I had indicated last time that I would continue to talk about my grouse with the proposed Legal Profession Bill. Yesterday, I read a brilliant piece from a colleague, Bolaji Ramos on The Fidelity Fund: A Joke or a Grain of Seriousness? – A Reflection on the Legal Profession Regulation Bill 2017) (Part Two). Bolaji already captured my thoughts in a brilliant poetic form, I do not want to say more. So let’s move on to some other issues!
The issue I have been battling with recently is this annual court vacation. O boy, shey na like this we go dey dey? There are so many things which are directly and indirectly linked to this annual court vacation. The most important of them for someone like me is the status of “the purse.” Somehow, the moment the vacation starts; it would be like all the spirits that distribute money to lawyers have gone on strike. Wetin happen? I don’t know whether na only me waka come on top this one o.
To make matters worse, it is that time that your friends are also broke. You no get, you no get friend wey go borrow you. The ones who still have “Boss” would be using that one too to take excuse, “my Oga don travel for vacation.” Like say if e no travel, e go pay you salary twice for one month. Anyway, that is how all of us would be broke! For God’s sake, why do we have to go on this 42 day hunger strike, sorry, court vacation? Can’t the period be reduced to 14 days (2 weeks). Who this long vacation epp abeg?
I am sure I speak the minds of millions of litigants who would never understand how a matter is adjourned from June to October. Practically, with the long court vacation, the courts are effectively active for just six months – between January and July. By July, when the vacation approaches, you are already getting adjourned dates in October. If you get to the court in October, you would be lucky to have a date before Christmas and New Year break which commences sometimes around 20th of December. Clearly, we have to rethink this long vacation business.
The one thing that really bothers me as much is the fact that despite the long vacations we still have epileptic court sitting around the country. How do you explain a situation where you have several adjournments for reason that court is not sitting and when Court wants to sit nko? Some of them would decide that the 9 oclock or “so soon thereafter” means “so long thereafter.” There are some courts that the statutory time for sitting is 10:30 am. The judges do not send you. There is nothing on earth that would make them sit earlier and with all these, we still have six weeks vacation. We waste a lot of time in this part of the world.
Really who this long vacation epp?
My Grouse – venting my frustrations!
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