Former Bayelsa SSG Lambasts Lawyers, Judiciary At NBA Sagbama Branch 2026 Law Week

 By Our Correspondent 

Former Secretary to Bayelsa State Government, HRH (Sir) Barr. David  Serena-Dokubo Spiff has lambasted Lawyers and the Judiciary over the practice of democracy in Nigeria.

HRH (Sir) Barr. David Serena-Dokubo Spiff

Barrister Spiff who  made his feelings known in a keynote address he delivered on Tuesday at the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Sagbama Branch 2026 Law Week with the Theme: "True  Justice: The Need For Institutional And Individual Accountability In Safeguarding Democracy", bemoaned the way and manner lawyers and the judiciary practice democracy despite the oath of office they have been sworn in to safeguard it.

The former SSG whose keynote address was presented by a renowned    Environmental Lawyer  and Development Consultant, Barrister Iniruo Wills described theme as a diagnosis that captures with surgical precision the two open wounds through which Nigeria continues to bleed the failure of institutions to be answerable, and refusal of individuals who populate those institutions to be responsible.

Barrister Iniruo Wills 

He maintained that accountability from outset is not a Western imposition on African governance, but, it is a universal requirement of legitimate power.

The former Bayelsa SSG pointed out that our ancestors in the Niger Delta and across Nigeria had councils of elders, masquerade societies, and Community Tribunals that held leaders to account.

He explained that the problem is not that Nigerians do not understand accountability, but, he regretted that the architecture of modern Nigerian governance has been deliberately engineered to frustrate it.

He said democracy is not the act of lining up every four years to deposit a ballot; but,  it is a daily covenant between the governed and those who govern, held together not by goodwill alone, but by law, by institutions, and by the individual conscience of those who swear to uphold both.

He said, Section 1(1) of the current 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria declares the supremacy of the Constitution and its binding force on all authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

This constitution,  Section 6, he said, vests  judicial power in the Courts, and it is through that judicial power that accountability, where it exists at all in Nigeria, finds its most legitimate expression, adding that the Bar is the gateway to that power.

"Which means the Bar is, whether it accepts the responsibility or not, a constitutional actor in the project of democratic governance", he asserted.

On the state of judicial accountability in Nigeria, as the constitution vested it judicial power exclusively in the courts.

He reminded that that exclusivity is not a privilege, it is a constitutional firewall; and its integrity is joint responsibility of the Judiciary and every lawyer who appears before it.

According to him the Judiciary is the last institutional sanctuary of democratic governance, stating that when it fails, whether through corruption, executive intimidation, or the quiet erosion of its independence, democracy would be left without refuge.

He said that judicial accountability is a two-directional constitutional obligation, and that distinction is critical as it requires the judiciary to hold the executive accountable through independent adjudication free from fear and favour.

" It equally requires the judiciary itself to be accountable, through transparent appointment processes, rigorous and timely discipline of corrupt or compromised judicial officers, and public reporting of case outcomes.

"There is no gain saying therefore that an independent judiciary is essential to an effective and dependable democratic experience. 

The question is often asked " is the judiciary in Nigeria actually independent?  By reason of the aforesaid, I make bold to say that much work still needs to be done, in order to emplace a truly independent judiciary in Nigeria", he said.

Describing" The Lawyer As Democratic Watchman", he said that " I do not come before you simply to catalogue failure. I come because this audience has special obligation in the project of national redemption.

The legal profession in Nigeria is not a bystander to accountability crisis. 

We are participants, for good and for ill, in every dimension of it. Lawyers draft the agreements that enable corruption. Lawyers file the interlocutory applications that stall accountability prosecutions for years. Lawyers argue the technical objections that stultify proceedings and occasion inordinate delays. Lawyers sit on the benches that deliver or withhold justice. And Lawyers lead the Organizations, draft the legislations, and occupy the executive offices from which accountability structures can be rebuilt".

He also stated that every Nigerian lawyer swore an oath upon call to the Bar.

" We swore to upon the law, to maintain the dignity of the profession, and not to engage in or assist in conduct that is fraudulent, dishonest, or criminal. That Oath is not discharged by avoiding personal criminality. It is discharged only by active fidelity to the spirit of legality in all our professional conduct.

A lawyer who knowingly files fabricated evidence has not merely committed professional misconduct, they have committed a crime against democracy  itself.

A lawyer who prepares a sham transaction to disguise the movement of stolen public funds is not providing legal services they are providing corruption infrastructure. A lawyer who advises a client that executive orders override constitutional provisions knowing this to be false, is not advocate; they are an accomplice," he stated.

At the of the event, when journalists approached the Chairman, Law Week Planning Committee, NBA, Sagbama Branch, Dr. Dise Ogbise Goddy-Harry, Esq., for comment, she questioned them alleging "Did I invite you?"