Today, the Nigerian Bar Association joins the global legal community in commemorating the International Day for Judicial Well-being, recently adopted by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution A/79/L.52 and inspired by the historic Nauru Declaration on Judicial Well-being of 25 July 2024.
This is not merely a ceremonial observance. It is a clarion call to nations, institutions, and justice sector stakeholders to place the mental, emotional, and occupational health of judges at the very heart of judicial reform. We must acknowledge, unequivocally, that judicial well-being is not a peripheral concern, it is the cornerstone of judicial integrity, access to justice, and the rule of law.
Judges are not machines. They are human beings. They bleed. They break. And they bear the burden of justice. They are burdened daily with weighty decisions that shape lives, protect rights, and preserve our democracy. Yet, the system within which they operate is often unforgiving, marked by chronic underfunding, infrastructural decay, overwhelming caseloads, and insecurity.
To secure a robust, independent, and responsive judiciary, we must begin with the well-being of its human foundation.
The Nigerian Bar Association calls for a comprehensive and honest national assessment of the Nigerian court system. We must ask difficult questions, interrogate inherited legacies and bureaucratic inertia, and identify the innovations and radical changes required to build a judicial ecosystem that nourishes its officers, not drains them.
Such an assessment must go beyond token interventions. It must include:
• Empirical studies on judicial stress and burnout.
• Reform of work environments and judicial infrastructure.
• Institutional support systems for mental health, professional development, and collegiality.
• Promotion of an inclusive and ethical workplace culture within the courts.
• Judicial training and sensitization that recognizes well-being as essential to competence and diligence.
This is a moral, constitutional, and professional imperative.
Judicial well-being is not only about individual judges; it is about the people they serve. A distressed judiciary cannot deliver undiluted justice. A fatigued bench cannot uphold fundamental rights. A judiciary that lacks internal dignity will struggle to inspire public trust.
Thus, judicial well-being is not an end in itself, it is a precondition for access to justice, and without it, justice becomes distant, delayed, or denied.
The Nigerian Bar Association is committed to advancing this conversation at every level. We shall continue to work with the National Judicial Council, court administrators, and mental health experts to mainstream judicial well-being into policy and practice, support judicial officers with tools and platforms for professional renewal and peer learning, and advocate for legislative and executive actions that prioritize court funding, safety, and independence.
On this first International Day for Judicial Well-being, let us commit, not merely to celebration, but to transformation. Let us affirm that the health of our judiciary is the health of our democracy.
Happy International Day for Judicial Well-being.
Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN
President, Nigerian Bar Association
