INCORRUPTIBLE JUDICIARY AS A CATALYST FOR AN EQUITABLE AND PROGRESSIVE SOCIETY

Corruption is a form of dishonest or unethical conduct by a person entrusted with a position of authority, often to acquire personal benefit. Corruption may include many activities including bribery and embezzlement, though it may also involve practices that are legal in many countries. Government, or 'political', corruption occurs when an office-holder or other governmental employee acts in an official capacity for personal gain. The judiciary (also known as the judicial system or court system) is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes. In some nations, under doctrines of separation of powers, the judiciary generally does not make law (which is the responsibility of the legislature) or enforce law (which is the responsibility of the executive), but rather interprets law and applies it to the facts of each case. In other nations, the judiciary can make law, known as Common Law, by setting precedent for other judges to follow, as opposed to Statutory Law made by the legislature. The Judiciary is often tasked with ensuring equal justice under law. piecing the preceding definitions together, it can be deduced that an incorruptible judiciary is a law-interpreting and law-applying system, that is not susceptible to dishonest or unethical conduct. An incorruptible judiciary in addition to a flawless law, using the word of God as a standard/basis is exactly what we need to build a progressive and equitable society.
We live in an era whereby the legal principle known as ‘The Rule of Law’ which states that “law should govern a nation, as opposed to being governed by decisions of individual government officials” does not have a strong grip on the society. As a result, the indicting segments of the law, most often applies only to people who fall below a particular benchmark in the social and economic strata. People are celebrated and recognised based on a power and wealth acquisition scale, regardless of how they were acquired, rather than integrity. Consequently, high moral standard, honesty, integrity and the likes are getting out of fashion in geometric progression, and development and economic advancement are continuously being retarded, owing to a situation whereby the rich are getting richer at the expense of the poor and the society at large. This is a foundational problem emanating as a result of unbecoming interpretation and application of the law in the name of the state/society by the judiciary, triggered by the rise in corruption. This calls for drastic measures. However, the solution to every problem lies in the word of God, as will be referred to in subsequent paragraphs.

Rebuilding the foundation is one way to make the judiciary incorruptible. “if the foundation be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:6). That entails that even the righteous –people that are committed to doing the right thing at all times and circumstances – can be rendered helpless if things are not right at the foundational level. The foundation of equity, justice and progress in any society is the judiciary. In a society whereby people that interpret and apply the law are not totally exonerated from corruption usually related to misuse of their positions for selfish interest, such a society will continually deplete from one depth of jeopardy to another. That was the problem of the Pharisees, Sadducees, Sanhedrims and the scribes in the bible; they administered the law to every other person except themselves. They were so knowledgeable about the scriptures that they could quote it to cover their wrong doings and escalate those of others. "Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Hypocrite! First cast out the beam from your eye, and then you will see clearly to cast out the splinter from the eye of your brother" (Mathew 7:4-5). It was a case of ‘do what I say and not what I do’ tackling foundation-based problems has to do with breaking the backbones of corruption in the judiciary system. When people who interpret and apply the laws that govern the society are corrupt, there is deterioration in the progress of such an unfortunate society.
However, when the judiciary is not susceptible to corruption and do not give in to corrupt advances, regardless of the illicit financial and political benefits attached to such acts, corrupt government officials will learn to look before they leap. They will become more law-abiding, knowing that they are not above the law and cannot influence the rulings of the judiciary with their position of authority or money. Hence, corrupt practices such as embezzlement of public funds, misappropriation of funds approved for projects in the society and government allocation will be reduced to the barest minimum. This will help to create a society where things work, where the law is not only applicable to people that are not rich or influential enough to illicitly wave away the consequences of mutiny against the law. Therefore, equity and progress comes into play in the society.
In our society today, the wealth of the entire nation is unevenly distributed among the masses. This arises as a result of manipulation and amendment of the law for selfish interest, to favour a particular division of the society based on ethnicity biases/prejudice of the judiciary. A situation whereby the rich and influential people recommend unqualified candidates related to them in one form or the other for positions and benefits, is ghastly retarding progress in the society, but if the judiciary is active and proactive, such acts will be addressed. Applicants will be admitted by merit into higher institutions for fear of indictment by a judiciary that is active and proactive. This will help improve the educational sector by ensuring that only qualified candidates who will able to withstand the rigors of academic pursuit and won’t have to cheat or bribe their way through school will be admitted into higher institutions. Hence, promoting true academic excellence and producing graduates that are employable in the labour market worldwide.
An incorruptible judiciary will help create a room for infrastructural and economic development. Auditors will become incorruptible as well and will do their jobs thoroughly for fear of indictment by the judiciary. Hence, contractors of government and non-governmental projects will endeavour to execute their projects satisfactorily. consequently, there will be good roads, steady power supply, and other infrastructural development.
In a society whereby the judiciary is incorruptible, core societal values will be restored. The masses will become more law-abiding, knowing that law implementation/application cannot be influenced to their favour. People will be left with no other option than to follow due procedures that are legitimate, bringing about equity, orderliness, quality service and progress in the society. Furthermore, crime will be reduced to the barest minimum.
In a society where there is a law-interpreting and law-applying system that is not susceptible to dishonest or unethical conduct, political corruption will be minimised, leaders of such a society will emerge by merit. Rogues rebranded leaders who are only interested in treacherously getting what they term their ‘share of the national cake’ rather than serving as good leaders, will not emerge as leaders, as a result of proper application of the law. It is written in the Holy Bible that “Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished” (Ecclesiastes 4:13).
Credible interpretation and application of the law brings about a conducive environment for investment. Aspects of the law that favour economic growth and stability will be properly implemented, hence, creating a conducive environment for investment. This will also encourage foreign investors to invest in such a society, thereby, creating job opportunities, catalysing industrialization and development.
Considering all these facts, there is still hope for a society drowning as a result of corrupt judiciary. The bible states it clearly in the book of 2 Chronicles 7:14 that “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land”. There is always a U-turn on the road of every revolution. Hence, to catalyse equity and progress in any society, corruption has to be stamped out of the judiciary and the judiciary has to be made incorruptible to sustain the progress. One way through which this can be achieved, is by restructuring the law in such a way that its indicting parts can be applicable to citizens of any social stratum – high class, middle class and low class –, including the judiciary, law makers and enforcers.
Adeniran David Adedire
Ilesa-West

ENUGU SOUTH ANTI-CORRUPTION CDS INAUGURATES ANTI-CORRUPTION CLUBS IN ENUGU SOUTH SCHOOLS

Anti-Corruption club inauguration at Anglican Girls Grammar School on 22nd june, 2017

The Anti-Corruption CDS group, Enugu South LGA as part of their on-going project for the year 2017, recently embarked on creation of Anti-Corruption clubs within Enugu LGA in collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offenses Commission (ICPC). Secondary schools within the local government that are yet to have Anti-Corruption clubs and the ones whose clubs needs rejuvenation were the main targets of the Anti-Corruption CDS and the ICPC.
Consequently, integrity lectures have been delivered in such schools by the Anti-Corruption CDS and the first school on the list to have its Anti-Corruption club officially inaugurated by the Anti-Corruption CDS group, Enugu South and the ICPC, was the Anglican Girls Grammar School, Awkunanau, Agbani Road, Enugu.




The CDS members and the ICPC officials were well received by the principal and staff of Anglican Girls Grammar School. The Event commenced by 11:30am (break period) on the 22nd of June, 2017. integrity lectures were delivered, materials were handed over to the club patron, by the ICPC, and the 53 members, including 5 executives were officially sworn in.
We greatly appreciate the ICPC for conceding to collaborate with us on our CDS project, for all the intellectual and moral support we received from the ICPC South-East Zonal office, and for creating time to make this project a huge success. We say thank you! and we look forward to subsequent support from the ICPC in our incessant fight against corruption.

2017 BATCH A CORP MEMBERS TO LEAVE AGWU ORIENTATION CAMP, ENUGU SOON

The freshly sworn in corp members of the NYSC, Enugu have been scheduled to pass out of the orientation camp to their respective PPAs on monday, 12th june, 2017. The three weeks orientation course has taken the corp members through series of training, ranging from military drills to lectures, SAED (skills aquisition and entrepreneurial development) lectures etc. All activities in camp are regimented and compulsory as usual to  make every participant ready and prepared for the rigors of the labour market.




We welcome all corp members that will be posted to Enugu South LGA in advance and we wish most of them will be assigned to the anti-corruption CDS, to join us in this winning battle against corruption.