actually the promising Court instead of focusing on the constant calls for the amendment of our constitution.
“My own believe is that the good of the people is the highest law. I will plea with all of us that at the end of this conference, come up with solutions that will not only benefit Plateau State but the entire country.” He tasked them to learned luminaries
The key note speaker of the 2023 Nigeria Bar Association (NBA)Jos Branch, Prof. Chris Kwaja, while delivering his keynote address on the theme “Law and Policy: A Chequered Odyssey.” said the current trend of events has placed the judiciary in the eye of the storm.
He said the conflicting ruling of the Court coming from the learned profession leaves the common man in total confusion.
He explained that the clash between politics and the law has proven that politics has hold swear the law. “the clash between politics and law is one in which politics has hold swear at the expense of the law.
“If you look at what we are confronted within about the level of citizens distrust on the judiciary it is of course a thing of concern. That is a clear example of how politics hold swear on the law.
“If within the Bar we are confronted with this challenge of conflicting judgments, what happens to the lay men and women outside who rely on learned jurists for interpretations of the law?”
Chairman of NBA Jos Branch Mr. Aze Aware Esq noted that the conference is about equipping members towards breaking new grounds by understanding the intricacies between law and policies in the practice both in public and private practices.