Osinbajo and Odinkalu call for urgent judicial reform in Nigeria, urging courts to prioritize fairness over technicalities to restore justice and public trust.
Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has made a compelling call for urgent judicial reform in Nigeria, warning that the nation’s justice system faces a crisis of public confidence if it continues to glorify technicalities over substantive justice.
Speaking at the second Professor Yusuf Ali Annual Lecture organised by the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, Osinbajo stressed that a legal system must exist to serve the people, not the procedures that govern it. According to him, justice loses its meaning when form takes precedence over fairness.
“The essence of justice is not to glorify technical formalities but to ensure fairness and truth,” Osinbajo said.
“Unfortunately, many of our court decisions, even at the Supreme Court, have been trapped in rigid procedures that hinder true justice.”
The former Vice President, who is also a professor of law, noted that the English legal system—upon which Nigeria’s judiciary is built—has already moved beyond outdated practices that prioritize form over substance.
“Even the English courts we inherited have evolved,” he said.
“They now allow amendments at any stage to ensure justice is not lost to technical errors. Nigeria must learn to do the same.”
He argued that the refusal to modernize court processes and thinking patterns weakens public trust and erodes the moral authority of the judiciary.
“A justice system that worships technicalities over truth risks losing its relevance and the faith of its people,” he cautioned.
While acknowledging that the Supreme Court sometimes takes a flexible stance—especially in election petitions—Osinbajo observed that such moments of progress remain inconsistent.
He called for a unified, decolonized approach to justice delivery, one that aligns with Nigeria’s realities and aspirations.
“We must embark on a deep and courageous judicial reform in Nigeria,” Osinbajo urged.
“This reform should transform legal education, professional ethics, and judicial processes to better reflect our values and serve our people.”
Guest lecturer Professor Chidi Odinkalu (SAN), speaking on the topic “Towards Decolonising Legal Briefs: Effective Implementation of the Local Content Law for the Benefit of Nigerian Lawyers,” also emphasised the need for a mental and structural overhaul of the nation’s legal system.
Odinkalu argued that despite Nigeria’s political independence, the country remains intellectually and professionally tied to colonial legal traditions.
“We have political freedom, but not occupational independence,” he said.
“We still think and practice law in ways that reflect colonial control rather than Nigerian reality.”
He said the first step towards judicial reform in Nigeria is for lawyers and judges to unlearn colonial logic and cultivate local reasoning rooted in African jurisprudence.
“Law should be a tool for national development, not a relic of colonial subservience,” he declared.
Odinkalu urged law faculties across the country to review their curricula and integrate Nigerian experiences and perspectives.
He further recommended full implementation of the Local Content Law to ensure that Nigerian lawyers and firms benefit from domestic opportunities, strengthen local capacity, and foster national pride.
“Our justice system must move from dependency to originality,” Odinkalu said.
“We need to think for ourselves, interpret laws for ourselves, and shape justice in our own image.”
The Vice Chancellor of Kwara State University, Professor Jimoh Shaykh-Luqman, commended both Osinbajo and Odinkalu for their visionary ideas and reaffirmed the university’s commitment to promoting excellence in legal education.
He expressed gratitude to stakeholders for their unwavering support of the Faculty of Law, which continues to achieve notable milestones.
He revealed that several infrastructure projects, including a departmental building, a 500-seat auditorium, and two 250-seat lecture theatres, are near completion and will be handed over by December.
According to him, these facilities are designed to provide an enabling environment for research and learning, helping to produce innovative lawyers who will play leading roles in Nigeria’s judicial transformation.
The Ilorin lecture became more than an academic event—it turned into a national conversation on the moral and philosophical foundations of Nigeria’s justice system.
Both Osinbajo and Odinkalu offered a shared vision that placed humanity and fairness above technical rigidity.
Their message was clear: judicial reform in Nigeria is not a luxury—it is a necessity. It is about reorienting the legal system toward truth, equity, and public trust.
Osinbajo’s call for decolonised legal reasoning and Odinkalu’s push for ideational independence converge on one critical point: justice must serve the people. If the judiciary becomes an institution that alienates the common man, it loses both authority and legitimacy.
“Justice,” Osinbajo said in closing, “is not about who wins or loses on a technical ground. It is about doing what is right and fair for society.”
As the discussion on judicial reform in Nigeria continues, the hope is that the nation’s legal thinkers, practitioners, and policymakers will heed these voices and embark on the long-overdue process of transforming Nigeria’s justice system into one that truly delivers for its people.
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