The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has called on the Federal Government to put in place a workable framework to ensure swift implementation of court judgments in the country.
Speaking at the inauguration of Volunteer Lawyers Network in Port Harcourt on Thursday 4 December 2025, SERAP Deputy Director Mr. Kolawole Oluwadare said that obedience to court judgement especially in public interest cases was important to prevent setting wrong examples for the citizens.
“It is a sad thing that a citizen will go to court, spend three to four years litigating issues in compliance with the rule of law, have judgment and the Government will bluntly refuse to obey such judgement.”
“In most of these cases, it is either the attorney general of the federation is a party or the lawyers from the ministry of justice represent the agencies of government. They know what to do, obey the judgement of the court.
The judgement of the court is valid, unless it is set aside by a competent or an appeal court. And so the best thing to do, the right thing to do, and the only thing to do is to obey the judgement of the court.” He said
Mr. Oluwadare while expressing confidence in the ability of Nigerian courts to deliver justice urged Nigerians to utilize public interest litigation to ensure social justice and the enforcement of rule of law.
“We at SERAP are fully confident in the ability of the judiciary to do justice. Of course we are aware that there are challenges and some of those challenges are the things that we are also advocating for.”
“Two wrongs don’t make a right, that wouldn’t make us do things against the law of course it won’t. That is why we will continue to do within the habit of the law going to court to compel complaints to judgement taking the administrative and having conversations with critical partners with the media like this to compel the government to do the right thing.”
“It is so sad we have to compel the government to do the right thing, so sad.”
He added that the conversations and advocacy on the importance of obeying court judgment will continue because it is the only way Nigerians can get true justice.
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