Adesanya-Davies Lauds Osinbajo on “Nigerian Courts Now Serve Technicalities, Not Justice”
Former Presidential Candidate, Professor Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, has commended former Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN, GCON), for his bold and patriotic remarks on the current state of Nigeria’s judiciary, where he lamented that “Nigerian courts now serve technicalities, not justice.”
On Saturday, October 11, 2025 in Port Harcourt, Adesanya-Davies, a university don and a seasoned politician described Osinbajo’s statement as “timely, courageous, and deeply reflective of the nation’s legal reality.”
She said, “It takes a man of truth, integrity, and courage to openly admit that our judicial system has lost focus and must return to its core mission — justice. I commend Professor Osinbajo for identifying what millions of Nigerians have long perceived — that our courts, too often, dwell on procedural technicalities at the expense of truth, fairness, and substantive justice.”
Referring to Osinbajo’s remarks at the Faculty of Law, Kwara State University, where he called for a “fundamental overhaul of Nigeria’s justice system”, Adesanya-Davies noted that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man, and when justice becomes inaccessible or distorted by legal technicalities, the very fabric of democracy is threatened. “Sadly, I have witnessed several of such cases in Nigeria, where procedural technicalities won truth, fairness, and substantive justice.”
She added, “It is disheartening that, after over six decades of independence, our legal system still operates under archaic colonial doctrines that prioritise form over substance. Justice delayed or denied through rigid technical procedures is a miscarriage of justice. We need a humanised, decolonised, and truly Nigerian approach to law.”
Professor Adesanya-Davies further called on the National Judicial Council (NJC), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and the National Assembly to take Osinbajo’s warning seriously and initiate comprehensive reforms in legal education, court administration, and judicial conduct.
She urged all stakeholders to embrace “a justice system that reflects fairness, equity, and the fear of God.”
“As a nation,” she concluded, “we must reform our courts to serve justice, not technicalities. Professor Osinbajo has spoken truth to power, and Nigeria must heed that truth for the sake of national integrity, peace, and progress.”
