Justice Has a Long Memory

There is an old saying that the mills of justice grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine.

Recent reports reminding us of the Supreme Court’s affirmation of the lifetime ban imposed on a former Attorney-General of the Federation, following a legal battle that stretched over fifteen years, should give every public office holder in Nigeria cause for sober reflection. The case arose from allegations that judicial decisions were deliberately undermined, and the courts ultimately held that such conduct was incompatible with the trust required of public office.

Whether one agrees with every aspect of the litigation or not, the larger lesson is impossible to ignore.

Power is temporary.

Public office is temporary.

Official immunity is temporary.

But the consequences of abusing power can be permanent.

One of the greatest mistakes public officials make is believing that today’s authority guarantees tomorrow’s protection. It does not. Governments change. Political parties lose elections. Administrations come and go. Allies become strangers. Files gather dust for years before someone decides to open them again.

Yet victims remember.

The man or woman who believes they have been unjustly treated by the state often carries that burden long after the official convoy has disappeared and the security details have gone. Time may weaken memories, but it can also strengthen determination.

History is filled with examples of individuals who refused to surrender. Some waited ten years. Others waited twenty. Some never lived to see justice, but their families continued the fight. In the end, many of those who once appeared untouchable found themselves answering for decisions made while they occupied positions of authority.

This is why every government official—from the President to the governor, from the commissioner to the local government chairman, from the permanent secretary to the agency head—must understand a simple truth:

Never use the machinery of government to settle personal scores.

Never ignore a lawful court order because political convenience demands it.

Never assume that because you control today’s institutions, you control tomorrow’s judgment.

The files are patient.

The courts are patient.

History is patient.

Justice itself is remarkably patient.

Democracy is built on institutions, not individuals. Every public servant swears an oath not to a political party or to a governor or president, but to the Constitution and the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That oath is not ceremonial. It is a solemn covenant with the Nigerian people.

For those who suffer official injustice today, there is also a message of hope.

Do not lose faith simply because justice seems delayed. Delay is not always denial. Persistence has rewritten many stories that once appeared hopeless. A determined citizen armed with facts, the law and patience can sometimes outlast the most powerful office holder.

Perhaps that is the greatest beauty of democracy.

Power has an expiry date.

Justice does not.