Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has sharply criticised the Supreme Court, accusing it of inconsistency and excessive emphasis on procedural technicalities over substantive justice.
Speaking in Ilorin, Kwara State, at the Prof. Yusuf Ali Annual Lecture held by Kwara State University (KWASU), Osinbajo called for a wholesale reform of Nigeria’s legal system. He stressed that the judiciary must shift from rigid formalism toward delivering justice that serves the people.
“The essence of any justice system is to serve the people, not to glorify procedural formalities,” Osinbajo said, adding that many judicial rulings—including at the highest court—tend to prioritise form over substance.
“Even English courts, whose practices we inherited, have evolved beyond such rigid technicalities by allowing amendments at any stage to ensure justice is done.”
He lamented that Nigeria remains tethered to outdated legal doctrines, which erode public confidence in the judiciary. According to him, although the Supreme Court has occasionally demonstrated flexibility—especially in electoral cases—its inconsistency remains a pressing problem.
Osinbajo urged legal practitioners, scholars, and policymakers to adopt “critical, decolonised thinking” in overhauling legal education, practice, and the system of justice in Nigeria.
In the same lecture, human rights advocate Prof. Chidi Odinkalu (SAN) echoed similar sentiments, calling for a reimagining of Nigeria’s legal system to discard the colonial legacies that continue to shape its institutions. SolaceBase
Elsewhere at the event, Prof. Jimoh Shaykh-Luqman, KWASU’s Vice Chancellor, announced infrastructure upgrades including a new departmental building, a 500-seat auditorium, and two 250-seat lecture theatres, slated for completion by December.
Meanwhile, Prof. Yusuf Ali, host of the lecture, lamented the lack of a unifying national identity and the need for Nigeria to confront its systemic challenges.
