Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has ignited a significant debate by asserting that the nation’s judiciary serves primarily as the “last hope of the elite” and the bourgeoisie, rather than the common citizen. The human rights activist made the provocative statement on Wednesday while addressing journalists shortly after visiting Abia State Governor, Alex Otti.
Falana lamented that the agonizing sluggishness of the court system fundamentally hinders the swift dispensation of justice, making it inaccessible to ordinary Nigerians who lack the means to sustain decades-long legal battles. He highlighted the stark difference in the speed of judicial proceedings across the country. According to the senior lawyer, only the elite’s cases move quickly in court because political cases are legally time-bound. In sharp contrast, he noted, ordinary civil and criminal matters are routinely allowed to languish in courts for decades without resolution, preventing real justice for the people.
Falana called for radical judicial reform to make the system accessible to all citizens, insisting that if ordinary people are truly to benefit from the judicial system, all cases must be made time-bound, mirroring the strict deadlines currently applied to political disputes. This strong critique of the judicial system follows his earlier focused remarks directed at Nigeria’s political class. During a special broadcast to mark Nigeria’s independence anniversary, Falana slammed political parties as the major factor stalling the country’s growth, asserting that the ‘winner-takes-all’ mentality of contemporary political parties perpetuates corruption and recklessness. He stressed that without a solid ideological base, political parties will continue to engage in impunity, and power cannot be concentrated solely in the hands of the ruling party; it must be shared with other constituencies for the nation to truly progress.
