Nigeria, Nov. 3 -- Among the doctrines that underpin the legal process in Nigeria, few are as profound and pervasive as judicial independence, but no doctrine in the ecosystem of the law rivals its elusiveness. The idea is ubiquitous in the syllabus of every programme leading to the award of a degree in Law, in Political Science or Public Administration. After leaving the university, the practitioner will encounter it regularly in conferences and in after-dinner speeches.

Judicial independence is more than the stuff of law faculties and after-dinner fares. It is a fundamental human right in Nigeria. Indeed, the guarantee of the right to fair trial in section 36(1) of Nigeria's constitution requires that every court should be "constituted...