Programmes

JUDICIAL INTEGRITY & INDEPENDENCE PROGRAMME (JIIP)

Under JIIP, AJ works to restore the institutional integrity of Nigeria's judicial system, and enhance its capacity to process disputes efficiently and timeously.

Under this programme, AJ works to combat corruption, uphold ethics, independence and accountability of the judicial officers, campaign for the introduction and use of modern technological aids to ease administrative and adjudicative processes.

Publications under JIIP

The Justice Observatory Journal (JOJ)
To date, AJ, with support from Ford Foundation, has published 5 editions of the ground breaking advocacy series, The Justice Observatory Journal (JOJ). The journal provides objective yet indepth reports and insightful analyses of issues concerning ethics, transparency and the independence of the judges, and sets out to attack corruption in justice administration, reinforce values of judicial independence by disseminating information of threats to the independence and autonomy of justice institutions, and mobilizing action against such threats.

The 5 published editions of the journal have inspired series of commendations from different corners of the justice community. One of Nigeria’s most respected jurists and a retired Justice of Nigeria’s Supreme Court, Aniagolu, JSC described AJ’s judicial integrity work as “… a crucial job for the emancipation of this country – you are our mouth piece in this [regard]

Balance of Justice
As part of its efforts to improve performance in justice administration and promote judicial accountability, Access to justice initiated a performance-related monitoring exercise at the Federal High Court (Lagos) in January 2005, the objectives of which were to track current developments at the Federal High Court and to promote efficiency in Justice administration by increasing public scrutiny of the Court and its processes. After the thorough court-monitoring exercise, AJ published a report of its findings under the titled “Balance of Justice: An exploratory Report on the Performance of Judges of the Federal High Court Lagos”. In July 2006, AJ undertook yet another round of monitoring to reassess the efficiency of the administrative machinery in the same judicial division under focus. This follow-up exercise was also published under the title “Balance of Justice: A second Report”.

Justice Advocacy Series
Following its memorandum to the Constitutional Reform Conference, submitted in 2005, urging for radical changes to be made to existing procedures of appointing and dismissing judges, Access to Justice, published the Justice Advocacy Series No. 01 “Making Bricks with the Right Straw: Why We Must Reform Procedures of Judicial Recruitment and Discipline in Nigeria”. In this publication, AJ argued that the current procedures of appointment suffered from major weaknesses of denial and exclusion, do not get sufficient background information of judicial nominees and facilitate executive control of Judicial Service Commissions which play a vital part in the judge’s appointment process. AJ further canvasses for reform of procedures of judicial recruitment and discipline in Nigeria and made recommendations which, if implemented, will considerably shore up the safeguards that protect the Judiciary’s independence and strengthen the Judiciary’s own ethics of transparency and accountability.