In the short time that I have spent on this plane, God has given me the privilege to know on a personal basis several people in the legal profession, both members of the bench and members of the bar. One such is a Jurist at the Federal High Court, Abuja, retired Hon. Justice Adegoke Amao Kolajo of blessed memory, an indigene of Saki, where my ministry is headquartered. Coincidentally, one of his children, Funke Kolajo, was my classmate in secondary school. The”All Eyes On The Judiciary” catchphrase that has become a fad on social media and highways reminded me of the hearty discussion that Funke and I had about him especially concerning the legal profession, more so as a Jurist.
Before then, I have heard so much about this great man in Saki. His exemplary Christian life was both a challenge to the clergy and laity. He lived by two books- the laws of Nigeria and the laws of the living God. He was an Incorruptible Judge, so feared by crooked lawyers who immediately know the fate of their client should he be the adjudicator in their case. One can be one hundred percent sure that justice will be served before the bench of this learned man. He was labeled as the SU Judge. Lawyers knew that it was a high risk to attempt to offer him a bribe. By practical example, he taught his children to live by the fear of God, and the principle of godliness with contentment is great gain. Alongside people from all walks of life, I was honoured to attend the funeral rite of one of the rare men whose graceful head donned the silky wig. He made it possible for doubters like me to still have a modicum of hope in the Nigerian judiciary.
Through news from the grapevine, I got to know that he was the one that recommended for use in our school, one of the books that impacted me early in life. This book was a spice among ingredients. Alongside an array of books, most of which my father procured at Odusote Bookstore, it helped me to formulate a healthy personal philosophy of life that will resonate into the afterlife. This book formed the basis for this article. It was packaged in an interesting style of writing called drama. It is entitled The Incorruptible Judge, and it was authored by D. Olu Olagoke.
The Incorruptible Judge is about a young school-leaver who applies for a vacancy in a government establishment. Instead of giving the bribe of five pounds demanded of him, he reports the matter to a policeman, and this leads to the corrupt employer’s arrest. The Incorruptible Judge was the first didactic dramatic literature on honesty and integrity that I came in contact with as a first former. It served as a rudimentary template for my understanding of the principles of the pursuit and administration of justice. Though brought up by disciplined, God-fearing, and honest parents, that book added spices to the ingredients of godly fear that my parents had already instilled inside of me.
Though fictional, it brought into light what happens in everyday life in the employment world or job market in a dramatic format. It informs the young reader that the possibility of finding himself assuming any of the six characters portrayed in that drama abounds. They are Ajala the Job-Seeker, Femi, Mr. James Ade Agbalowomeri, Sergeant-Detective Okoro, Mr. Duroayo, and Justice Faderin, the Incorruptible Judge. Among all the six possibilities, one possibility is certain, he will one day find himself in the shoes of Ajala the job-seeker. How he appraises Ajala’s action will determine what he will do when he finds himself in his shoes. The same is true of other characters. If he sees Ajala as an overzealous young man who wants to play according to the rule of the book, then, it shows that he has a compromising posture.
There is the possibility of also finding himself in the position of an opportunistic boss. There is also the possibility of finding himself in a position of a prosecutor and defender of the law, and administration of justice like Sergeant-Detective Okoro and the incorruptible Judge. The ideals and the kind of value system that one is exposed to in such formative years coupled with the inward work of divine grace in the human heart will determine what side of the divide he wishes to be when he enters that future. As a reader, you are at liberty to choose the kind of character depicted in the play, whether to be a corruptible or incorruptible judge. You may also choose to ride on the wings of hard work and diligence to eke a living and make a name for yourself, or ride on the wings of bribery, thereby aiding and abetting corruptible tendencies/practices and people in the society. These were the discoveries that I made in my first year in secondary school through this book.
Whether coincidentally or by divine providence, I normally find myself assuming the role of Sergeant-Detective Okoro (my namesake) who was the investigating police officer (IPO) saddled with the responsibility of not only investigating the allegation of bribery and corruption which had been instituted against Mr. James Ade Agbalowomeri but also prosecuting him. (Is it a mere coincidence that some people live and behave in certain ways?). I have always seen myself as a believer in rules/laws and an enforcer of the same. This is why in most of the major organizations that I have ever worked for, I have always chaired the seat of the disciplinary committee. Is it accidental or coincidental or an intentional design of the supreme being who has complete oversight over the affairs of men?
As one who has often mirrored the character of Sergeant-Detective Okoro and the Incorruptible Judge, one time or the other, I can authoritatively wear the toga of an empathetic agent of people who find themselves in similar positions (that is, law enforcement agents and judges). The tendency for corruptibility should not be limited only to the lure of pecuniary gains but to emotional weakness as well. The eighteenth chapter of the book of Luke talked about a Judge who neither feared God nor man. In other words, he is not moved by religious or human sentiments. But a certain importunate widow wore him out emotionally until he was forced to do her bidding. That is the same challenge that most Judges are facing today.
Hence, to help them, society must decry any overt or covert moves by any individual or group of individuals to bribe and wear them out emotionally with state inducements or threats until they cave into their bidding. Innocuous tags and signs like “All Eyes On The Judiciary” is meant to solidify their emotions and help them make a good delivery of Justice. Whoever masterminds the removal of these tags from billboards that have been mounted on our highways feels threatened by the people sitting at the temple of Justice. Contrary to their assertion that the removal of the billboards is intended to prevent the Judiciary from being pressurized, we believe that their presence is to revitalize their conscience from the deadening effects of whatever governmental inducements, potions, or threats that may make them fall into the trap of miscarriage of justice.
Mr. Duroayo represents ordinary citizens or people having social or filial relations with the people in our justice system. This category of people plays no small role in shaping and influencing the mindset of these people who are sitting at the temple of Justice; otherwise, they will also be guilty of practicing the principle of “Bulkachuwanism”. Bulkachuwanism is coined from a situation in which a member of the senate (Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa) unwittingly disclosed on the senate floor what transpired between his wife (a Nigerian Judge and former President of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, Justice Zainab Adamu Bulkachuwa) and himself in the other room, where he convinced her to smash the hammer of Justice in favour of some of his friends, some of whom are now members of the hallowed chamber as a result of his persuasive ability and his wife’s magnanimity. What this implies is that ordinary citizens play a unique role in adequate or inadequate dispense of justice through filia or familiarity with the hon. Justices.
A Judge with corruptible tendencies will find himself out of place, the odd one in a society imbued with the reification of godly fear, honesty, truthfulness, and other sound moral values at every turn. There will be a sharp decline of Judges who are in this category as a result of the obvious antagonistic body language of society to this societal malaise. Unfortunately for us, the incorruptible Judges are well outnumbered by the corruptible ones. One can only wish for a reincarnation of the spirit of godliness and godly fear that once existed in the lives of the Kolajos of this world in the lives of the present-day Judges. It’s only then that we can talk about change and renewed hope; otherwise, we are just blowing grammar to no effect.
