As Judiciary plays a fundamental role in the development of a society and serves as a watchdog for any society, there is therefore a duty not to allow the common man’s hope to be lost.

The Chief Judge of Ogun State, Hon. Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu who revealed this at the State 12^th Public Lecture of the Bar and Bench forum held at the Judiciary Complex in Abeokuta, maintained that it is pivotal to good governance to have a formidable judiciary which ultimately contributes to nation building.

Analysing the core values of a democratic governance, the Chief Judge said, “The respect for minority rights, the freedom of individual thoughts and the formation and dissemination of opinions without fear of being victimized, are incidental to a good democratic governance”

Charging the lawyers, on their roles in a democratic government, Hon. Justice Dipeolu said, they should consider obedience and respect for the decisions of courts, adding that “ when the acts of counsel are arbitrary and support a continued abuse of the process of court, then the respect for judiciary decisions is tainted. The citizenry who are rightly advised by their counsel and cautioned to respect the rule of law will not dare to disrespect same.”

In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the forum, Professor Olarenwaju Onadeko (SAN), a former Director of the Nigerian Law School, Abuja who described the theme of the lecture as relevant and timely appreciated the efforts of the Chief Judge of the State, Hon. Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu for moving the Judiciary to the forefront.

The Guest Lecturer as well as Speaker of the forum, Mr Ebun Adegboruwa, (SAN) who described the judiciary as the guardian of the democratic state and an ordinary man’s final hope, said that the judiciary should guarantee equal access to justice, equity by ensuring that the right of citizens are adequately ventilated and judgements handed down in accordance with the dictates of the law.

Mr Adegboruwa, further postulated that in order for the judiciary to play its part in sustaining and preserving democracy, it must ensure that cases bordering on corruption are dealt with expeditiously to instil public confidence in the fight against corruption.

“To create a stable environment that is indispensable to economic development and social cohesion, justice must be rooted in confidence and that confidence is destroyed when right thinking people doubt the neutrality of the Judge,” Adegboruwa submits

He added that the Judiciary, which is a crucial component of the process of sustaining the nation and in charge of justice delivery system, must carry out its institutional duty of administering justice impartially and without fear or favour.