Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has urged judges and lawyers to protect the independence, integrity and credibility of the judiciary, saying the justice system must remain stronger than personalities, administrations and political cycles.
Sanwo-Olu made the call in a message delivered by Secretary to the State Government Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin at a special service marking the beginning of the 2026/2027 Legal Year of the Lagos State Judiciary.
The governor said administrations, office holders and political seasons would inevitably change, but the institution of justice must endure.
“Administrations will come and go. Judges will be appointed and retire. Office holders will change, and political seasons will pass. But the institution of justice must endure beyond personalities, governments and political cycles,” he said.
He added that the judiciary’s integrity must remain protected and its independence uncompromised.
Sanwo-Olu said one measure of his administration’s legacy would be the strength of institutions and systems left behind, not only physical infrastructure.
He argued that public confidence in the justice system was essential to the stability, social order and economic development of Lagos.
Citizens and businesses, he said, must be confident that rights will be protected, disputes resolved fairly, contracts respected and the rule of law upheld.
The governor pledged that the state would continue, within its constitutional responsibilities, to support reforms aimed at improving access to justice.
He nevertheless stressed that infrastructure and technology alone could not guarantee an effective justice system.
The quality of justice, he said, ultimately depended on the integrity, fairness and courage of judges, lawyers and other officers of the court.
Sanwo-Olu urged judicial officers to administer justice without fear or favour and called on lawyers to uphold the ethics and dignity of the profession.
In his sermon, Bishop of Lagos West Diocese James Odedeji warned justice-sector stakeholders against allowing personal, financial or professional interests to compromise their responsibilities.
“Justice must not be sold,” the bishop said.
He added that professional success should not come at the expense of integrity.
Chief Judge of Lagos State Kazeem Alogba said judges and magistrates would continue to uphold the rule of law and discharge their responsibilities diligently.
He urged lawyers and members of the public with complaints against judicial officers to use established procedures while encouraging constructive criticism of the justice system.
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Lawal Pedro identified delays in the disposal of cases as a major challenge requiring sustained attention.
He said responsibility for an efficient justice system was shared by the judiciary, executive, legislature, legal profession and the public.
Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly Mudashiru Obasa called for greater public understanding of the law, including wider use of indigenous languages to explain legal processes.
At the Lagos Central Mosque, Chief Imam Sulaiman Abu-Nolla similarly urged judges, magistrates, lawyers and public officials to make justice, fairness and accountability central to their work.
The events formally marked the commencement of the 2026/2027 Legal Year of the Lagos State Judiciary.
