Drops NBA picks, academics, senior lawyers for Supreme Court

The Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) has nominated 11 Court of Appeal justices for elevation to the Supreme Court, ignoring recommendations from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

The FJSC list, subject to National Judicial Council and Senate approval, contains no candidates from academia or the Bar despite the NBA submitting names as requested by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Olukayode Ariwoola in June.

The CJN had asked the NBA to nominate lawyers to fill 8 vacancies at the Supreme Court. The NBA called for expressions of interest and forwarded nominees.

However, the FJSC disregarded the NBA nominations and selected Appeal Court judges instead. The 11 nominees include 6 from the North-Central and South-East zones each.

With Justice Musa Muhammad’s retirement, the Supreme Court is left with only 10 out of a full strength of 21 justices. The new nominations aim to replenish the bench.

This is not the first instance of the FJSC sidelining the NBA’s picks for the apex court. In 2017 and 2022, none of the Bar’s nominees made the eventual shortlist.

Critics decry the failure to appoint renowned academics and senior advocates like the late Justice Taslim Elias who joined the Supreme Court directly from academia.

The snub of NBA nominees has drawn fresh calls for transparency in judicial appointments. Stakeholders say merit and diversity should determine elevations to strengthen jurisprudence at the highest levels.

In this article