Femi Falana
A renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has renewed calls for sweeping reforms in Nigeria’s judicial system to make justice truly accessible to everyday citizens.
Speaking with journalists on Wednesday after meeting with Governor Alex Otti in Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State, Falana decried the persistent delays plaguing civil and criminal cases in the country’s courts.
He lamented that while political cases receive expedited attention due to statutory deadlines, cases involving ordinary Nigerians are often neglected.
> “Only their cases move in court because political cases are time-bound; other cases, for me, must be time-bound,” Falana stated.
He went further to challenge a popular saying about the judiciary’s role, insisting it is a myth that the courts serve the common man.
> “People make the mistake of saying the judiciary is the last hope of the common man. The common man has no means to go to court,” he said.
“The judiciary is the last hope of the elite, the bourgeoisie.”
Falana emphasized that for justice to be meaningful to the general population, the government must embrace bold, disciplinary reforms and reduce bureaucratic obstacles in the court system. He cited cases that have remained unresolved for decades—some lasting 20, 30, even 40 years—as a gross injustice.
The legal activist also called attention to the value of traditional dispute resolution mechanisms, which he said are more accessible and trusted by the majority of Nigerians.
> “The majority of our people do not go to Western courts. They patronize traditional rulers and community leaders to solve problems,” he said.
“Governments, including that of Abia, must also reform the customary courts and palaces of traditional rulers where our people resolve their disputes daily.”
Falana urged for the formal recognition of these indigenous systems, proposing a complementary model where traditional and formal courts work in tandem to serve justice more efficiently.
> “If people have confidence in their community leaders to dispense justice, we must promote such fora,” he added.
He described traditional mechanisms not as “alternative” but as African disciplinary solutions, noting their efficiency and cultural relevance.
> “Before the colonialists came, our people had nothing to do with adjudication. You state your case, the other party states theirs, and the leader gives a ruling. There was no appeal.
Under the Western judicial system, however, cases drag on endlessly—and that’s foreign to our traditional practice.”
He stressed that for justice to truly serve the people, government must invest in systems they understand and trust.
> “It’s not enough to satisfy the elite; you must satisfy the people and ensure that the judicial system understood by them is supported by the government,” he concluded.
On a separate note, Falana praised Governor Otti for what he described as visible developmental progress in Abia State.
> “I have seen good roads, hospitals, schools, and I have spoken to the people—they are satisfied. But the governor must not relent,” he cautioned.
He reminded the governor that with public support comes accountability.
> “The governor owes some of us a duty not to disappoint—and we will not spare him if he does,” Falana warned.
NAN
