...Calls for Urgent Reforms to Strengthen Judicial Independence
A Professor of Legal History at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Prof. Adedayo Afe, has called for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s judicial system through adequate funding to ensure both administrative and financial independence.
Prof. Afe made the call on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, while delivering the University’s 50th Inaugural Lecture titled “The Dynamics of Jurisprudence and Judicial Reforms in Nigeria: The Verdict of History.”
He identified poor funding as the major challenge confronting the judiciary, leading to inadequate infrastructure and the erosion of its autonomy.
“It is unhealthy, humiliating, and unconstitutional for a Chief Judge, as the head of the Court, to have to approach the Executive begging for funds to carry out the Judiciary’s statutory functions. Good governance, anchored on the full application of the rule of law, will remain a dream if the judiciary is not financially independent,” he said.
Tracing the historical roots of the problem, Prof. Afe noted that the 1933 reform marked the beginning of the Nigerian judicial system’s decline. According to him, “This began with the deliberate design of the British to introduce their own system of judicial administration, not necessarily to ensure the quick delivery of justice, but as a matter of administrative expediency...”
He attributed the current inefficiencies in the justice system to issues such as corruption, weak coordination among law enforcement agencies, prison congestion, and disobedience to court orders.
Calling for decisive action to strengthen the system, Prof. Afe urged better remuneration and working conditions for judges and magistrates, alongside full administrative independence to facilitate timely justice delivery.
He further suggested that “surcharging parents or families who produce criminals, and using such funds to maintain their wards in prison custody, could help reduce crime in society...”
Prof. Afe also decried the culture of unnecessary adjournments, urging stricter judicial oversight and performance monitoring to improve accountability within the bench.
While introducing the Inaugural Lecturer, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Olugbenga E. Ige, described the event as a milestone in AAUA’s academic excellence and commended Prof. Afe for his outstanding contributions to historical and legal scholarship in Nigeria.
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