Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Folake Solanke has urged members of the bar and the bench to stay off corrupt practices in order to restore the glory of the judiciary.
Solanke, who is the first woman to become a SAN in Nigeria [1981], said this at the valedictory court session held in honour of the retired Chief Justice of Lagos State, Justice Opeyemi Oke last Thursday.
She noted that for the common man to have hope in the administration of justice, the system must be free of corruption.
“Every member of the profession must be involved in the restoration of the dignity and credibility of this profession and if all of us determine to be corruption free, there will be no corruption anywhere in the administration of justice.
“We have to restore the golden days that the administration of justice was enjoyed in the court. The bar and the bench must be corruption free.”
Solanke, who protested the discrimination against the Nigerian Bar Association in the membership of the National Judicial Service Commission, urged the NBA to initiate a dialogue ..
She further advised the retired CJ not to see her retirement as an invitation to inactivity but to continue to engage intellectually.
Delivering his speech, the acting Chief Judge of the state, Justice Kazeem Alogba, described the retired CJ as an advocate of positive change in the administration of justice, adding that Justice Oke cherished her oath of office and her integrity.