By Chesa Chesa
Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, on Thursday, said the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Judicial Council is poised to tackle the challenge of enforcement of judgments emanating from the ECOWAS Court.
Justice Ariwoola disclosed this while speaking to journalists at the State House, Abuja, after he led the ECOWAS Judicial Council members to meet with President Bola Tinubu.
According to the Chief Justice of the Federation, the ECOWAS Judicial Council had already set up two committees to look at the rules and the other to consider the enforcement of judgments of the community’s court.
He was reacting to an admonition given by Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, on Tuesday, at the Statutory ECOWAS Judicial Council meeting in Abuja, who expressed need for the ECOWAS Court of Justice to strengthen its jurisdiction and watch against pronouncing judgements and orders that are unenforceable.
Ariwoola, who said he had been elected as Chairman of the ECOWAS Judicial Council, when asked if the issue raised by Fagbemi came up in the discussions with President Tinubu, said he already told him that the matter would receive attention from the Council.
“Attorney-General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), gave that as part of his pitch at the opening session on Tuesday and that is part of my remarks to Mr. President, also this morning, that the issue on the enforcement of the judgments of the community court is going to be looked into.
“We’ve set up two committees; one to look into the rules and the other to look into the position or the status of the enforcement of judgments of the community court and as I told Mr. President, by the time the Council concludes its meeting, the recommendations will show that we have worked so hard to support the Commission”, he said.
Speaking about the meeting held with President Tinubu, Justice Ariwoola said “the meeting with Mr. President went on beautifully. This is a courtesy visit on Mr. President by the ECOWAS Judicial Council and as the Chief Justice of Nigeria, I was elected the Chairman of the ECOWAS Judicial Council.
“The Council has been having its meeting at the Council Hall of the National Judicial Council since Tuesday and that’s why we planned to visit Mr. President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and we were granted the honour to make this visit to appraise His Excellency about what transpired at our meeting.
“We planned to submit our recommendations to the authority when we conclude our meeting. It has been wonderful”, he said.
