By Paschal Njoku 

ABUJA – Chief Justice of Nige­ria, Justice Tanko Mu­hammad, has assured that all assessment and punitive mechanisms would be put in place to rid the country’s judicia­ry of “bad eggs.”

Justice Muhammad gave the assurance on Tuesday, at the swear­ing in of the substantive Chief Judge of High Court of the Federal Cap­ital Territory, Hon. Jus­tice Hussein Baba Yusuf.

“The legal profession is the building under which we are sheltered. If we fold our hands and watch others destroy it or we participate in the destruction, it will col­lapse on us. We will then have no roof over our heads. May God forbid!

“We must not only do self-assessment, we also need self-cleansing. All hands must, therefore, be on deck from both the Bar and the Bench to rid the legal profession of bad eggs,” the CJN said.

The CJN recalled warning judges to de­sist from engaging them­selves in unwholesome practices that would erode public confidence in the administration of justice.

He observed that the judiciary cannot take the lead when “our courts issue ex-parte orders recklessly.”

The CJN said, “We cannot take the lead when many litigants with support of their counsel engage in forum shopping.

“We cannot take the lead when counsel file a case before a court that they know lacks juris­diction and the Judge proceeds to hear the case.

“We cannot take the lead when counsel files frivolous cases in our courts just for nuisance value or to buy time.”

Justice Muhammad stated that the adminis­tration of justice is the bedrock of not only dem­ocratic or civilised soci­eties, but it also extends beyond the borders of civilised nations.

“No society can afford to discard administra­tion of justice.

“There is no regime in any country that can op­erate without a judicia­ry. No matter how prim­itive a society is, it must have its own mechanism for resolution of its dis­putes. Otherwise, that so­ciety will drift into anar­chy, self-destruction and extinction,” he stated.

While congratulating Justice Baba Yusuf, the CJN reminded him, “As head of court, your bur­den becomes heavier.

“You should, there­fore, take charge and ensure that you are just and fair to your broth­er Judges, the manage­ment, staff, and most importantly to the liti­gants,” the CJN advised.