Judiciary remains major pillar of democracy – Osinbajo

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

Vice President Professor Yemi Osibanjo has described the Judiciary as a major pillar of the nation’s democracy.

Osibanjo made the remarks during the annual conference of the National Association of  Teaching Lawyers, held at Bayero University Kano yesterday.

He said African countries are facing the threat of overthrowing political governments.

Osinbajo explained that in recent times more than a dozen elected governments had been overthrown in African countries, citing  Burkina Faso and Mali.

He however  said that Nigeria’s democracy, though it is nascent, has been strong that it would hardly be overthrown now.

The Vice President noted that politics is still in its infancy stage in Nigeria but had achieved a lot, taking into cognisance the transfer of power between elected governments in the country.

He cited the example of how APC defeated PDP as the ruling party in 2015, stressing that the judiciary was able to carry out their duties judiciously.

The Vice President urged the Association of the Teaching Lawyers to take a look at the development and challenges facing democracy in Nigerian as the giant of Africa.

He congratulated the Teaching Lawyers on the cycle of the season, expressing  hope that  they will contribute to the development of the legal system in the country despite the challenges.

In his speech, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State commended the members of the Judiciary for organizing the conference.

Ganduje noted that the conference focused on the role of the judiciary in the development of democracy across the country.