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Calling the Judiciary to Account for the Past: Transitional Justice and Judicial Accountability in Nigeria
Author(s) -
YUSUF HAKEEM O.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
law and policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.534
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1467-9930
pISSN - 0265-8240
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9930.2008.00274.x
Subject(s) - accountability , transitional justice , authoritarianism , political science , rule of law , democracy , argument (complex analysis) , context (archaeology) , corporate governance , economic justice , normative , proposition , law , judicial review , transformational leadership , law and economics , public administration , sociology , politics , economics , public relations , epistemology , paleontology , biochemistry , chemistry , philosophy , finance , biology
Institutional and individual accountability is an important feature of societies in transition from conflict or authoritarian rule. The imperative of accountability has both normative and transformational underpinnings in the context of restoration of the rule of law and democracy. This article argues a case for extending the purview of truth‐telling processes to the judiciary in postauthoritarian contexts. The driving force behind the inquiry is the proposition that the judiciary as the third arm of government at all times participates in governance. To contextualize the argument, I focus on judicial governance and accountability within the paradigm of Nigeria's transition to democracy after decades of authoritarian military rule.