The Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Muhammad Tanko said on Thursday that the Supreme Court operates independently and is never dictated to by anyone.
The Acting CJN, who spoke in Abuja while addressing the management of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, who paid him a courtesy visit in his office, said: ‘’Let me state clearly that we are not answerable to anybody and can never be intimidated by anybody whatsoever in taking our decisions.
“But for certain, we are only answerable to God Almighty because he is the owner of our lives. No human being, living or dead can influence the reasoning or judgments of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
“We are very independent in Supreme Court because of the enormity of the trust and responsibility reposed in us by the almighty God, the Constitution and our dear nation,” Mr Tanko said.
He noted that the nation’s Supreme Court remains the busiest and most hardworking Supreme Court in the world, in view of the number of appeals received and heard on weekly basis as well as the number of judgments delivered within short durations.
“I beat my chest to say that there is no Supreme Court in the world that works the way Supreme Court of Nigeria does.
“Except when we go on our annual vacation between late July and early September of every year, we keep hearing appeals. It is on record that there is no day of the week, between Monday and Friday that we don’t sit.
“We deliver judgments on Fridays. Sometimes, we give as much as 35 judgments on some Fridays. We often times over-stretch ourselves, as we work assiduously day in, day out.
“If you see the number of appeals that come to this court on a regular basis, it will shock you.
“Basically, as it is today, there is nothing we can do about it for now, except there is a Constitutional amendment.
“Ideally, it is not every case that is supposed to reach Supreme Court. Some ought to be terminating at the Court of Appeal.’’
Mr Tanko assured that will always endeavour to bend over backwards, to give all cases involving both private individuals and other critical sectors expeditious hearing and attention, as part of its contribution to the nation’s economic development.
Earlier, the AMCON Chairman, Muiz Banire (SAN) said his agency, established in 2010, acquired over 120,000 loans from 23 banks totalling N3.8trn.
The AMCON Chairman further stated that additional N2.2trn was paid as financial accommodation for the then-ailing banks.
