Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Kazeem Alogba have proposed measures to reform the Supreme Court.

Others who shared same view with them include the immediate past chairman of Body of Benchers, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and Dr. Kemi Pinheiro (SAN) among other stakeholders.

They said the future of the Supreme Court necessitates not only the preservation of its esteemed tradition but an embrace of innovation, modern technology, adaptability and inclusivity.

They all spoke on Wednesday at the public presentation of a book written by the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN) held at Providence Hotel, Oba Akinjobi Way, Ikeja GRA.

The book titled: The Supreme Court of a Nigeria; History, Establishment, Jurists and Speeches was co-authored by Mr Abdulrasheed Ibrahim.

Governor Sanwo-Olu who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Abimbola Saliu-Hudeyin said: “We stand at a juncture where the past achievements of our judiciary serve as a guide, illuminating the path forward towards a more equitable and inclusive legal system, by extension, our society.

“The judiciary and especially the Supreme Court hold a sacred trust in ensuring that justice prevails irrespective of social status or circumstance. Its decisions echo through the canvass of our nation’s history shaping a society that we aspire to leave.

“However as we embark on this journey of introspection and assessment, we must acknowledge the ever evolving nature of our society and the complexities that lie ahead.

“The future of the Supreme Court necessitates not just the preservation of its esteemed tradition but an embrace of innovation, adaptability and inclusivity.

“The Supreme Court must remain steadfast in its commitment to dispense justice while embracing the advancement in technology, evolving societal norms and the ever expanding frontier of the law.”

The governor therefore urged stakeholders in the Justice system, including legal luminaries, scholars, practitioners, and Nigerians to join hands in ensuring that the Supreme Court continues to be a beacon of justice, guided by wisdom, impartiality, and unwavering dedication to upholding the rule of law.

Governor Sanwo-Olu commended the attorney-general for spare heading the milestone and embarking on the journey of retrospection.

The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba said the book would give a deeper insight into how the Supreme Court worked.

According to him, the book will help Nigerians to reform the Supreme Court in terms of jurisdiction.

He said: “I listened to learned silk, Pinheiro, when he said certain matters should not go to the Supreme Court. I totally support that, particularly interlocutory application, which is the bane of our judicial system.

“Once interlocutory matters or simple matters are allowed to go up to the Supreme Court, it is a tactic, which some ingenious lawyers use as a tool to delay proceedings when they foresee that their cases will not succeed.”

He advised judges not to die on the job but retire if they can no longer do well on the bench saying that retirement age in the justice system should be a personal affair.

“When it comes to a time until death do you and the service part, I do not agree. You must assess yourself when you are tired; do not wait; please go home and rest.

“There is nothing you want to do again which you could not have done on the bench before you got to the stage of being tired, if you are really interested in the work. You do not need to die and have a valedictory for you, so retire if you are no longer in good health.”

Earlier in his opening remarks, Chief Olanipekun, (SAN) advocated that the Supreme Court should be a melting point for the brightest minds in the legal profession and not just the exclusive reserve of the bench.

He said: “When you look at our constitution, the Supreme Court should be the melting point of all our best legal practitioners.

“Senior advocates and non-senior advocates, Judges of the High Court should go there. So many prominent lawyers went there. But we are having a not too healthy situation there now.

“At the recent judges’ conference, the President through the Attorney General of the Federation advocated that lawyers should also be allowed into the Supreme Court and surprisingly there was a thunderous opposition from the judges. Unfortunately, we didn’t meet it that way.

“A searchlight should be beamed on people who should go to that place”, Olanipekun contended.

The Guest Lecturer Dr. Pinheiro who spoke on the topic, “Supreme Court: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” noted that there is no reason why each state of the country should not have their own Supreme Court as it is practiced in the United States of America and other foreign nations.

He said: “It is about time states start having supreme courts if we are really serious about federalism. There is no reason the states cannot have their supreme courts. There are certain cases that should not end up in the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

“For instance, why would matrimonial matters, customary law cases end up in the Supreme Court? Why would you, for instance, tell a Supreme Court judge who is from Zamfara State to take a decision in relation to customary law that has to do with Ebonyi State law ?It does not make sense.”

He also suggested that, in order to reduce heavy caseloads in the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the jurisdiction of the court should be limited to only appeals arising from matters within the jurisdiction of federal courts such as the Federal High Court and the National Industrial Court. (The Nation)

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