The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Walter Onnoghen on Tuesday stated the Judiciary has helped stabilized the country through its timely interventions.
Onnoghen, who stressed the importance of the judiciary in the country’s continued existence, urged judicial officers (judges and justices) to always be abreast of the present state of the law to ensure effective justice dispensation.
The CJN noted that public confidence in the judiciary and its legitimacy would remain threatened where judicial officials were unable to appropriately interpret the law.
He spoke in Abuja yesterday at the opening session of a workshop for judicial officers from the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and Federal High Court on provisions of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.
The workshop, with the theme: “The role of the judiciary in the effective development of Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry”, was put together by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), the National Judicial Institute (NJI) and a private entity, Juris Law Office.
Onnoghen said: “Nigerian judiciary is instrumental in ensuring stability in the oil and gas sector by interpretation of the relevant laws to the industry.
“I make bold to say, without any fear of contradiction, that the Nigerian Judiciary is a key partner in ensuring stability in the oil and gas sector by interpretation of the relevant laws to the industry.
“Indeed, the adjudicatory duty of a judge can only be performed optimally when he remains up-to-date with the emerging developments and trends in jurisprudence pertaining to the oil and gas sector.
“You must be seen to be knowledgeable in the law and be in charge of your courts to ensure speedy resolution of disputes which in turn serves to assure investors and other major players in the oil and gas industry that their investments are safe,” Onnoghen said.
The CJN, who hailed recent policies in the oil and gas sector, said such reforms were informed by government to promote local content in the provision of technology and manpower to the downstream sector.
Onnoghen said the workshop was intended to ensure that judicial officers were abreast of the role of the Judiciary in dealings with issues in the oil and gas sector.
One of Onnoghen’s processors, Justice Alfa Belgore, noted that the NCDMB had before now, deplored the carrot and stick approach in enforcing compliance with the local content law administratively.
He said with the enactment of the law on local content, it was now appropriate for the judiciary to use stick in line with the rule of law to ensure total compliance.
NJI’s Administrator, Justice Rosaline Bozimo was of the view that judicial officers were required to possess adequate knowledge and skills on oil and gas to efficiently adjudicate on the cases that may come before them.
Bosimo, who was represented by NJI’s Secretary, Abubakar Maidona, urged judicial officers to be proactive in the discharge of their constitutional duties by not allowing technicalities stand in the way of substantive justice, especially with regard to oil and gas disputes, which result to huge financial costs to litigating parties.
NCDMB’s Executive Secretary Simbi Wobote urged the judiciary to assist his agency to achieve its objective of creating wealth for local businesses and jobs for teeming populace in line with the law.
